The Big Lead

Marshawn Lynch chosen as Cal's 'guest picker' on ESPN's 'College GameDay'

By Joe Lago

Nov 5, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Retired NFL running back Marshawn Lynch (R) drives the injury cart with rapper E-40 (L), before the game against the Washington Huskies for the 10 year anniversary of driving the cart after a win as a California Golden Bears player at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Nov 5, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Retired NFL running back Marshawn Lynch (R) drives the injury cart with rapper E-40 (L), before the game against the Washington Huskies for the 10 year anniversary of driving the cart after a win as a California Golden Bears player at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
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Who else did you think it was going to be?

When Cal Twitter achieved its miracle of miracles — successfully campaigning and convincing ESPN to bring "College GameDay" to Berkeley for the first time ever — the conversation turned to who would represent the university and football program as the "guest picker" when predictions are made at the end of each Saturday pregame showcase.

RELATED: Aaron Rodgers 'so excited' for Cal hosting ESPN's 'College GameDay'

Former Golden Bear stars were the most popular picks among the Calgorithm. Aaron Rodgers couldn't manage the travel with his New York Jets playing in Minnesota on Sunday. The logistics worked out for Jared Goff, whose Detroit Lions are on a bye this week.

But the ideal candidate not only had to be available but also personable and beloved. No one ticked all of the boxes quite like former Cal running back Marshawn Lynch.

On Thursday, ESPN announced that Lynch, also known as "Beast Mode," will be joining host Rece Davis and analysts Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit at the end of the three-hour program to make predictions for Week 6 of the college football season. The network should make sure its seven-second delay is working when Lynch walks on the set.

Lynch makes the most sense as far as the best representative for the football program and university.

Starring at Cal for three seasons from 2004 to 2006, Lynch is the school's No. 2 all-time rusher with 3,230 yards and ranks third in rushing touchdowns with 29. Drafted 12th overall in 2007, he enjoyed a successful NFL career, earning five Pro Bowl selections and winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.

The Oakland native retired from football after the 2019 season and has ironically become a media darling after his time in the NFL, where he often declined interviews. He has an Amazon Prime Video show called "'N 'Yo City" in which he travels around the country to find new experiences.

Lynch's most famous moment at Cal was when he commandeered a cart and drove it on the Memorial Stadium field in celebration of a victory against Washington. So there's only way for Beast Mode to show up for his "GameDay" appearance at Memorial Glade on the Cal campus.

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