As ESPN prepares to move on without Lee Corso, here is a look back at how many times the legendary TV analyst picked Florida football.
College GameDay icon Lee Corso will be throwing on his final mascot head as the 90-year-old ESPN broadcaster will finally retire.
Florida football has made its fair share of appearances on Gameday with Corso making 35 all-time picks on Gator games. Notably, Florida ranks fifth all-time as serving as a host site for GameDay at 13.
Florida is Corso’s fourth-most picked school behind Ohio State, Alabama and LSU. In the games Corso donned the Gator headgear, UF went 15-7, while the TV analyst was 5-8 when picking against them.
What was Lee Corso’s first Florida football headgear pick?
Corso began making his headgear picks in 1996, but it was a full year later before the broadcaster made a prediction on a Gator game.
That first matchup was back on Sept. 20, 1997, when the No. 3 Gators hosted No. 4 Tennessee — a Vols team that was led by eventual NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
The UF defense held the Volunteers to 45 rushing yards, while Manning was 29-for-51, tossing for 353 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted twice.
Florida’s Doug Johnson threw for 261 yards, three scores and a pair of interceptions, with Jacquez Green hauling in eight catches for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the eventual 33-20 Florida victory.
What was Lee Corso’s first headgear pick against Florida football?
Unfortunately for Florida fans, a top three matchup between the then-No. 3 Gators and their bitter rival Florida State, which was ranked No. 1, sent the Seminoles to the BCS championship game.
Corso picked Florida State, where he played quarterback from 1953-57, in this matchup back on Nov. 20, 1999.
For UF, it was one of the most frustrating games in the Steve Spurrier era, and just the fourth loss in a 61-game stretch. The Gators committed 15 penalties for 93 yards and committed three turnovers in the eventual 30-23 loss.
FSU kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who enjoyed an 18-year NFL career, nailed three field goals with his longest going for 54 yards.
What was the last time Lee Corso made a headgear pick for a Florida football game?
The broadcaster’s final pick involving UF was back in 2022, which featured Corso correctly taking Tennessee over the Gators.
The Anthony Richardson-led UF squad came up short in delivering a fourth-quarter comeback against rival UT as the Vols came out on top with a 38-33 win.
Richardson accounted for over 500 yards in offense as he tossed for 453 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and ran for an additional 62 yards and two scores.
However, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker had an equally impressive game as he threw 349 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 112 yards and a touchdown.
What was Lee Corso’s most memorable Florida football pick?
In one of the biggest games in Florida’s history, Corso successfully picked the Gators to take down No. 1 and undefeated Ohio State in the BCS National Championship back on Jan. 8, 2007. This matchup would be tied for Corso’s fourth top upset pick based on the spread.
The Gators dominated the favored Buckeyes as Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith was held to just 4-of-14 for 35 yards and an interception. Ohio State opened the game with Ted Ginn Jr. returning the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, but after that UF infamously dominated.
Quarterback Chris Leak tossed for 213 yards and a touchdown, while true freshman Tim Tebow also threw for one score and ran for another.
Corso’s final College GameDay will broadcast at 9 a.m. ET. on ESPN with the show hosted in Columbus, Ohio for the matchup between Texas and Ohio State.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at aabadie@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
