ESPN’s College GameDay crew boasts some pretty impressive resumes. Nick Saban has seven national titles. Pat McAfee has one of the most popular sports podcasts in the country. Kirk Herbstreit was voted team MVP his senior year at Ohio State and broadcasts college and NFL games on TV.

But none of them can match Desmond Howard’s on-field accomplishments. The former Michigan star wideout won the 1991 Heisman Trophy, is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and had his number 21 retired by his alma mater. Howard also played 10 years in the NFL and was MVP of Super Bowl XXXI while with the Packers. Howard’s career has been amazing, and he has plenty to say about the sport he loves.

Question: What was it like doing GameDay this year without Lee Corso?
Desmond Howard: Lee was a staple. He’s Lee. [The show] would have never gotten as far as it has without Lee Corso. We understood it was time, and we did the best job we could acknowledging him and celebrating him and showing what he meant to the show and to us.

Q: How would you describe the GameDay dynamic without Lee Corso?
DH: The dynamic has been great, and everybody is on the same page of wanting to produce a great show for the audience. Everybody is committed to that. The chemistry is good, and we are committed to who we are as a team. We all have the same love and passion for the sport.

Q: What do you think College GameDay means to the sport?
DH: It’s important, judging by the numbers. If you talk to coaches and players, they say that if they have a game that doesn’t start at noon, they’re tuned in to part of it. It has relevance. I don’t know how to quantify it, but it’s a big part of college football. I have had fans of the University of Miami come up to me and thank me for some of the comments we made that they believe led to some changes that helped make the program competitive again. At the end of the day, we want to make sure we give the audience the best product we can. We want to give them the best information to help them have good opinions about college football.

Q: What is it like to be part of ESPN’s College Football Playoff coverage?
DH: It’s fun to be part of it. It’s exciting. It’s a different season. When I was in the NFL, the regular season was the regular season. We looked at the postseason as a different season. That’s how I look at the CFP. It’s fun to be part of the postseason. It’s more exciting. It’s what everybody points to. We’re able to promote the games and keep interest at an all-time high. It’s something we don’t take lightly.

Q: Do you wish there had been a playoff when you played at Michigan?
DH: When I played, we didn’t have the option for any postseason games beyond the Rose Bowl. But I don’t have any regrets that I didn’t play in the playoff. The ultimate goal was still to win the national championship. I don’t think any of the guys who won a national championship without a playoff say, ‘I wish we had three more games to play.’

Q: What do you think is the most exciting thing about the playoff?
DH: The most exciting thing is to be able to host a playoff game in your own stadium. That’s as good as it gets. I wish the first two rounds were on campus. And I’m very happy that we’ll now get to see some of these SEC powerhouses play up in Big Ten country in December and January.