Why isn't Lee Corso on ESPN's College GameDay in Week 9?

Lee Corso is synonymous with College GameDay. The former head coach at Indiana and Louisville has been a mainstay on ESPN's signature college football pregame show since the 1990s. He famously started making headgear picks back in 1993. While he is certainly getting up there in age, LC is a national icon and we must treasure him for as long as we can. So why is he not in Salt Lake?

Very early into the Week 9 telecast like from Salt Lake City for No. 8 Oregon at No. 13 Utah, Corso's ESPN colleague Rece Davis explained to America why LC was not in attendance. Davis reiterated that Corso is dealing with a family matter and that he is doing well health-wise. He is watching the program and is very locked into the show. Corso is with Davis and the rest of the GameDay guys in spirit today.

Corso is 88 years young. He has lived a full life, one that has made us smarter and more knowledgeable about the dumbest sport humanity has ever given us. Corso is college football. It is always about the kids, which keeps us young at heart. It may be an early start in SLC, as Utah is in the Mountain Time Zone. Then again, Pac-12 football has been the cat's meow this year, so there is that!

Here is Davis telling us where LC is alongside Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit.

The winner of Oregon at Utah presents itself as a likely challenger to Washington for the Pac-12 title.

Rece Davis explains why Lee Corso is not on the set of College GameDay

Even if this game is halfway across the country from Corso's native Florida, Oregon at Utah is the best game of the Week 9 slate. Over the last several years, the rest of America has begun to realize how great of a college football town Salt Lake City is. They love their Utes and they are one of the best teams in the nation. Kyle Whittingham has the thing humming in his hall of fame coaching career.

What does make me sad is we have to wonder how many more times Corso will get to put the Oregon Duck mascot's head on top of his own. Puddles is one of the most recognizable mascots in collegiate athletics. Oregon is a fun time, and they love their Ducks, too. While LC may have gone with the hawk head for Utah, the duck is about as synonymous with GameDay as Corso in his Florida State gear.

Barring anything unforeseen, we should expect for Corso to return to the College GameDay set next week. Although the location for Week 10's show has not been announced just yet, it makes all the sense in the world that it will be in Tuscaloosa for some LSU Tigers at the Alabama Crimson Tide action in primetime for everyone to enjoy. This is when the college football season really gets good!

Here is to Corso being back on the GameDay set next week and gets to hang out with us in Week 10.