With the LSU Tigers hosting the Florida Gators in a fierce SEC rivalry game, ESPN’s College GameDay is down in Baton Rouge to kick off a big day of college football. This means that there needed to be a guest picker on hand that has ties to LSU, and ESPN brought in someone that both football and movie fans adore – John Goodman.
The actor who starred in beloved favorites like, The Big Lebowski, The Conners, and The Emperor’s New Groove was on hand to help pick games on Saturday, and he started by taking Iowa over Penn State and turning heads with this lone wolf selection. However, the biggest moment for LSU fans came when Goodman showed his love for the hometown team.
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Whether he was waving an LSU flag or cooking pasta with the Tigers’ cheerleaders, Goodman was showing that he truly wanted the Florida Gators to lose on Saturday.
John Goodman. ESPN College GameDay. Baton Rouge. Death Valley on a Saturday night.
This pic sums it up well. pic.twitter.com/i3KxA7E1bk
— Shea Dixon (@Sheadixon) October 12, 2019
Of course, having Goodman on GameDay meant that he was trending on social media. This caused many to briefly panic as the first thought was that the longtime actor had passed away. However, this was not the case as Goodman was simply trending due to picking one of the biggest games of the season.
When fans across social media found out that Goodman was truly healthy and among the living, they responded by taking to Twitter to voice their concerns. There were many people with the opinion that there should be some added hashtags for trending public figures. Specifically, adding in something that clarifies why the individual in question is making headlines.
Dear Twitter: Don’t EVER trend John Goodman with no explanation again. You are giving many of us heart attacks, which is what we thought happened to him!
— Sexy Evil Spooky Troll Cat (@2p2TrollCat) October 12, 2019
As a resident of New Orleans, the 67-year-old Goodman has ties to the LSU Tigers despite graduating from Missouri State University, where he earned a football scholarship after high school. However, Goodman has portrayed an LSU player in his career when he took on the role of “Ed ‘Bull’ Lawrence” alongside Dennis Quaid in the 1988 film Everybody’s All American.
Additionally, Goodman’s wife, Anna Beth, is a Louisiana native.
With the Florida Gators 6-0 on the season and ranked at 10th overall, this battle with the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers will be a hotly-contested matchup. Both teams are undefeated and are viewed as top contenders in the College Football Playoffs. Although the Tigers are currently favorites considering that the Gators have dealt with injuries to the quarterback position. Backup-turned-starter Kyle Trask left the victory over Auburn with an injury, but he should be back in the starting lineup for Saturday night’s battle.
If the Tigers do prove victorious as many expect, there is no reason to doubt that Goodman will be celebrating among those in Louisiana.
Photo Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
