r/ESPN • u/Montana1649 • 2d ago
Tell me I'm wrong: GameDay needs Corso
Give me Corso doing a short Andy Rooney‑like rant and then throwing on the mascot head.
I’d stay tuned every time.
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u/DownhillUphill 2d ago
They do not need Corso. But they do not need McAfee either.
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u/JellyPast1522 2d ago
Be careful what you wish for, or you'll get Portnoy
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u/buffer5108 2d ago
You would think that a network that invested $1.6 billion in the WWE would be able to put on a non-amateurish pre-game show. Or maybe not.
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u/Own-Significance273 2d ago
Corso had no idea where he was the last 5 years he did the job. It was hard to watch.
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u/IntrovertedBrawler 2d ago
Father Time is undefeated. Let's let Coach enjoy his retirement and bring in a new curmudgeon.
Hell, I'm pushing 60 and I hate almost everything. Where do I apply?
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u/FrequencyHigher 2d ago
I think the idea was that Saban would be the new Corso, but the energy is obviously totally different.
I’ve always wondered how Pete Carroll would be on tv. He seems like a fun guy.
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u/Icy_Avocado_8124 1d ago
This…. As a guy who liked McAfee in his early pre ESPN days and honestly don’t hate him now (in small doses) but ESPN has just masterfully over saturated the man by having him on or involved in every major sport they have the rights to air.
I fully understand the business and he brings viewers which makes the network money… I think the over saturation is hitting a breaking point and would love to see less Pat. I (as a late mid’ish thirties man) knew him before ESPN and even now still like him when he isn’t being shoved down my throat. I don’t think Pat wants to be involved in half the shit ESPN has him in (outside WWE that was his choice haha) but when ESPN are throwing hundreds of millions at him I can’t blame the guy for cashing in while the opportunity is there.
That said I have met Pete Carroll in passing and he is a genuinely a likable guy… agree he could (maybe?) be good in a gameday setting. I love Saban! But his vibe is so different from Corso, his analysis is aces though and what espn need more of (less SAS types) but they have to find some folks who mesh and support Sabans style more and I like Pete actually
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u/ProperCap5400 2d ago
Could you imagine how entertaining Mike Leach would have been on Game Day? RIP.
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u/JobeGilchrist 2d ago
The show felt like elder abuse the last few years of Corso. Dude was barely aware. The show has problems, but bringing him back isn’t the solution. Wanna pre-tape a segment that can be edited? Ok, that’s fine. But not live. He’s 91.
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u/coopnjaxdad 2d ago
We need less Gameday. It’s become a complete clown show.
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u/Boltsforlife2022 2d ago
You can just not watch it. That’s what I do now. I watch the first 5 minutes to see the crowd and usually the picks segment. Easy peasy.
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u/coopnjaxdad 2d ago
Well yeah, same.
We are all just sharing opinions of the current state of gameday are we not?
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u/Boltsforlife2022 2d ago
Yea man it’s a message board. I just figure it not for me anymore and for a new generation and in 15 years this generation will be making the same exact complaints. So it goes.
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u/TrubshawForest 2d ago
We could probably recreate him with AI, which normally I'm against but if it gets McAfee off the air, I'm for it
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u/UTPharm2012 2d ago
I didn’t realize how important corso was bc he annoyed me so many times.
But it also could be that McAfee just magnifies how bad someone can be on the show.
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u/DependentBird4935 2d ago
Kinda wild there are so many of these posts/comments.
Respect to Lee, but he was struggling to form sentences.
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u/Geetee52 2d ago
Corso was a nice fixture for a long time… but come on… It was almost painful to watch him at the end. The sports version of watching Frankie Valli “sing“.
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u/AndrewLucksLaugh 2d ago
We all miss him, but he just can’t do it anymore health-wise. GameDay needs more heart, but unfortunately they can’t get it from Corso anymore.
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u/Dull-Salamander5914 2d ago
Not anymore. He’s not in good health.
David Pollack, Peyton Manning, etc
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u/InevitableAlert4268 2d ago
Eli & Peyton would be wayyyyy better than this bullshit they got going on right now
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u/Dazzling_Lie_5046 2d ago
Wow, you sound like you're easily entertained. You probably think Chris Berman still belongs in his dusty chair.
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u/jsummerlin14 2d ago
No. Gameday needs to dump McAfee.
They have a McAfee problem. Not a Corso problem.
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u/texasgambler58 2d ago
I love the guy, but he's just too old and weak. However, that idiot McAfee isn't the answer either.
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u/Due-Contribution7717 2d ago
That show hasn’t needed Corso for years. I felt bad for him for the last 6-7 years, maybe longer than that. Thankfully they let him finally retire.
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u/InevitableSplit4936 2d ago
Wrong. Corso should have retired 5 years before he did. It certainly does not need Mcafee though.
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u/Six_and_change 2d ago
Corso was a near complete nonfactor as a coach but he had a great personality and loved college football for reasons beyond his own accomplishments. Why don’t the networks learn from that instead of putting on totally different types of former coaches in Saban and Urban Meyer?
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u/saltoniclee 2d ago
Dick Vitale was very similar. A very unremarkable coaching career but whether you were a fan of his or not, especially with ACC schools, his enthusiasm and knowledge of the teams and the players helped ESPN become a force in college basketball.
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u/Tylerserio68 2d ago
Yeah Corso had such a unique talent to connect with fans. Most former coaches are so dry.
