College GameDay crew picks Illinois' ReliaQuest Bowl matchup vs. Mississippi State
College GameDay is holding a special Monday morning broadcast on Jan. 2 to preview all of the bowl games on the day.
During their preview, the GameDay crew tackled predictions for Illinois’ ReliaQuest Bowl appearance vs. Mississippi State. It is bound to be an emotional showdown with the Bulldogs playing in honor of late head coach Mike Leach who passed away after the season ended.
As far as predictions for the game go, the GameDay crew is expecting the emotions to carry the day on behalf of the Bulldogs. Desmond Howard, David Pollack, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit were all unanimous in picking Mississippi State to grab the win.
McAfee said it “just feels like one of those games” with the Bulldogs trying to honor Leach in the process. Illinois is also dealing with a number of opt-outs with some star players heading into the 2023 NFL Draft after the season.
Coverage of the ReliaQuest Bowl is on ESPN2.