‘One of Those Kentucky Moments,’ ‘A Pretty Good Football Team’ — Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban Talk Up Kentucky but Still Pick LSU on College GameDay

ESPN’s five College GameDay pickers — Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, guest picker Bryce Young and Kirk Herbstreit — all took No. 10 LSU to beat Kentucky at Kroger Field on Saturday night.

Saban, who picked LSU outright, also took Kentucky and the 8.5 points as his Superdog ahead of a matchup between two 4-1 SEC teams.

GameDay Pickers Favor LSU Over Kentucky, Saban Hedges With Superdog

The show moved indoors to Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa because of Hurricane Isaias, with No. 2 Georgia at No. 6 Alabama as the day’s marquee game. Young, the former Alabama quarterback who now starts for the Carolina Panthers, sided with LSU like the other pickers.

Herbstreit’s pick came with a look back at Sept. 12, when Kentucky led then-No. 12 Alabama 17-13 at halftime in Lexington and did not score again in a 45-17 loss.

Herbstreit said nobody wants to pick Kentucky and the upsets more than he does. “This feels like one of those Kentucky moments. They almost did it against Alabama, and I picked them.”

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Still, he stayed with LSU, saying he expected a close game the Tigers would have to fight for.

Saban’s Superdog pick leaned on LSU’s road form. The Tigers opened their road schedule under first-year coach Lane Kiffin with a 32-24 loss at then-No. 8 Ole Miss on Sept. 19.

“LSU has lost five in a row on the road,” Saban said. “Kentucky is 4-1. They look like a pretty good football team to me.”

One Kentucky fan pushed back on the sweep. “They also all picked A&M to win.”

Kentucky won 31-21 at then-No. 9 Texas A&M on Sept. 19, breaking a 7-7 halftime tie with 21 points in the third quarter.

Kentucky Has Won Three Straight Under First-Year Coach Will Stein

Another fan laid out the stakes for the Wildcats. “Win tonight would have two top 10 ranked wins in one season would be crazy for a first year coach!!!”

LSU arrives at No. 10, and coach Will Stein is in his first season at Kentucky. The Wildcats have won three straight since the Alabama loss.

Stein said on his radio show Wednesday that his staff felt the offense lacked pace against Alabama, so Kentucky changed its approach before the trip to Texas A&M.

On the SEC Network, Roman Harper said the disrespect of Kentucky needs to stop. One LSU fan saw it differently, writing, “It happens because Texas A&M is a joke.”

LSU got its own crack at the Aggies a week later, beating then-No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6 in Baton Rouge on Sept. 26 and holding it to 197 total yards.

Looking Ahead in Week 6 to LSU

Saturday’s Week 6 game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, and Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Kentucky a 24.5% chance to win it.

The result carries playoff weight for both sides. PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter puts Kentucky’s playoff chance at 2.9%, rising to 8.9% with a win, while LSU’s 51.1% would fall to 27.7% with a loss.

Another fan put no stock in the panel’s picks and pointed to the setting instead. “UK will be tough. They always are especially in Lexington.”

LSU has not won in Lexington since the 2002 Bluegrass Miracle, and Kentucky’s home wins in the series since then include the 2007 upset of No. 1 LSU and a 42-21 win in 2021.

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Kentucky has had to come from behind to get here. The Wildcats went scoreless in the first quarter of both SEC road wins and trailed South Carolina 20-10 at halftime. Quarterback Kenny Minchey’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Henry Boyer and two-point pass to Willie Rodriguez won it 35-34 in overtime.

Stein told Tom Leach of the UK Sports Network that he can do more as a coach to create chances early in games. “So it’s not for a lack of trying or intent; it’s just that we’ve got to play better earlier in the game.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.