Pat McAfee and Scottie Scheffler on Faculty GameDay.
ESPN
Texas is again. Which means Scottie is, too. On Faculty GameDay, that’s.
Scheffler, who grew up in Dallas and went to UT, joined the set of ESPN’s famed pregame program as a visitor picker forward of the No. 1 Texas Longhorns’ primetime SEC showdown with No. 5 Georgia Saturday. That meant he sat alongside Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Rece Davis and Desmond Howard to make his picks forward of the Saturday slate.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from Scottie Scheffler’s Faculty GameDay look.
No. 1 picked No. 1
I spent a couple of minutes making an attempt to determine the final time a golfer was ranked World No. 1 whereas his alma mater was No. 1 in soccer, too. I believe we will comfortably agree on Justin Thomas, who wasn’t technically No. 1 throughout soccer season — however when he reached the highest in Could 2018, Alabama was a couple of months faraway from a nationwide championship and some months away from beginning the next season at No. 1. Adequate.
Saturday marks an excellent day for the Longhorns, although. Whereas Texas has began its season 6-0, it hasn’t but reached Scheffler’s win whole for 2024 (seven on the PGA Tour, plus Olympic gold) and takes on Georgia on Saturday night time.
It wasn’t a shock who Scheffler picked.
“Texas solely given up three touchdowns all 12 months,” Scheffler mentioned. “I believe Texas is the No. 1 staff within the nation and I believe they show it tonight.”
Scottie performed the Louisville decide completely
Scheffler was inevitably going to be requested for his decide on the College of Miami’s showdown with Louisville. Scheffler was, as you might keep in mind, arrested by the the Louisville Metro Police in Could in a weird incident on his manner into Valhalla forward of the second spherical of the PGA Championship. Whereas fees had been ultimately dropped, Scheffler has a reference to Louisville he’ll always remember. So the right way to play the decide? Scheffler did what he does greatest: deadpan, understated, refined grin.
“To not convey something private into this with Louisville, nice metropolis, love the individuals… however Miami is gonna smoke them,” Scheffler mentioned.
As for his recollections from lockup?
“Truthfully, jail was a contact boring since you’re simply sitting there staring on the wall,” he instructed the panel.
Scottie didn’t get any awards this time
The final time Scheffler was on the present was September 2022; he was coming off a profession 12 months that included a Masters victory and the Jack Nicklaus Award. His faculty coach, John Fields, made a shock supply to Scheffler on set.
This 12 months? Scheffler received the Masters and was a dominant World No. 1. The Participant of the 12 months award has but to be introduced, however we like Scheffler’s probabilities. Nonetheless maybe his fellow pickers determined he didn’t want any further accolades.
Nonetheless, he broke out the inexperienced jacket
“Scottie Scheffler, candy jacket pal,” McAfee mentioned. Candy jacket, certainly. Because the reigning Masters champion, Scheffler is permitted to put on his inexperienced jacket in public — although not with out restrictions.
Jon Rahm, who received the 2023 Masters, spoke final 12 months in regards to the guidelines across the jacket. Augusta Nationwide, he mentioned, doesn’t like anticipated public appearances, so it’s all however assured that Scheffler gave the membership a heads up about occurring GameDay.
“There’s a gown code that comes with it,” Rahm mentioned. “You find out about this rapidly when you need to signal paperwork and issues about what you’re doing. Clearly, everyone knows the principles round Augusta Nationwide, proper? And so they inform you you’re representing Augusta Nationwide and the jacket is Augusta Nationwide.”
And whereas jacket-wearers usually don an accompanying tie, Scheffler’s white button-down look was apparently inside Augusta’s gown code.
“They don’t prefer to be shocked so they should give approval for every thing. I can’t be photographed with the jacket and having alcohol. It simply goes on and on,” Rahm defined.
And he is aware of the lyrics
McAfee launched right into a spirited rendition of “The Eyes of Texas,” a lot to the delight of the UT trustworthy behind him. However after the opening few strains he made an admission:
“I don’t know the lyrics.”
However Scheffler does, so he took over from there. Singing, joking, choosing video games — there’s not a lot this man can’t do.
Oh, and he was proper about Miami.
