I thought Home Depot owned all the advertising space within College Gameday but apparently I was wrong. ESPN has sold the naming rights for the Corso Picks segment (you know the one where Corso puts the mascot head on?) to Chick-Fil-A….

In the segment, ESPN analyst Lee Corso predicts the winning team by donning the mascot head or gear of one of the competing teams. It’s the culmination of the show, drawing cheers or jeers from the crowd depending on Corso’s pick.

Aptly enough, “GameDay’s” first show this season will be in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, an Aug. 30 matchup between the University of Alabama and Clemson University.

The move is significant for the chain of about 1,400 restaurants because it does little national advertising, choosing instead to focus on local and regional efforts.

College students, alumni and fans make a great audience for Chick-fil-A, said Steve Robinson, the company’s senior vice president of marketing. “GameDay” and football tailgating create a lively atmosphere for marketing products, he said.

The agreement includes Chick-fil-A TV commercials during the show and a live shot of a Chick-fil-A fan interaction area. Event staff in “College GameDay” and Chick-fil-A co-branded uniforms will escort a crate carrying the mascot head for Corso’s announcement.

And here they come to ruin the best show on the network! I can understand a main sponsor for the show, but naming a cheesy segment that no one really cares about it, is a little much. Soon they’ll have cows bringing out the headgear to Corso, while Desmond Howard eats waffle fries. It’s only a matter of time.

Chick-fil-A in pick ’em role on ESPN show (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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