Ranking Every Memorable Auburn Football Moment from Legendary Lee Corso’s Iconic ESPN College GameDay Headgear Picks Over the Years
For college football fans, Saturdays are more than just game days—they’re sacred rituals. And few traditions are more beloved than ESPN’s College GameDay, where insights, analysis, and atmosphere blend into a festival of fandom. But perhaps the most anticipated moment each week is when Lee Corso, with a flourish of drama, dons the headgear of the team he’s picking to win the featured game. Over the decades, Corso has delivered thousands of picks, but some of the most memorable have involved the Auburn Tigers. Auburn’s passionate fanbase, history of thrilling matchups, and iconic venues have made it a frequent and worthy stop for the traveling circus that is College GameDay. Here, we rank the most unforgettable Auburn-related Lee Corso headgear moments—a countdown rooted in nostalgia, spectacle, and Tiger pride.
It’s worth stating up front that Corso’s headgear selections are not always kind to Auburn. In fact, he’s picked against the Tigers in several high-profile contests. But win or lose, the moments have etched themselves into the lore of GameDay and Auburn football alike. From heart-pounding matchups at Jordan-Hare to neutral-site showdowns and rivalry clashes, Corso’s picks have often served as prelude to unforgettable Saturdays.
Coming in as perhaps the most unforgettable moment is Corso’s 2013 pick ahead of the Iron Bowl—yes, that Iron Bowl. College GameDay was on-site for what would become one of the greatest college football finishes of all time: the Kick Six. Leading up to the game, the energy in Auburn was electric. With Alabama ranked No. 1 and Auburn surging under first-year head coach Gus Malzahn, Corso found himself in the middle of a fan base desperate for a Tiger pick. But he went with Alabama, drawing a wave of boos from the orange-and-blue faithful. Little did anyone know that Chris Davis would return a missed field goal 109 yards to shock the Tide and the world. Corso’s pick aged poorly, but the theatrics of that morning—complete with the mascot riling the crowd and Corso’s mischievous smirk—set the tone for one of the most mythic nights in Auburn history.
A close second is the 2010 showdown against LSU, when Auburn’s Newton-powered magic was beginning to feel inevitable. With Jordan-Hare buzzing and the stakes sky-high, Corso chose Auburn by donning the familiar tiger head—an act met with euphoric cheers. Cam Newton’s dazzling 217-yard rushing performance solidified his Heisman campaign and Auburn’s title credentials, validating Corso’s choice. This moment stands as one of the rare times the headgear selection seemed to crystallize the feeling of destiny swirling around the program.
We also can’t forget the 2006 College GameDay stop in Auburn for a top-10 clash against Florida. Corso, never one to shy away from bold predictions, picked the Gators—Florida headgear and all—drawing predictable jeers from the Jordan-Hare crowd. But the Tigers had the last word. Auburn’s defense stifled Urban Meyer’s squad in a 27-17 victory that sent shockwaves through the SEC. The scene afterward, with students chanting “Lee Corso!” in mock celebration of his miss, added fuel to the lore of Auburn being a place where the unexpected often reigns.
Then there’s the emotional pick Corso made in 2021 when GameDay returned to Auburn for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Georgia was rolling, but the show’s return to the Plains after several years brought a renewed sense of excitement. While Corso ultimately sided with Georgia—rightly so, given the Bulldogs’ national championship run—the gravitas of the moment wasn’t lost. It wasn’t so much about who he picked but rather that Auburn was once again on the national stage in the heart of one of the sport’s most historic rivalries. His pick, while against the Tigers, felt like a nod to the grandeur of SEC tradition that Auburn embodies.
In 2004, GameDay arrived at a critical moment for Auburn football. The Tigers were undefeated and ranked No. 3 in the country, hosting No. 5 Georgia. The BCS debate was raging, and Auburn needed statement wins. Corso, sensing the momentum, picked Auburn in one of his more impassioned segments. The Tigers dismantled the Bulldogs 24-6, and though they’d ultimately be left out of the BCS title game, this pick stands as one of the few times Corso aligned perfectly with Auburn’s upward trajectory.
Not all of Corso’s picks have landed smoothly with Auburn fans, though. In 2017, when Auburn faced Alabama in the Iron Bowl with playoff hopes on the line, Corso sided with the Tide. Despite the pick, Auburn controlled the game from start to finish, winning 26-14 and knocking Alabama out of the SEC Championship Game. The moment added to Corso’s reputation—fair or not—of being a jinx when he picks against Auburn. Fans celebrated the win and, once again, reveled in proving Corso wrong.
Sometimes, it’s the setting more than the outcome that cements a pick in memory. One such case was the 2019 Oregon vs. Auburn season opener in Arlington, Texas. It was the debut of Bo Nix, son of former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix. With the neutral-site backdrop and a national audience watching, Corso surprised many by picking Auburn. He donned the tiger head and clowned with the cheerleaders, setting a festive tone for a night that would end with Nix throwing a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds. It wasn’t a rivalry game or a title decider, but the pick captured the hopeful energy of a new era—and turned out to be right on the money.
Corso’s selections have never been solely about football. They’re theater. They’re storytelling. And Auburn, with its rich traditions and passionate fans, is an ideal co-star. When he dons the headgear, it’s part prediction, part provocation, part celebration of the pageantry of the sport. That’s why the headgear picks—win or lose—are embraced so enthusiastically by Auburn fans. Each one is a small chapter in the epic narrative of Tiger football.
We also have to consider the early years, when GameDay was still finding its identity and Corso was carving out his role as the show’s entertainer-in-chief. One such moment came in 1997 when Auburn hosted Florida in a game that would go down to the wire. Corso, still in the earlier stages of his headgear routine, picked Florida—but his visible hesitation was memorable. Auburn nearly pulled off the upset, falling just short. It wasn’t a classic moment in the way later games would be, but in hindsight, it was part of the build-up to the Corso we know today—animated, unpredictable, and often at the center of Auburn’s football folklore.
Perhaps one of the more unique moments came in 2014, when Corso picked Auburn over Ole Miss in Oxford. It was rare for him to go against the home team in a GameDay setting, but the pick was proven correct. Auburn won a dramatic contest that included a tragic injury to Ole Miss star Laquon Treadwell and kept the Tigers’ playoff hopes alive. The pick added gravitas to what became one of the season’s defining games.
As we rank these headgear moments, it’s clear that the best are not always defined by the accuracy of the pick. Rather, they’re measured by emotion, spectacle, and how they fit into the broader Auburn story. The pick before the Kick Six is probably Corso’s most iconic miss, but it’s unforgettable precisely because of what followed. His Newton-era picks feel momentous because they aligned with something special unfolding on the Plains. His misses in Iron Bowls and wins at neutral sites all add texture to his decades-long dance with the Tigers.
Ultimately, Lee Corso’s Auburn picks represent something greater than a simple prediction. They are snapshots of the Tigers in the spotlight, moments when the college football world turned its attention to the Plains or to an orange-and-blue showdown in a far-off stadium. Whether he’s right or wrong, whether he’s cheered or booed, the drama of the headgear—especially with Auburn involved—is one of the great traditions of the sport.
So, as we look back, we celebrate not just the picks themselves but what they represent: Auburn’s role in the national story, its clashes with giants, its heartbreaks and triumphs, and its indelible place in the heart of college football. And for that, whether Corso wears the tiger head or not, every Auburn GameDay is a headgear moment worth remembering.