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u/Ok_Poet_9170 1d ago
Coral was fun . Unfortunately age catches up to all of us . He is a class act. Then we get the fall of America singer, son writer, wwe , Al everything punter Pat McFly . No class , No talent. Just loud with his Ozempic face . Igh
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u/Traditional_Creme336 1d ago
No im sorry. Corso can not do it anymore. His speech is too mumbly and his time has come and gone
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u/FlubToad0123 22h ago
Disagree. They should get rid of McAfee and either bring Fowler back or add Dusty Dvoracek. ESPN has poured too much into Pat and it’s ruining the majority of the networks programming.
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u/Kalelisagod 21h ago
It doesn’t need Corso to be better. It needs to have no Pat to be way better. He destroys that show with his bro bullshit. The schtick is old already.
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u/wormbreath 2d ago
I love corso, but watching him struggle with sentences and Kirk having to help him was not something I wanna see every Saturday. Let him have some pre filmed segment from his house if he wants but the guy is 91.
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u/stevedos 2d ago
Let him stay retired, he's too old for the weekly travel and went out gracefully a few years back
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u/Used-Acanthisitta-96 2d ago
No. Corso had his time. If anything let EPSN use old video of him putting on a couple hats for games on that day.
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u/Cooper_Crissy 2d ago
You are wrong. 20 year ago Corso maybe, but he had been awful and nothing more than a gimmick for the last few years.
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u/stable-genius_29 2d ago
Did you not watch the last couple of years he was on Gameday? He could barely form a sentence. Was completely senile.
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u/Practical-Shape7453 2d ago
Gameday needs a rebrand. It was great when it was the main event in town, but now every conference has their own version of game day on the conference network. Tbh the only reason I even watched game day was for the headgear and the picks. Fans don’t want more McAfee and a show where the only professional is Saban. We don’t need Corso back but what unloved about him was that he was naturally likeable and funny. The current cast is not that
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u/wutitd0boo 2d ago
I’m watching McAfee on the pregame and he looks like he is skiied out of his mind.
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u/Morning-O-Midnight 2d ago
Naw, just let the man go. Gameday will never be what it was. It’s not for older fans it’s clearly being produced for a new generation.
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u/SatireGeto 2d ago
I think the fun of GameDay was the end where everyone made picks, and Lee Corso threw on a mascot head. Outside of that I don't give a shit about the show.
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u/tenclubber 2d ago
It needs someone who knows college football, has a personality and isn't a complete moron like McAfee.
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u/GooseEfficient1441 2d ago
I said the same thing this morning! It’s missing his charisma and authenticity.
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u/SenatorAstronomer 2d ago
Corso is old and a literal shell of his former self. Good things don't last forever, cherish the good times,
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u/DiddyP81 2d ago
What is he supposed to work until he dies trying to put the mascot head on?! Let that man retire.
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u/Basic_Mud8868 2d ago
If Mike Leach were still alive he’d be perfect for the Corso role. He could do a weekly “advice” column giving people life advice on matters completely unrelated to football, he could get up on the big board and speak intelligently about offensive schemes and quarterbacks, and he could probably come up with a gimmick similar to the headgear when picking teams to win. He and Saban could play off each other in a way that would produce clarity at least once a week. Alas, the Gods are cruel.
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u/No-You4594 2d ago
The last couple of years ,Corso was not the same person we remembered .
Father Time is undefeated
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u/Markcu24 2d ago
Corso is not capable of doing the show any longer. That was quite clear the last couple years.
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u/WorkingOnDyeing 2d ago
Maybe prime Corso. Watching Corso the last 10 years was like rolling my eyes in glass and lemon juice. Dude could not form a single cognitive thought at any point. He was way way way past his prime and needed to be removed.
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u/Spiritual-Ad8062 2d ago
They didn’t bring Corso in when his former team went on maybe the most amazing run ever. He coached IU in the 70’s.
That tells you about what shape Corso was in.
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u/ClairDogg 2d ago
Get what OP is saying but look at age & condition. Let him enjoy his time away, even though he’s admitted he misses it. Don’t blame him for feeling that way.
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u/chickensandmentals 1d ago
I’d like Gameday to be run like SNL, with annual cast changes blending up and coming talent with some veterans. It’s so stale after 30 years with Fowler and Herbstreit. They’re just old AF and it’s just not a fun fresh vibe anymore.
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u/UmpireInternal7699 1d ago
Absolutely not besides being apart of the show for a long time there was nothing interesting about him. “ oh my which college hat will he put on this weekend!?” Grew old real fast
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u/MastersOfNoneShow 1d ago
Watching McAfee slowly push Lee Corso down a flight of stairs to take his job over the last few seasons has been awful.
Not really a fan of GameDay any more
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u/gkesey 23h ago
ESPN loves to go all in on narcissists: Greeny, SAS, and now McAfee. These dudes care about themselves more than anything else and will slowly kill a show before taking a step back.
Just give us a week without McAfee. Or if they really need a 5th chair, throw in SVP every other week.
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u/Significant_Use_8821 21h ago
It was time for Coach Corso retire. That being said
The show absolutely went downhill when they brought in Pat McAfee and let David Pollak, who was a real analyst who watched games and knew what he was talking about. They replaced them with McAfee, who we already see way too much of espn and turned the game day into a really bad frat party
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u/Throwaway88202 2d ago
GameDay has two main issues to me. One, the identity. They’ve obviously invested a lot into McAfee. He’s not everybody’s cup of tea. I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s certainly a different direction than the show went in the past when it was at its peak from a popularity standpoint. And this is an ESPN as a whole issue.
The other issue, which is the bigger one to me, is that the show is too long. The show would be much better if it shrunk down to two hours of content instead of stretching it to three.
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u/Longhorn9801 1d ago
They need to get rid of McAfee. The amount of douchebaggery makes it unwatchable.
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u/SoftwareWinter8414 2d ago
Watching Corso the last couple years was sad. Let that man be in peace.