Bill Belichick takes page out of Lee Corso playbook on College GameDay for Army-Navy

Without question, this is one of the coolest things College GameDay has ever done. Although he did not attend the United States Naval Academy, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick grew up in Annapolis and is a massive fan of the Midshipmen. This has everything to do with the fact that his late father Stephen being a coach and scout for the football program during Belichick's upbringing.

He may be firmly in his 70s now, but very rarely do we see the usually stoic Belichick get excited about anything. Usually, it is about talking football strategy, great players from yesteryear or his lifelong love of lacrosse as a native Marylander. But to see him on the set of College GameDay as the guest picker was absolute perfection. He absolutely love it, and cherished the honor of doing this.

Belichick may do his heavy-lifting professionally on Sundays, but it is abundantly clear that he is a fan of the program. Sitting next to the inaffable Lee Corso, Belichick one-upped Corso with his own headgear selection. It was an old Navy helmet from the 1960s with a Jolly Roger flag on it. With the game being held at Gillette Stadium, the home of the Patriots, we are so glad Belichick could attend.

Brace yourselves to see Belichick acting out of character from the character we have created for him.

The childlike joy on Belichick's face is a prime example of why it is great to be a fan of something.

Bill Belichick goes full-blown Lee Corso on the set of College GameDay

There are so many reasons why Army-Navy is different. Anytime any of the three service academies square off, it is option football, sending us back to an ancient time where life was just a bit simpler. Pretty much all of the men playing on the field in Foxborough on Saturday afternoon will go pro in something other than sports. They are expected to be fully active members in our nation's military.

Football may be a team sport at its core, one where if one guy of 11 does something wrong on a given down, the entire play has the potential of going kaputt. However, so much has changed in the world of athletics, one where great performers become marquee stars in and off the field. But when it comes to Army and Navy, it is mostly anonymous men who simply love to play the game of football.

Surely, this is a resonating factor for Belichick, now several decades since he grew up in the Naval Academy's shadows. He may have won six Super Bowls as the face of the Patriots organization, but part of me wonders if Belichick would have loved the opportunity to play for and coach for his boyhood's favorite team. That helmet he showed off to the world is a reason for us all to believe that.

There are guest pickers on College GameDay, and then there is Belichick picking Navy over Army.