ESPN analyst has extremely bold CFP prediction

Jan 1, 2019; Pasadena, CA, USA; Desmond Howard on the ESPN Championship Drive set prior to the 2019 Rose Bowl between the Washington Huskies and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

If ESPN analyst Desmond Howard wanted to turn heads with his College Football Playoff prediction, he succeeded.

ESPN on Saturday held its first “GameDay” show of the season. Howard and fellow analysts David Pollack and Kirk Herbstreit revealed some of their picks and predictions for the season.

Howard drew attention for putting Pitt, Texas A&M, Baylor and Michigan in the CFP. He had A&M beating Michigan for the national championship.

Desmond Howard makes his College Football Playoff predictions. 👀

Y'all agree with his early picks? 🤔
(📸: @CollegeGameDay) pic.twitter.com/ILNuze4CIv

— theScore (@theScore) August 27, 2022

A&M may have had a big recruiting year, but that’s a huge leap for a team that went 8-4 last season. It’s also a bold pick about Michigan, which lost three of its top players off their dominant defense and their top running back. The Pitt pick may be the most confounding of all considering the Panthers lost Kenny Pickett (NFL) and Jordan Addison (transfer).

Howard wasn’t done there though. The former Michigan star named Kentucky as his “sleeper” for 2022. That was an odd choice considering the Wildcats went 10-3 last season.

If attention is what the former Heisman Trophy winner wanted, he sure got it.