Desmond Howard prepares to broadcast from the field on the ESPN College Gameday set prior to the NCAA football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

The Arizona State Sun Devils upset the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, likely effectively eliminating KSU from College Football Playoff contention. It’s hard to imagine the Big 12 getting more than two bids—at most—with BYU, Colorado, and now Kenny Dillingham’s program firmly in the mix.

The Sun Devils’ win over a fellow 7-2 opponent (now 7-3) could be classified as an upset, as Kansas State came in at No. 16 in the latest CFP rankings, while Arizona State was unranked. But it’s college football, and anything goes, especially in the Big 12.

But as for anything that goes on College GameDay, Desmond Howard was seemingly confused as to why he and his colleagues were picking a matchup between teams in a Power Four conference with a combined 14-4 record entering Saturday.

“I saw that on the rundown,” Howard said. “I was like, ‘Why are we picking this game?’ I thought it was a mistake.”

The only mistake was Howard’s selection of Kansas State, which lost 24-14 after being shutout in the first half.

And don’t think the Big 12 conference—and the Sun Devils’—social admin aren’t aware.

Nobody let Desmond Howard know that Arizona State is actually a very fun team. Kansas State came into Saturday with an impressive resume, which includes wins over Tulane, Arizona, Colorado, and Kansas. Instead, Howard became the subject of social media fodder once again, mocked by both ASU and the Big 12 conference for not doing his homework.

He didn’t have as much egg on his face as LSU’s Brian Kelly, but it’d be impossible to let him off the hook.

GameDay will almost certainly pick BYU-Arizona State next Saturday; hopefully, Howard will be more prepared next time around.

[Big 12, Arizona State]

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.

View all posts by Sam Neumann