Pat McAfee’s been on a run recently. His rather errant but kind-hearted challenges on College GameDay have been a treat. The challenge essentially involves a fan kicking a field goal on a makeshift strip to win money for themselves and charity. However, the latest iteration of this challenge almost sapped all the fun out of this novelty.

The kicking contest befitting took place in Columbus outside The Shoe. The challenger was Tennessee Vol fan J.D Lovell, kicking from 33 yards to win a mammoth $250,000 for himself alongside an additional $250,000 for Tennessee-based hurricane relief charities. A great proposition indeed. So, with Kirk Herbstreight holding the pigskin and McAfee giving him tips, surely the operation went smoothly? Not quite.

As the fan kicked for glory, the football wavered off to the onlooking audience towards the left. It hit an Ohio State cheerleader smack in the face. A collective gasp went out in freezing Columbus, with the temperature definitely not helping the force of the impact. Fortunately, the girl on the end of this was seemingly safe. Catastrophe averted. “Holy H–l, this guy is the worst we’ve ever seen!” remarked Pat McAfee.

Not all of these challenges have ended in such an anti-climatic fashion. Earlier in the season, for instance, McAfee’s contest brought about a bit of magic and a lot of eyeballs. UGA student and Bulldogs fan Henry Silver nailed his attempt to leave everyone, including Pat McAfee, stunned. He took home a cool $400,000 for himself and fellow student Belle Sessions. McAfee matched the same amount for hurricane relief charities. Just an overall awesome moment.

Vol fan JD Lovell would hope his kicking is not a sign of things to come. Although he perhaps would’ve hoped to put in a better showing. Pat McAfee’s theatrics and off-throwing preceding the kick are a calculated maneuver to put the contestant under duress. That aside, the elements and cold were certainly less of a hindrance than what Notre Dame fan Chris faced in South Bend on Friday evening.

Pat McAfee flexed his riches in the last edition of his kicking contest

$250,000 is a lot of money for most people. Ex-NFL pro and A-list media personality Pat McAfee isn’t most people, though. On account of the inauguration of the CFP, he upped the ante a little. For Friday’s College GameDay for Notre Dame vs Indiana, the kicking contest was an even more high-stakes affair than usual. Owing to the difficult conditions for kicking, McAfee put up a gaudy $750,000 on the line.

The contestant, Chris, lost his footing on the slippery snow-hit turf and fell during his attempt. The eccentric McAfee didn’t just give Chris a second attempt. He further raised the prize to $1 million. An experienced kicker of his kind knew it was almost impossible to kick through the upright in those conditions. But this was a gamble nevertheless.

Unfortunately for Chris and the national audience witnessing, he slipped again. The kick didn’t quite have enough vim as a result and drifted off-target. His face planted into the snow for good measure as well. ‘This was not as expensive as it could have been,” said a relieved Pat McAfee to the audience. ‘The second attempt [was] much better than the first!” With a handful of broadcasts remaining this season, expect things to get even crazier as the magnitude of the games increases. The onlookers will certainly be more wary of a stray football next time out!