ESPN College GameDay remains the most popular college football preview show in the country.
Each week, ESPN College GameDay panelists make their way to the location of one of the biggest games in the nation and they're met by passionate fans who are ready to rep their team. As Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Lee Corso make their way to Atlanta for College GameDay this weekend, they'll be joined by a celebrity that has divided many fans.
ESPN announced on Thursday that Timothée Chalamet will be the guest picker for the show on location at the SEC Championship game.
For those who don't know, Timothée Chalamet is an actor who has starred in several major films over the past decade. He gained widespread attention and an Academy Award nomination for his role in Call Me by Your Name (2017) and went on to appear in movies likeLady Bird (2017),Little Women (2019), andDune (2021). More recently, he took on the role of Willy Wonka inWonka (2023.
Of course, this quickly drew the ire of college football fans across the country.
Do y’all have a running list of the worst guest pickers possible?
— Clay Wells (@claybwells10) December 5, 2024
That man has never watched a college football game in his life….
— Dr. Wonder Woman (@amandalaurenm) December 5, 2024
I bet he mispronounces “Oregon” or “Clemson” but probably both
— 〽️ichelle 🌹 (@Michellek4040) December 5, 2024
You could have picked 2 guest pickers:
— Sam Adams (@MAGASamAdams) December 6, 2024
Earl Campbell and Herschel Walker
But no
A few fans shared that they think this is a ploy by Disney — which owns ESPN — to promote a new film. Chalamet will star in A Complete Unknown that is set to be released on Christmas Day.
This is just a reminder the ESPN is owned by Disney. "A Complete Unknown," starring Chalamet as Bob Dylan, will be released by Searchlight Pictures on December 25th. Searchlight is owned by The Walt Disney Company. I hope you get it now . . .
— Anthony Bradley (@drantbradley) December 6, 2024
Regardless of what you think about the celebrity picker, ESPN College GameDay will be live beginning at 9:00 a.m. E.T. on ESPN. The crew will preview all the conference championship games and will finish up at noon E.T., just as the Arizona State vs. Iowa State Big 12 Championship game is set to kickoff on ABC/ESPN+.
The SEC Championship game between Texas and Georgia will kickoff at 4:00 p.m. E.T. on ABC/ESPN+ live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.