When actor Timothée Chalamet was chosen as the special guest picker for ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday, fans were surprised, as the “Dune” star had no clear ties to college football. However, he impressed the panel and fans with his expert analysis.
Chalamet made his first pick, stating, “I’m going Jackson State, eight wins in a row, 11 all-conference players, this should be a comfortable, easy win for them.”
He impressed the hosts with his research, referencing SMU’s Pony Express, one of the greatest running attacks in college football history, when picking the Clemson-SMU ACC Championship game. “Kevin Jennings is a legitimate Heisman contender next year, in my humble opinion. I’m pulling for SMU, it smells like the 1980s folks,” he said.
When it came to picking the SEC Championship game between Texas and Georgia, Chalamet made his choice with a friend in mind. “You know it’s hard to beat the same team twice. Adjustments are made, it’s like a game of chess. Coach Saban knows this better than anyone on this dais. Listen, I’m going with my movie-dad (Matthew) McConaughey here. I’m sorry to everyone here, this is a Longhorn’s victory, hook ’em horns,” he said.
Fans were impressed with Chalamet’s knowledge and research, taking to social media to praise him. “I’ve never been more wrong about anything in my life than I was about Timothée Chalamet’s college football knowledge. I’m speechless. This guy knows ball,” one user wrote. “Timothée Chalamet being a real deal college football fan, being a SMU fan, and knowing about all these teams was so crazy to me. I thought (he) just got invited cause (he is) famous, but he was a legit great guest picker on College Gameday,” another user wrote.
