Pat McAfee picked Notre Dame over Pittsburgh on Saturday morning, and Aaron Donald responded the only way that made sense.
He shoved him off the College GameDay set.
The moment came at the end of the show’s three-hour broadcast from Acrisure Stadium, GameDay‘s first visit to Pittsburgh for a Saturday game in 20 years. McAfee had spent the entire morning working the crowd into a frenzy, leading “Country Roads” sing-alongs, getting Nick Saban to join West Virginia’s version of “Sweet Caroline,” and reminding everyone the Mountaineers beat Pitt earlier this season.
When it came time for picks, Donald ripped off his shirt and declared Pitt would pull the upset. McAfee stood on the desk next to him and delivered his own take.
“This Notre Dame team, they have no idea what they’re walking into,” McAfee said. “There’s a bunch of yinzers excited. There’s potentially some people shirtless in this stadium about to go absolutely crazy. They’re about to go bananas because the Pitt Panthers are all the way back as an ACC championship contender. How could you not pick the Pitt Panthers?”
“Because I’m from West Virginia, baby. Let’s go, Mountaineers. Yeah, right, Aaron Donald! Notre Dame beats Pitt today! Sorry about it, Aaron!”
Aaron Donald decides to get shirtless with Pat McAfee as they play to the Pittsburgh faithful. pic.twitter.com/IvnCktRgoy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 15, 2025
Donald did what Donald does best. He bull-rushed McAfee right off the set.
McAfee, the Plum, Pennsylvania native who chose West Virginia for college, twisted the knife in a city that’s never forgiven him for wearing blue and gold. The former Indianapolis Colts punter grew up in Pittsburgh’s backyard but starred at West Virginia, where he became an All-American before an eight-year NFL career. The Backyard Brawl rivalry runs deep, and McAfee’s allegiance to the Mountaineers has made him persona non grata among Pitt fans ever since.
Picking against the Panthers on their own turf, with Donald standing right there shirtless and fired up, was asking for trouble.
This is what GameDay has become under McAfee’s influence. It’s louder, messier, more chaotic than the buttoned-up version that existed before him. Whether that’s good or bad depends on your tolerance for spectacle, but moments like this one are undeniably memorable. Donald shoving McAfee off the set will get replayed more than any analysis segment could hope for.
GameDay has been doing this for decades, but the McAfee era has turned it into something different. It’s less analysis, more entertainment. Less reverence, more mayhem. But that’s also the point. That’s what ESPN is paying for. And judging by the crowd’s reaction and the way this moment instantly went viral, it’s working exactly as intended.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.