Following Texas Tech football’s 43-20 victory against Kansas State University on Saturday, ESPN’s College GameDay announced it will travel to Lubbock for the Red Raiders’ matchup against No. 10 Brigham Young University Nov. 8.
The only time ESPN College GameDay aired in Lubbock was on Nov. 1, 2008, for the No. 7 Red Raiders’ matchup against No. 1 University of Texas, according to Tech Athletics. Tech won the matchup 39-33, with wide receiver Michael Crabtree recording the game-winning score.
Head coach Joey McGuire said while the prospect of ESPN College GameDay coming to Lubbock puts the Red Raiders on a grand stage, the main focus will always be on the football game.
“We talk about it all the time — it’s a big game because we’re in it,” McGuire said. “I think it’s really important to understand if you let all the hype and all of everything surrounding it and not being the brand and playing the player-coaches oath and making it about football, then you’re going to miss a great opportunity on a huge stage.”
McGuire was part of ESPN College GameDay in 2019 when he was the assistant coach at Baylor University. The then-No. 13 Bears were taking on No. 10 University of Oklahoma.
“It’s just so special to have College Gameday because it’s one of those deals where it really is a dream for a player to be part of that,” McGuire said.
When the Red Raiders’ linebacker core of senior Jacob Rodriguez, junior Ben Roberts and sophomore John Curry heard the news of ESPN College GameDay, they banged the media table in excitement.
Roberts said when he committed to the Red Raiders in 2021, he told his father of a couple goals that were beginning to come to light.
“I know that when I was getting recruited and I committed to Tech, one of the things I told my dad was I want to be a ranked team and I want to play in front of College GameDay,” Roberts said.
For Curry, it hits a little closer to home, as the third-year linebacker was born and raised in Lubbock and said ESPN College GameDay has always been a dream of his.
“I mean, I was 3 when College GameDay came for that Texas game,” Curry said. “I’ve always heard about how awesome it was for that game and when College GameDay was there, but I wanted to experience that for myself, and it’s awesome to be able to bring that for Lubbock.”
The location of ESPN College GameDay’s set is to be determined, but according to associate athletic director Robert Giovannetti, the time of the game at 11 a.m. will not change.