ESPN's song list

At least there is no Florida-Georgia Line(sic).

Here is your college football soundtrack for 2015, if you are watching a game covered by ESPN. pic.twitter.com/KKWyGPqS4A

— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) August 31, 2015

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College GameDay

Announcements coming....

Yes, it's true. Week one AND last week sites for @CollegeGameDay to be announced today at our @cfbhall panel. It's about to get real, folks.

— Keri Potts (@MsPotts_ESPN) August 3, 2015

Unless something strange happens, expect your tailgate spots in Meyer's Quad to be squeezed out for the Alabama game, yes even with at likely CBS 3:30 kickoff.
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GameDay in Oxford

We've written extensively about GameDay and their time in Athens. There is also this thing out there that Chris Fowler said about Athens that I can't shake about being him not liking to be here because some people were over dressed and over served.

I'm guessing he's over that now that he's been to Oxford....

I just hope Fowler remembers he saw it in Athens first.
TD

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2014 ESPN Game Day Predictions, Weeks 1-5

Until ESPN confirms sites, all of this is speculation. I have listed the all known networks and times and all times listed below are Eastern. If I didn't list a time and/or network, it is because I couldn't find information on it. As usual, the go to for information on college football broadcast times and networks is LSUfootball.net.

I'll assume, unless it is just a really, really compelling match up, GameDay will be at a WWL broadcast game (ABC/ESPN) site.

Week 1 (August 30)
Prediction: Georgia at Clemson (5:30pm, ABC)
Not a lock, but it is close. FSU vs. Oklahoma State could trump that, with FSU being the reigning National Champs, but they'll get some other chances, notably in week 4 with Clemson coming to town.
Other Candidates: FSU vs. Oklahoma State (8pm, ABC); LSU vs. Wisconsin (9pm, ESPN).

Week 2 (September 6)
Prediction: USC at Stanford (3:30pm, ABC)
Going off the charts here with a Pac-12 game. Yes, it is early...12:30 local. Oh, I have Michigan State at Oregon as my second choice.
Other Candidates: Michigan State at Oregon (5:30pm, Fox); Virginia Tech at Ohio State (7pm, ESPN)

Week 3 (September 13)
Prediction: Tennessee at Oklahoma (8pm, ESPN/ABC)
USC at Boston College could end up making the cut if they aren't in week 2. Also, if Tennessee is a dumpster fire, it is possible ESPN does one of their crazy wildcard picks with this week.
Other Candidates: USC at Boston College (8pm, ESPN/ABC); Georgia at South Carolina (3:30, CBS)

Week 4 (September 20)
Prediction: Clemson at FSU (TBA)
Actually, this is a great week for football. Miami at Nebraska might sneak in here, but it isn't 1989.
Other Candidates: Miami at Nebraska (8pm, ESPN/ABC); Florida at Alabama (TBA); Oregon at Washington State (TBA)

Week 5 (September 27)
Prediction: Notre Dame vs. Syracuse (TBA)
This week is a bit of a toss up. There aren't any rivalry games. The match-ups are very record dependent at this point in the season. I went with location here. This game will be in East Rutherford at Giant's Stadium, so it wouldn't surprise me if they do something with NYC in the background, or actually broadcast from Time Square, since that is so close to East Rutherford. It isn't unprecedented. They did Game Day from the USS San Diego for a Navy game a couple of years back.
Other Candidates: Missouri at South Carolina (TBA), Stanford at Washington (TBA), Oregon State at USC (TBA), Colorado at Cal (TBA); Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (TBA); Duke at Miami (TBA)

I'll do weeks 6-10 and 11-15 later.
TD

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Georgia's record at GameDay broadcasts

We recite the record, 3-13, as if it were a canticle designed to ward off the mere thought of the evil spirits of Lee Corso anywhere in the same area code as the Dawgs on a Saturday.

