Iconic ESPN Gameday analyst Lee Corso will make his final appearance and don mascot headgear for the final time on Saturday. Corso was involved in 22 games where Miami was the featured game on College Gameday. Nine times Corso picked Miami in those games.
Miami has 14 wins in weeks where they were the featured game on ESPN College Gameday. Corso had 13 wins when Miami was the featured game on College Gameday. Corso was 6-3 when he picked Miami to win. Corso was 7-6 in games when he picked against Miami when the Hurricanes were the featured game on College Gameday.
The first featured game on ESPN College Gameday involving Miami was the memorable 49-45 upset in 1998 over UCLA. UCLA at Miami was originally supposed to be played on September 26 but had to be moved to December 5 due to the threat of  Hurricane Georges.
UCLA won 10 consecutive games to begin the 1998 season when they traveled to Miami. Edgerrin James ran for a school record of 299 yards to eclipse his own school standard set two years earlier against Boston College. The win over UCLA is often considered as bringing Miami back.
Date | Corso's Pick | Result | Note | Corso Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
12/5/1998 | UCLA over Miami (FL) | Miami 49-45 | Edgerrin James Game | Loss |
11/13/1999 | Virginia Tech over Miami (FL) | Virginia Tech 43-10 | Win | |
10/7/2000 | Florida State over Miami (FL) | Miami 27-24 | Wide Right II | Loss |
11/4/2000 | Miami (FL) over Virginia Tech | Miami 41-21 | Win | |
10/13/2001 | Miami (FL) over Florida State | Miami 49-27 | Loss | |
11/17/2001 | Miami (FL) over Syracuse | Miami 59-0 | Win | |
1/3/2002 | Nebraska over Miami (FL) | Miami 37-14 | Rose Bowl | Loss |
9/7/2002 | Florida over Miami (FL) | Miami 41-16 | Loss | |
11/9/2002 | Miami (FL) over Tennessee | Miami 26-3 | Win | |
1/3/2003 | Miami (FL) over Ohio State | Ohio State 31-24 (2OT) | Fiesta Bowl | Loss |
10/11/2003 | Florida State over Miami (FL) | Miami 22-14 | Win | |
10/23/2004 | NC State over Miami (FL) | Miami 45-31 | Loss | |
11/5/2005 | Miami (FL) over Virginia Tech | Miami 27-7 | Win | |
9/4/2006 | Miami (FL) over Florida State | Florida State 13-10 | Loss | |
9/6/2008 | Florida over Miami (FL) | Florida 26-3 | Win | |
11/2/2013 | Florida State over Miami (FL) | FSU 41-14 | Win | |
11/11/2017 | Notre Dame over Miami (FL) | Miami 41-8 | Loss | |
12/2/2017 | Clemson over Miami (FL) | Clemson 38-3 | ACC Championship Game | Win |
8/24/2019 | Florida over Miami (FL) | Florida 24-20 | Win | |
9/19/2020 | Miami (FL) over Louisville | Miami 47-34 | Win | |
9/26/2020 | Miami (FL) over Florida State | Miami 52-10 | Win | |
10/10/20 | Clemson over Miami (FL) | Clemson 42-17 | Win |
Florida State has been the most common opponent for Miami when they were the featured game on ESPN College Gameday, with six appearances. Miami has played Florida and Virginia Tech three times each as the featured game on ESPN College Gameday.
Clemson was the only other team Miami played more than once as the featured game on ESPN College Gameday. Clemson won both of those meetings convincingly. That included the 2017 ACC Championship Game.
Corso has had a remarkable career as a coach and TV analyst, where he became a national icon. After being born in Cicero, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Corso moved with his family to Miami at 10 years old. Corso graduated from Miami Jackson High School, where he was a star baseball and football player.
Corso roomed with late actor Burt Reynolds and future national championship-winning Miami baseball coach Ron Fraser at Florida State. After his playing career ended, Corso had his first job as a coach as a graduate assistant at Florida State.
Maryland hired Corso for his first full-time job as the quarterbacks coach from 1959 through 1965. After spending the next three seasons as the defensive backs coach at Navy, Corso became a head coach for the first time at Louisville in 1969. Corso later coached at Indiana and Northern Illinois.
College Gameday has evolved with Corso. Being on campus nearly every week has allowed each school to promote their university and football program. Corso retiring will likely be the end of the headgear being worn each week. Corso wearing the headgear was something college football fans looked forward to every Saturday.