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Desmond Howard is having his redemption moment after being ridiculed for his preseason playoff picks. The College GameDay host nearly nailed the CFP field with all four of his picks finishing in the Top 5.
Howard has had a go of it regarding his preseason picks over the last few years.
In 2022, he was ripped for choosing Texas A&M, Pitt, Baylor, and Michigan. That prediction immediately exploded in the analyst’s face as the Aggies and Panthers lost in Week 2.
At season’s end, only the Wolverines made the playoff field while the remaining trio combined to go just 20-18.
This year wasn’t quite as bad, though Howard did catch some flak for picking his alma mater Michigan again. His Heisman pick wasn’t exempt to criticism, either.
But those early critics have been quiet of late. That’s because three of Howard’s preseason picks have made the College Football Playoff field.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) August 26, 2023
Howard came close to hitting the nail on the head as Texas, Michigan, and Alabama are all in, though not without controversy.
His fourth team, Florida State, had a case to make the field, too.
The Seminoles finished the year a perfect 13-0 but became the first undefeated Power Five conference champion to get left out of the Top 4. An injury to quarterback Jordan Travis swayed the committee into bumping one-loss Texas and Alabama into the field at FSU’s expense.
For what it’s worth, the ‘Noles made the final four in the BCS Standings, which until this year, reflected the committee’s decision.
And finally, to wrap us up, here’s the final side-by-side of the simulated #BCS and the just released @CFBPlayoff top-25s for this season: pic.twitter.com/X9Pl6oWhcO
— BCSKnowHow.com (@BCSKnowHow) December 3, 2023
Controversy aside, many online were quick to comment on Desmond Howard’s impressive preseason picks. The tide has suddenly shifted.
“Hold on, he actually cooked.”
“Redemption is spelled D-E-S!”
“He was an Oregon win away from a perfect final four.”
“Masterclass!”
“He definitely rebounded from last year.”
Howard’s field was nearly flawless. Let’s see if his national championship pick, Michigan, can further prove him right!