Top guest picker candidates for 'College GameDay' between No. 7 Georgia and No. 5 Ole Miss

ESPN's college football pregame show, "College GameDay" will be in Athens, Georgia, on Oct. 18 for the Georgia Bulldogs versus Ole Miss Rebels game.

GameDay attended the Georgia-Ole Miss game the last time it was played in Athens back in 2023, which was a 52-17 Georgia win. Last season, Ole Miss beat Georgia 28-10 to the delight of Rebels' head coach Lane Kiffin.

Saturday will be Georgia's No. 42 appearance on GameDay. The Bulldogs won their last GameDay appearance, which was a 44-41 overtime win at Tennessee in September. During the Kirby Smart era, Georgia is 7-0 when GameDay comes to Athens.

Bulldogs fans can watch "College GameDay" on ESPN from 9 a.m. ET to noon on Saturday. The Georgia-Ole Miss game has a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will be televised on ABC.

There are a lot of guest picker candidates for the Georgia versus Ole Miss game. It is difficult to predict who GameDay will choose. For example, the last time GameDay was in Athens (for the 2024 Tennessee game), WWE wrestler Cody Rhodes was the guest picker and nobody would've predicted that. Below are some of the top options, but we don't necessarily have them in a particular order.

Former Georgia DE David Pollack

Former Georgia defensive end David Pollack is no longer part of GameDay, but he is still a college football analyst and lives in the area. He could return as a guest picker, but we don't think it will happen since GameDay preferred to have Pat McAfee instead.

Former Georgia DL, pro wrestler Bill Goldberg

Former Georgia defensive tackle Bill Goldberg is a WWE hall of famer. He's bring a lot of energy to the GameDay set and would definitely pick Georgia. Like anybody in WWE, Goldberg has a strong personality.

Baltimore Ravens defenders Roquan Smith or Malaki Starks

Both Roquan Smith and Malaki Starks are good candidates to be guest pickers. The Ravens' duo are both well-known former first-round picks that played for Georgia. Baltimore has a bye in the NFL this week, so Smith or Starks could be in Athens for the Ole Miss game.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook

Similar to Smith and Starks, Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook is on a bye this week. Cook is second in the NFL in rushing this season with 537 yards. He's another viable Dawg in the NFL candidate.

Country music singer Luke Combs

Luke Combs along with Bailey Zimmerman will do a performance at GameDay, so there's always the possibility he serves as the guest picker. Combs, a country singer, does not have a lot of connections to Georgia.

Ernie Johnson Jr.

The host of “Inside the NBA” on TNT has an excellent sense of humor. Johnson enrolled at UGA in 1974 and majored in journalism. He would seamlessly fit on the set of GameDay. There's no doubt that Johnson would pick UGA.

Golfer Bubba Watson

Watson is a professional golfer, winner of the 2012 and 2014 Masters Tournament. He formerly played on the PGA Tour, which has numerous former Bulldogs.

Watson attended Georgia and played on the golf team in 2000 and 2001, helping lead the Dawgs to the 2000 SEC title.

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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Best 'College GameDay' guest picker candidates for Georgia vs Ole Miss