Alex Smith joins ESPN's 'College GameDay' to pick Week 9's biggest games

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Alex Smith joins ESPN's 'College GameDay' to pick Week 9's biggest games

With just five weeks left in the regular season, crunch time has arrived for the best teams in college football.

Some of those who thought they would be among the best have, instead, fired their head coaches. That's especially the case in the SEC, where three schools have cut bait with the man in charge during the season. LSU, the most recent team to do so, is off in Week 9, but Arkansas and Florida are both in action still holding on to hope to make a bowl, though minor miracles may be required.

The ESPN "College GameDay" crew eschewed the SEC on Saturday, though, opting to head to Salt Lake City, featuring the game between No. 16 Utah and No. 24 Cincinnati. Both are in strong position in the Big 12, though both could use a loss by Brigham Young to get closer to the top of the conference

Utes icon Alex Smith served as the guest picker, making the easy transition from his duties as NFL analyst at ESPN to the college set. Here's how he and the crew picked Saturday from Salt Lake City.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays

Oct 31, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates after hitting a double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning during game six of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Desmond Howard: Blue Jays

Nick Saban: Dodgers

Pat McAfee: Dodgers

Alex Smith: Blue Jays

Kirk Herbstreit: Dodgers

Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State

Game picked against 18 1/2-point spread

Desmond Howard: Ohio State

Nick Saban: Ohio State

Pat McAfee: Ohio State

Alex Smith: Ohio State

Kirk Herbstreit: Ohio State

Army at Air Force

Oct 18, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons players celebrate after the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Desmond Howard: Air Force

Nick Saban: Air Force

Pat McAfee: Army

Alex Smith: Air Force

Kirk Herbstreit: Army

No. 23 Navy at North Texas

Desmond Howard: Navy

Nick Saban: Navy

Pat McAfee: Navy

Alex Smith: Navy

Kirk Herbstreit: Navy

Southern California at Nebraska

Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks along the sidelines during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Desmond Howard: USC

Nick Saban: USC

Pat McAfee: Nebraska

Alex Smith: Nebraska

Kirk Herbstreit: Nebraska

No. 13 Texas Tech at Kansas State

Desmond Howard: Texas Tech

Nick Saban: Texas Tech

Pat McAfee: Texas Tech

Alex Smith: Texas Tech

Kirk Herbstreit: Texas Tech

No. 5 Georgia at Florida

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Kj Bolden (4) after the game against the Mississippi Rebels at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Desmond Howard: Georgia

Nick Saban: Georgia

Pat McAfee: Georgia

Alex Smith: Georgia

Kirk Herbstreit: Georgia

No. 18 Oklahoma at No. 14 Tennessee

Desmond Howard: Tennessee

Nick Saban: Tennessee

Pat McAfee: Oklahoma

Alex Smith: Oklahoma

Kirk Herbstreit: No pick

No. 11 Vanderbilt at No. 19 Texas

Nov 1, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Desmond Howard: Vanderbilt

Nick Saban: Texas

Pat McAfee: Vanderbilt

Alex Smith: Texas

Kirk Herbstreit: Vanderbilt

No. 16 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah

Desmond Howard: Utah

Nick Saban: Utah

Pat McAfee: Utah

Alex Smith: Utah

Kirk Herbstreit: Cincinnati

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Who did the ESPN 'College GameDay' crew pick for Week 9?

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