Georgia
ESPN College GameDay: Picks for Week 5, Georgia at Alabama
The choice was easy for ESPN regarding their College GameDay location in Week 5, as the show took place live in Tuscaloosa on Saturday morning, ahead of the gigantic SEC clash between Georgia and Alabama.
Nick Saban returned to a grand ovation, bringing along his wife Terry Saban — known as Miss Terry — as the Celebrity Guest Picker. Aside from the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide, some of the other intense matchups the crew predicted included Louisville at Notre Dame, Illinois at Penn State and Oklahoma State at Kansas State.
Ahead of all the action taking place, the College GameDay crew locked in their Week 5 picks, with a raucous crowd of Alabama fans behind them. Here’s what Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, joined by the aforementioned Miss Terry, came up with for this weekend’s action.
ESPN College GameDay Picks for Week 5:
Georgia at Alabama: Howard got the crowd warmed up, rocking with the Crimson Tide, before Saban and Miss Terry joined hands to select Alabama in an awesome moment, “Roll Tide Roll,” they exclaimed.
Herbstreit is calling the game, so he’s not making a pick, while McAfee chose to roll with Alabama. What would Corso do? He grabbed that Big Al mascot head, and Sweet Home Alabama blared throughout the set, as the entire crew chose to roll with the Crimson Tide.
Oklahoma State at Kansas State: Oklahoma State has been slow out of the gate, can they defeat the Wildcats on the road? They don’t have any believers on Saturday, as everyone is on Kansas State.
Colorado at UCF: Miss Terry was shocked her husband picked against Coach Prime and the Buffaloes, but he wasn’t the only one, Corso and Herbstreit also believe in the Knights.
BYU at Baylor: Corso is the only believer in the Bears, rocking with Baylor to defeat the Cougars.
Illinois at Penn State: Nobody believes the Fighting Illini can pull the upset against the Nittany Lions.
Kentucky at Ole Miss: Everyone is on the Rebels this weekend over the Wildcats.
Louisville at Notre Dame: Only Saban is on the Cardinals on in Week 5.
North Carolina at Duke: Saban and McAfee are the lone dissenters, riding with the Blue Devils.
Oklahoma at Auburn: Howard and Herbstreit are on the Tigers, much to the dismay of the crowd in Tuscaloosa, but the rest of the crew are on the Sooners.
Full CGD analyst picks for Week 5:
Desmond Howard: Alabama, Kansas State, Colorado, BYU, Penn State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Auburn
Nick Saban: Alabama, Kansas State, UCF, BYU, Penn State, Ole Miss, Louisville, Duke, Oklahoma
Celebrity Guest Picker – Terry Saban: Alabama, Kansas State, Colorado, BYU, Penn State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oklahoma
Pat McAfee: Alabama, Kansas State, Colorado, BYU, Penn State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Duke, Oklahoma
Lee Corso: Kansas State, UCF, Baylor, Penn State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oklahoma
Kirk Herbstreit: No pick for Georgia at Alabama, Kansas State, UCF, BYU, Penn State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Auburn
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
Athlon Sports projected the best SEC games for each week of the 2026 regular season.
The conference features some of the most compelling matchups in all of college football, from opening weekend through rivalry week. The selections emphasize games anticipated to have the biggest impact on the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Florida’s annual clash with Georgia was tabbed as one of the SEC’s premier fixtures. The game has grown in national significance since it began in 1904, continuing as a battle of blue-blood programs that routinely produces iconic results. The game temporarily moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the Jacksonville stadium renovations.
The Jon Sumrall era carries with it an increasing sense of belief — many experts see the Gators as a dark-horse CFB playoff contender. Regardless of its final win-loss record, UF will play a part in shaping the season’s narrative as they face several post-season favorites in Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Noted in the article is the SEC’s depth and newly implemented nine-game conference schedule. Georgia, Texas, Alabama and LSU appear multiple times on this list, with Georgia facing Alabama in Week 6 and Ole Miss in Week 10 while LSU hosts Clemson in Week 1 and will see Texas in Week 11 take on Alabama.
Many contenders from the SEC face multiple nationally relevant foes over the course of the season.
Athlon Sports’ Best game for every week of the 2026 season
- Week 1: Clemson at LSU (Sept. 5)
- Week 2: Ohio State at Texas (Sept. 12)
- Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss (Sept. 19)
- Week 4: Oklahoma at Georgia (Sept. 26)
- Week 5: Auburn at Tennessee (Oct. 3)
- Week 6: Georgia at Alabama (Oct. 10)
- Week 7: Alabama at Tennessee (Oct. 17)
- Week 8: Ole Miss at Texas (Oct. 24)
- Week 9: Florida vs. Georgia (Atlanta) (Oct. 31)
- Week 10: Georgia at Ole Miss (Nov. 7)
- Week 11: Texas at LSU (Nov. 14)
- Week 12: Texas A&M at Oklahoma (Nov. 21)
- Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M (Friday) (Nov. 27)
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