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Christopher Boan writes for BetTennessee.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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College Gameday Guest Picker Odds: Week 1 Guest Picker for Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame
A week after taking in the bucolic scenery of Ireland, the four horsemen of college football’s premier pregame show are slated to take in a ballyhooed non-conference showdown. The show is back in the United States this week, but this week’s featured matchup includes a team that pantomimes itself as an institution of Ireland.
That’s because ESPN College GameDay is slated to head to Kyle Field for a Saturday night clash between No. 7 Notre Dame and 20th ranked Texas A&M, in what football fans College Station and South Bend hope is a College Football Playoff preview. Our Tennessee college football betting guide has more details on the season as a whole.
BetTennessee.com broke down some hypothetical odds on which celebrity de jour could be this weekend’s celebrity picker, long before the Aggies and Fighting Irish go toe-to-toe deep in the heart of Texas.
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Week 1 College Gameday Picker Odds
Celebrity Guest Picker | Percentage Chance | Odds |
Shane Gillis, comedian and Notre Dame fan | 22.2% | +350 |
Johnny Manziel, former Texas A&M football player | 16.7% | +500 |
Jerome Bettis, former Notre Dame football player | 11.1% | +800 |
Vince Vaughn, actor and Notre Dame fan | 11.1% | +800 |
Joe Montana, former Notre Dame football player | 9.1% | +1000 |
Tyler Toney, Dude Perfect and Texas A&M alumnus | 7.7% | +1200 |
The Field | 22.2% | +350 |
Tennessee sportsbooks have Texas A&M as a 2.5-point or 3-point home favorite (to go with a moneyline ranging between -145 and -155) in head coach Mike Elko’s debut in College Station against the Fighting Irish. But we’re wondering who will join Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and company in the hours leading up to the clash of the titans. The game will be televised on ABC.
Who Will Be This Week’s Guest Picker?
Our odds-on favorite entering the week to be the Week 1 guest picker on GameDay is Notre Dame fan and comedian Shane Gillis, who is listed at +350 on our odds board (that translates to a 22.2% implied probability). Next is legendary Aggie Johnny Manziel, with the former Heisman Trophy winner at +500.
Tennessee sports betting apps have Notre Dame at +2000 to win the national title in the first year of the expanded 12-team CFP.
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Other Guest Picker Candidates
Two former Notre Dame players (Jerome Bettis at +800 and Joe Montana at +1000) join notorious Notre Dame fan and Old School star Vince Vaughn (+800) in the middle of the pack on our board. Dude Perfect figure Tyler Toney, an Aggies alum, is a longshot at +1200 and the field (anybody else) has +350 odds.
For reference, last week’s celebrity in Dublin was WWE wrestler Sheamus (real name Stephen Farrelly), who hails from Dublin. That warranted his inclusion despite the 46-year-old having zero connection to either school playing that day, Florida State and Georgia Tech.
Whether we see a similarly random selection on Saturday remains to be seen. For now, we’ll put our money on a standup comedian and comedic flop of a football player to be this week’s guest picker.
Tennessee opens against Chattanooga, with the Vols installed as a 38.5-point favorite with DraftKings Tennessee Sportsbook. Memphis also opens against FCS-level competition, with visiting North Alabama as a 37.5-point underdog against the Tigers. Vanderbilt is a 13.5-point home underdog against Virginia Tech of the ACC.
USA Today photo by Kirby Lee
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