Weeks 0, 1 and 2 of the college football season are behind us. But now it’s time to look forward and measure out which games could be host to the future weeks of ESPN’s College GameDay show. So, here’s where the show has been, plus picks for where they’ll land the rest of the season.
Week 0: Iowa State vs. Kansas State | Dublin, Ireland
Week 1: Texas at Ohio State | Columbus, OH
Week 2: Michigan at Oklahoma | Norman, OK
Week 3: Georgia at Tennessee | Knoxville, TN
How about that for a start? We just nailed our Week 3 prediction with the show heading to the Georgia at Tennessee game, which got the nod over Texas A&M at Notre Dame, and sneakily, also over South Florida at Miami, which will be a ranked-on-ranked matchup. Now that we know the destination for next weekend, let’s look ahead at which campuses are most likely to garner ESPN’s traveling circus act the rest of the way…
Contenders: Florida at Miami; Illinois at Indiana; South Carolina at Missouri; Auburn at Oklahoma; Texas Tech at Utah; Michigan at Nebraska
Most Likely: Well, Week 2 took a hit to our prediction here. Florida at Miami previously owned the pick, but the big Sunshine State showdown is actually in Week 3 with USF visiting the ‘Canes after knocking off Boise State and Florida in their first two outings. But with Indiana surging in their second season under Curt Cignetti after going to the Playoff a year ago, while hosting a top-15 Illinois club, we’ll give this peculiar Big Ten matchup what’s sure to be its first GameDay experience. Pick: Illinois at Indiana.
Contenders: LSU at Ole Miss; USC at Illinois; Auburn at Texas A&M; Indiana at Iowa; Oregon at Penn State; Alabama at Georgia
Most Likely: Those other contenders are nice emergency options, but the showdown for College GameDay starts and ends with the blockbuster matchups in Oxford and State College. We’ll give Penn State the nod here as the preseason No. 2 team in the nation welcomes Oregon to Beaver Stadium for a 2024 Big Ten Championship rematch in what should be the Nittany Lions’ first major showcase in a year they expect to contend for the national championship. Pick: Oregon at Penn State.
Contenders: Texas at Florida; Clemson at North Carolina; Miami at Florida State;
Most Likely: Week 6 provides probably the lightest slate yet in terms of matchups between teams currently viewed as top-25, but one contest sticks out like a shining star based on results through two weeks. Of course, Florida State beat Alabama and stormed their home field on Week 1, and perhaps they’ll have the opportunity to do so again if they topple a Miami club licking its lips at the ACC crown after a thrilling Week 1 win of their own over Notre Dame. Pick: Miami at Florida State.
Contenders: South Carolina at LSU; Georgia at Auburn; Indiana at Oregon; Arizona State at Utah; Oklahoma vs. Texas; Ohio State at Illinois
Most Likely: What a doozy. With massive contests unfolding on the campuses of Oregon, Illinois, LSU, and Auburn, there are plenty of great options. However, the one game on the list that doesn’t take place at a home stadium has our eye. That’s the Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma. With the Longhorns chasing championship expectations and the Sooners on the rise with a possible Heisman contender at QB, 2025’s edition of the historic battle ought to take center stage in college football, assuming they take care of business enough to this point. Pick: Texas vs. Oklahoma.
Week 8
Contenders: Ohio State at Wisconsin; Penn State at Iowa; LSU at Vanderbilt; Ole Miss at Georgia; Oklahoma at South Carolina; Texas Tech at Arizona State; Utah at BYU
Most Likely: Week 8 is fraught with plenty of considerable options but no single game, as of now, that gets down on its knees and absolutely begs for College GameDay. So, let’s get wild and go with VANDERBILT to host GameDay for the first time in who knows how long. The Commodores welcome an LSU club that’s square in the title discussion and hasn’t been featured yet (at least by our schedule). If Vandy can split road games at Alabama and South Carolina (a tall task for sure), they’ll be ranked and rearing to go against the Tigers, and ESPN ought to reward this fanbase with CGD at that point. Pick: LSU at Vanderbilt.
It’s tough to tell beyond the next five weeks which matchups could draw the spotlight, so here are some early picks on GameDay locations through the rest of the regular season…
Week 9: Texas A&M at LSU (1st); Alabama at South Carolina (2nd)
Week 10: Penn State at Ohio State (1st); South Carolina at Ole Miss (2nd)
Week 11: Florida State at Clemson (1st); LSU at Alabama (2nd)
Week 12: Texas at Georgia (1st); South Carolina at Texas A&M (2nd)
Week 13: Louisville at SMU (1st); USC at Oregon (2nd)
Week 14: Ohio State at Michigan (1st);