College GameDay announces addition of ESPN betting analyst 'Stanford Steve' Coughlin to set crew

College GameDay is adding ESPN commentator and producer Stanford Steve to its show for the 2023 college football season. Steve Coughlin, better known as Stanford Steve, will offer thoughts on top college football storylines and matchups each week.

Stanford Steve will also have a gambling segment on the show called “Steve’s 6-Pack” where he will share his top bets of the week.

In addition, Coughlin will appear on College Football Live every Friday from the location of College GameDay. Stanford Steve is replacing Chris Fallica — better known as “The Bear” — who joined Fox Sports in February.

“Thinking back, getting up early and watching College GameDay during my playing days at Stanford was part of the routine,” Coughlin said in a statement. “I’m jacked up to be part of this crew. Charlotte, let’s bring it Week 1!”

Steve Coughlin joins a College GameDay crew that includes host Rece Davis, analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, college football insider Pete Thamel and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims.

“Anyone who has met Stanford Steve knows how passionate he is about college football. Adding him to College GameDay will be a great fit as we tap into both his knowledge of the sport and his betting expertise every week to serve all of our loyal fans,” Lee Fitting, who is the ESPN senior vice president of production, said in a statement.

Coughlin is probably best known for his role on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. In addition to serving as a producer for the show, he also takes part in several segments with Van Pelt, including “Bad Beats.” He is also a betting analyst on “Daily Wager” and writes gambling columns for ESPN.com.

Stanford Steve has also previously worked with ESPN radio. He started his ESPN career as a production assistant in 2004.

College Gameday will be at UNC-South Carolina game for Week 1

As Stanford Steve alluded to, the Week 1 matchup between North Carolina and South Carolina will have a little extra excitement surrounding it. College GameDay will be in Charlotte for the battle of the Carolinas, ESPN previously announced.

The game will take place on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m., with College GameDay broadcasting from Charlotte that morning.

There are high expectations for both programs entering the 2023 season. UNC is led by one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Drake Maye, while South Carolina returns star quarterback Spencer Rattler and stud receiver Juice Wells.

South Carolina and North Carolina are viewed as borderline top 25 teams entering the 2023 season, so it’s no surprise that College GameDay chose the matchup. The Gamecocks are coming off of an 8-5 campaign in 2022, which included wins over top-10 teams Tennessee and Clemson to close out the regular season.

The Tar Heels finished last season with a 9-5 record. UNC won the ACC Coastal Division in 2022, before falling to Clemson in the ACC title game in Charlotte.