Colin Cowherd· Aug 22, 2026
Cowherd ranked his top 10 NFL quarterback-coach combinations (with honorable mentions at 11-13), calls the Giants his surprise team, ranks his top 12 players under 25, and picks Notre Dame vs. Miami for the college football national championship game.
“Number one to me, and it's pretty substantial margin Stafford.”
said on air or in an interview · The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) · read the original →
2 checkable claims — 1 surprise team call and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
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Who this take is about
2 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Top Player ListsAug 22, 2026
“So I was like, Okay, I'm not going to go through twenty five. I'll give you my top twelve... I would go number one Will Anderson... And then Darryl Stingley... So that is my top twelve.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Surprise Team CallsNew York GiantsAug 22, 2026
New York Giants to beat expectations
“They're my surprise team in the NFL, and I didn't think they looked very good”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chad MillmanGame Outcome Picks · New York GiantsHit · 100Chad Millman said he had taken money-line positions on several Week 1 underdogs — the Texans outright over the Bills, the Giants outright over Dallas (in a money-line underdog parlay), and Miami outright at Las Vegas — and that the show's survivor pick was the Steelers to win.
- Simon HunterGame Outcome Picks · New York GiantsHit · 100Hunter picked Houston and the Giants as underdog money line plays, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit as favorites, and used Pittsburgh plus the Chargers as his survivor picks for week one.
- Chad MillmanGame Outcome Picks · New York GiantsHit · 100Millman backed several week one sides outright: Miami to beat the Raiders straight up, the Jets over the Titans, an underdog money line parlay of Houston and the Giants, and a favorites money line parlay of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit. He also stands by his preseason take that Drake Maye is a top-five NFL quarterback.
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · New York GiantsHit · 100Parkins picked the Giants to upset Dallas, the Steelers to beat Atlanta by two scores, the Bears to beat Carolina, the Bills to beat Houston and Denver to beat Kansas City outright; he also said Justin Herbert will win an MVP and had the Bengals as AFC North champs.
- LaVar ArringtonGame Outcome Picks · New York GiantsHit · 100Arrington picked the Steelers over the Falcons, the Bengals to cover against the Buccaneers, the Texans on the money line over the Bills, and the Giants to upset the Cowboys.
- Mike FlorioScore Predictions · New York GiantsHit · 86Florio gives score predictions for every Week 1 game of the 2026 NFL season, including an opening-night upset by the Patriots in Seattle and narrow home wins for the Giants and Chiefs.
More surprise team calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Pete PriscoSurprise Team Calls · Arizona CardinalsPendingAn unsigned Week 2 NFL power rankings column places the Seahawks first and the Dolphins last, with the 49ers rising six spots after beating the Rams and the Cowboys falling 12 after losing to the Giants. It also suggests the Cardinals and Jets could be better than expected.
- Rich EisenSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingEisen accepted that the Giants can be the best team in the NFC East (while pumping the brakes on NFC contender talk), restated his preseason Josh Allen MVP pick, insisted the Rams are too talented to miss the playoffs, and put his marker on the Saints as the NFC South team that can beat expectations.
- Steve HartmanSurprise Team Calls · Cincinnati BengalsPendingHartman picked the Rams and Bills to meet in the Super Bowl with the Rams winning, named the Bengals as his surprise team with Joe Burrow winning MVP and Cincinnati winning its division and reaching the AFC Championship Game against Buffalo.
- Fox SportsSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingRelaying anonymous NFL executives and scouts, the piece names Saints QB Tyler Shough as this season's breakout star whose numbers could pop, suggests New Orleans could surprise people in a weak division, and says Bears youngsters Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland will become elite — with Burden taking over as Chicago's No. 1 receiver ahead of Rome Odunze.
- Bill CowherSurprise Team Calls · Pittsburgh SteelersPendingCowher said the Steelers are flying under the radar entering the season and will have a better identity, framing them as a team that beats expectations.
- JJ WattSurprise Team Calls · Jacksonville JaguarsPendingWatt gave Seattle's defensive front the edge over New England's, said the Jaguars remain underrated and under-discussed, and described USC product Lloyd as the Packers' bell-cow starting back.