syracuse
Isiah Thomas placed his head on the ESPN College GameDay table, fully aware that the Indiana faithful would express their displeasure, yet he proceeded with his pick anyway.
"I think talent always wins out," said Thomas, a former NBA and Indiana standout. "I like Ohio State's talent. I have to go with the Buckeyes" over USC.
Just moments earlier, the Indiana crowd on hand had made their disdain clear.
"Ohio State got a huge win over the national champions in the national champions' stadium," Pat McAfee said as boos rained down on the ESPN set. "I know they don't like that because they are the team we are referring to."
Thomas, a former Detroit Pistons star, did rally support when he picked the Hoosiers over Minnesota, predicting that Indiana's defense would create turnovers and score points.
"They may pull an Alabama-Georgia where Minnesota doesn't get past the 50-yard-line," Thomas said with a nod to Nick Saban.
It is possible Thomas was referring to the 2012 BCS national title game between Saban's Crimson Tide and LSU, not Georgia. LSU's offense was completely shut down and did not cross the 50-yard line until there were about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Weekly Picks
- Miami at North Carolina: Howard - Miami; Saban - Miami; McAfee - Miami; Thomas - Miami; Herbstreit - Miami
- Utah at Cincinnati: Howard - Utah; Saban - Utah; McAfee - Utah; Thomas - Utah; Herbstreit - Utah
- Arizona State at BYU: Howard - BYU; Saban - BYU; McAfee - BYU; Thomas - BYU; Herbstreit - BYU
- Arizona at Texas Tech: Howard - Arizona; Saban - Arizona; McAfee - Arizona; Thomas - Texas Tech; Herbstreit - Arizona
- Northwestern at Oregon: Howard - Northwestern; Saban - Oregon; McAfee - Northwestern; Thomas - Northwestern; Herbstreit - Northwestern
- Wisconsin at Iowa: Howard - Wisconsin; Saban - Iowa; McAfee - Iowa; Thomas - Iowa; Herbstreit - Wisconsin
- Ohio State at USC: Howard - USC; Saban - Ohio State; McAfee - Ohio State; Thomas - Ohio State; Herbstreit - Ohio State
- Auburn at Ole Miss: Howard - Auburn; Saban - Ole Miss; McAfee - Ole Miss; Thomas - Ole Miss; Herbstreit - Ole Miss
- Florida at Georgia: Howard - Georgia; Saban - Georgia; McAfee - Georgia; Thomas - Georgia; Herbstreit - No pick
- Minnesota at Indiana: Howard - Indiana; Saban - Indiana; McAfee - Indiana; Thomas - Indiana; Herbstreit - Indiana
Originally reported by syracuse.