I Asked a Bunch of Celebrities To Pick the Winner of Penn State-Ohio State And They Did

By Mike Treb on October 26, 2017 at 8:00 am
Sports broadcaster Dick Vitale poses for a photo with fans prior to the game between the Villanova Wildcats and the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Championship semi-final game at NRG Stadium.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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Penn State-Ohio State is an absolutely sizzling match-up.

The No. 2 team in the land (Penn State!) heads on the road to a dangerous, frothed-up environment in Columbus to battle the No. 6 team (Ohio State!).

Urban Meyer and crew are talking about "revenge" for last year's stunning loss, the program's busting out these concrete ashtray alternate jerseys for the occasion, and the Buckeye student section is trying to Blackout the stadium.

There are huge implications from a Big Ten East, conference and playoff scenario. You're reading the previews, parsing press conference quotes, watching videos, and texting analysis to your friends.

This game is so huge, in fact, it felt like I needed to add some extra sizzle. College GameDay will be outside The Horseshoe, and that means Desmond, Lee, Herbie and a guest picker selecting the winner. But I needed more -- more game predictions. I took it upon myself to tweet at a number of celebrities on Twitter and flat out ask them: WHO YOU GOT? PENN STATE OR OHIO STATE?

And here's what happened. These are all real tweets.

Kato Kaelin, OJ Simpson's former houseguest and a key (??) witness in "The Trial of the Century" who also spends most of his time screaming at the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers online, is an avid sports watcher. Some media outlets even pay him to comment on sports. Wild. Anyway, I had to know what Kato was feeling. He's a Big Ten guy, afterall!

Brief and to the dang point. I like it!

Kato's Pick: Penn State

 

Stand-up comedian and actor Sinbad (A Different World, Jingle All The Way, First Kid), a massive Cleveland Cavaliers fan, dropped some news when I approached him about his pick: his nephew is on the Buckeyes! Now, Sinbad never really answered my question and then avoided my follow-up, so I'm not sure who it is (Sean Nuernberger?). Because of that silence, I can only assume he's turning his back and heart on his nephew (bad, Uncle Sinbad!) and picking with his head.

Sinbad's (unofficial) Pick: Penn State

 

I next went to Larry Poff, a Philadelphia Eagles fan who is riding a wave of newfound Internet fame thanks to a decade-old clip of him drunkenly yelling about Jeff Garcia and using the word "baby" over and over. I know, it sounds weird. But if you're having trouble following along, watch this, and you'll see why Poff has become a meme:

The fun is infectious! I might've even co-opted some of that meme fun for the RLR Twitter account last weekend, subbing in Barkley for Garcia:

Back to the Penn State-Ohio State game. Not only does "The Poffer" think the Lions win, he's calling a major shootout. And a big day for Saquon Barkley.

Oh, baby! Poff didn't stop there, though. He doubled down, taking a crack at Meyer!

The Poffer's Pick: Penn State

 

This weekend isn't like any PSU football weekend for Larry Johnson, the 2,000-yards-in-a-season running back whose father (Larry Johnson, Sr.) is defensive line and assistant head coach with the Buckeyes -- and, of course, a former longtime PSU assistant. The younger Johnson, who had some fantastic seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and now  serves as chairman of the nonprofit Motivational Edge's ambassador program, answered my prediction request with a gif.

Though he typed no words ... Saquon Barkley rocketing through the air, landing on his feet after getting hit, and destroying Iowa's soul? That gif translates to "Lions by 37 points," if I'm reading between the lines.

LJ2K's Pick: Penn State

 

Actor (Cocoon, The Natural, The Firm), noted tv pitchman and diabetes spokesman, Wilford Brimley is an easy conversationalist on Twitter. Count him as a big James Franklin fan, too. He didn't commit to a pick, though.

Wilford's Pick: Push?

Dick Vitale just flat-out loves talking sports. A big Notre Dame backer, he's always livestreaming dinners, autograph sessions and concert experiences, talking about sports in between bites of tagliatelle or waiting for Bruno Mars' next hit. I leapt at the chance to pick Dickie V.'s brain ahead of the game.

You're breaking my heart, Mr. Vitale!

Dickie V.'s Pick: Ohio State

 

Richard Grieco, former teen heartthrob who starred alongside Johnny Depp on the original 21 Jump Street, is a big Alabama Crimson Tide fan. If anyone knows college football, it's a fan of the Tide.

Roll Lions.

Greico's Pick: Penn State

That's four for the Nittany Lions, a push, a clear Ohio State pick, and Sinbad's non-answer.

I reached out to Sheriff John Bunnell (host, World's Wildest Police Chases), actor Steven Seagal, musician and host John Tesh, host Larry King, reality show personality Spencer Pratt and regional department store Boscov's for their predictions, too.

They all had no comment.

UPDATE! (8:43 a.m.)

Regional department store Boscov's weighed in after this story was published:

Boscov's Pick: Penn State

Roar Lions Roar
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