Just In: College GameDay Guest Picker Announced

Just In: ESPN College GameDay Guest Picker Announced for Tennessee vs. Alabama

Jack Foster | Oct 13, 2022

ESPN's flagship college football show, College GameDay, is back in Knoxville for the second consecutive Tennessee home game.

Last time out, Knoxville native and WWE female wrestler Bianca Belair was the guest picker.

This time, legendary VFL, NFL Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning will serve as the guest picker, as Manning announced on Instagram moments ago.

This is the first time Manning has been selected as the guest picker for the show, as Tennessee hasn't been a consistent Top-25 college football program since Manning retired from the NFL.

But now, it's the perfect storm. This is the most promising start to a season for Tennessee Football in well over a decade, and Alabama is coming to town in a game that the Vols have a real shot to win.

While the response from Vol fans may be mixed due to the 'Peyton Manning curse,' a curse many believe is real as the Vols seem to lose games Manning attends, having the all-time great VFL make an appearance on one of the most significant days for Tennessee Football this century makes sense.

Just two weeks ago, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee and the rest of the crew were on Rocky Top for Tennessee vs. Florida, a game that the Vols won 38-33.

The win was the first for the Vols against the Gators since 2016, which was the last time GameDay had come to town.

Now it's back just 21 days later, and it's not alone.

SEC Network's SEC Nation and Marty McGee will be on campus along with Josh Pate's Late Kick show with CBS Sports and 247.

The college football world will revolve around Knoxville Saturday as the Top-6 showdown will take place on Shields-Watkins Field.

The game is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Tennessee currently sits as 7.5-point underdogs.

Published Oct 13, 2022

JACK FOSTER

Jack is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Journalism/Electronic Media. Jack grew up in Paris, Tennessee, but now spends the majority of his time in Knoxville doubling as a student and sports journalist for Volunteer Country. Jack has been a sports junkie since he was a young kid and always watched NFL football with his dad on Sundays. Jack still follows the NFL religiously, as he is an avid fantasy football player. Jack started with Volunteer Country in May of 2021 and has since helped provide full coverage of football, baseball and men's and women's basketball. Jack also works as a recurring member of WUTK's Rock Solid Sports show on Wednesdays and Fridays, and he also serves as head sports producer of The Volunteer Channel's Vol News, a student-run show at the University. When Jack is not watching or covering sports, find him on the golf course or back home spending time with his parents, younger sister and friends. Follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram by clicking "Twitter" and "Instagram" to see all of his work with Volunteer Country as well as student media.