Joel McHale is feeling nostalgic.
The Celebrity Beef host is reminiscing about his days as a college sports star in E! News' exclusive sneak peek at season two of NBC's Capital One College Bowl.
In the preview, the actor and comedian surprises a team of three young competitors from his alma mater.
"I received both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Washington—Yes, I really can't believe it either," McHale jokes in the clip. "And while I wasn't studying, which I wasn't, or doing comedy, I was also wearing my purple and gold uniform as one of the top tight ends in Husky history...on the bench."
Cut to a priceless photo of a young McHale wearing his jersey and looking tough outside the Rose Bowl football field in Pasadena, Calif.
Leaving the trio of competitors with an inspirational message, McHale, added, "Ryan, Ella and Shruthika, use those enormous brains of yours and bring home that College Bowl trophy. And great, great hair by the way, guys. Good luck and go dogs!"
The University of Washington team will be one of 16 groups of college students competing in a series of trivia tournaments on season two of the series, which awards a total of $1 million in scholarships to all participants.
Capital One College Bowl—hosted by brothers Peyton Manning and Cooper Manning—premieres Friday, Sept. 9, at 8 p.m. with back-to-back episodes on NBC.
Check out McHale's surprise message in the preview above.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family)