How Did Michael Phelps' Picks Do on College GameDay?
08/09/2024 15:18
By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Michael Phelps, the most decorated swimmer and Olympian in history, was the guest picker on ESPN’s award-winning college football preview show College GameDay.
Each week, the regular hosts of the show (including swim fan Pat McAfee) make their predictions for a slate of the highest-profile college football games in the country. They also bring in a weekly ‘guest picker,’ usually someone who has a connection to one of the schools.
This week that guest picker was Phelps, who spent four years training at the University of Michigan while his coach Bob Bowman was the head coach there. Phelps took a few classes, though he never pursued a degree, and even has a Block M tattoo that he infamously showed during the picks:
EVERY HUMAN I'VE MET IN ANN ARBOR HAS THE M TATOOED ON THEIR BODY
EVEN @MichaelPhelps
I'M PICKING THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES#CollegeGameDaypic.twitter.com/m7OHADi4jj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 7, 2024
The Michigan-Texas game, the highlight of this week’s lineup between the #3 Texas Longhorns and the defending National Champions from Michigan, was dubbed in swimming circles as the Bowman Bowl, as Bowman as the head coach at Michigan during the leadup to the 2008 Olympic Games, where Phelps famously won 8 gold medals, and takes over as the head coach at Texas this year.
While Bowman and Phelps have remained close even since Phelps’ 2016 retirement, his allegiances for the game were not in doubt:
Michael Phelps getting warmed up on Gameday. If there were any doubts about where his allegiances fall with Bowman now at Texas… pic.twitter.com/1lqsle5Y1d
— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) September 7, 2024
As for the picks, Phelps’ selections started out slow (he picked an emphatic Michigan upset, and it was Texas by 19), but picked up through the afternoon games.
Michael Phelps‘ College GameDay Picks
Pickers are choosing winners outright, not against the spread, but the spread is shown for informational purposes.
- Georgia Tech (-3) (Lost to Syracuse 31-28)
- Auburn (-10.5) (lost to Cal 21-14 in the Durden/Marsh bowl)
- Kansas (-7) (lost to Illinois 23-17)
- Oklahoma State (-10) (beat Arkansas 39-31)
- Iowa (-2.5) (lost to Iowa State 20-19)
- Nebraska (-6.5) (beat Colorado 28-10)
- South Carolina (+8.5) (beat Kentucky 31-6)
- Tennessee (-9) (beat NC State 51-10)
- Michigan (+6.5) (lost to Texas 31-12)
So in spite of getting one of the day’s biggest upsets right in the South Carolina win, Phelps finished 3-6. Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Football, aka Johnny Manziel, went 5-4 last week when College Game Day was at Texas A&M, while professional wrestler Sheamus famously picked Georgia Tech to upset Florida State in week 1.
See all of Phelps’ picks below:
.@MichaelPhelps‘ Week 2 CFB picks from the Big House pic.twitter.com/0vsdpVSylX
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 7, 2024
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