3-13
3-13
3-13

Here are the full list of Georgia's appearances with ESPN GameDay broadcasting from their game location (wins in bold):

1995: Georgia at #8 Tennessee; L 30-27
1998: #5 Tennessee at Georgia; L 22-3
1999: #10 Georgia vs. #5 Florida (in Jacksonville), L 30-14
2002: #7 Georgia at #22 Alabama, W 27-25
2002: #5 Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville); L 20-13
2003: #7 Georgia at #11 LSU, L 17-10
2003: #3 LSU vs #5 Georgia (SEC Championship in Atlanta), L 34-13
2004: #4 Georgia at South Carolina, W 20-16
2004: #5 Georgia at #3 Auburn, L 24-6
2005: #4 Georgia vs. #16 Florida (in Jacksonville), L 14-10
2007: #22 Georgia at #16 Alabama, W 26-23
2008: #8 Alabama at #3 Georgia, L 41-30
2011: #1 LSU vs. #15 Georgia (SEC Championship in Atlanta), L 42-10
2012: #5 Georgia vs. #6 South Carolina, L 35-7
2012: #2 Alabama vs. #3 Georgia (SEC Championship in Atlanta); L 32-28
2013: #5 Georgia at #8 Clemson; L 38-35

Georgia is 0-2 in Athens, 0-6 in neutral sites, and 3-5 in true road games.

So, yeah. We haven't had a great record when we play a game that GameDay is featuring. Looking at Georgia's games, we were a clear dog in 3 of them (both UT games and SECCG in '11). Looking at the wins, we won 2 of the three we were clear favorites in (2002 Alabama, 2005 South Carolina). Look at the games from a final record perspective:

1995: Georgia finished 6-6, UT finished 11-1
1998: Georgia finished 9-3, UT finished 13-0*
1999: Georgia finished 8-4, UF finished 9-4
2002: Georgia finished 13-1, Alabama finished 10-3
2002: Georgia finished 13-1, Florida finished 8-5
2003: Georgia finished 10-3, LSU finished 13-1* (Reg. season and SECCG)
2004: Georgia finished 10-2, South Carolina finished 6-5
2004: Georgia finished 10-2, Auburn finished 13-0
2005: Georgia finished 10-3, Florida finished 9-3
2007: Georgia finished 11-2, Alabama finished 7-6 
2008: Georgia finished 10-3, Alabama finished 12-2
2011: Georgia finished 10-4, LSU finished 13-1
2012: Georgia finished 12-2, South Carolina finished 11-2
2012: Georgia finished 12-2, Alabama finished 13-1*
2013: Georgia currently 1-1, Clemson currently 2-0

By my count, Georgia only has one "bad" loss, the 2002 bed wetting against the worst Florida team in nearly 15 years. We lost to three eventual national champs. Seven of the 13 losses are to one or zero loss teams (counting Clemson right now). The hard part is winning the games that are pushes. Think 2005 Florida or this year's Clemson game.

Let me ask you a question. How ridiculous would it to hear Alabama coming into the 2008 season bitching about being on GameDay. They were 3-17 through 2007. Since then, they have gone 14-3. So, did GameDay change their formula in 2008 to give the Tide a chance to win the GameDay games they've played in since then?

If you think GameDay has something to do with us winning or losing a game, are you willing to say that Georgia would have won those games but for GameDay?

It is correlated. It is not causal. There is no way it can be.

TD

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GameDay loves the SEC, but do they love UGA?

This past week, I'd done some research on teams with more than 10 appearances in GameDay featured games. While I clearly thought they wouldn't come to Athens for the LSU game, I thought it would come in handy for down the road for when we played in the GameDay feature game again. Despite what you think about our record, we want to be in GameDay featured games.

Since 1993, when GameDay premiered with #1 FSU at #2 Notre Dame in 1993, they have been to 205 locations for games. That means there have been 410 teams featured. With the rise of the SEC, it should come as no surprise that the SEC is very well represented. Six SEC teams are among the seventeen teams that have more than ten GameDay appearances.

Teams with more than 10 appearances
Florida: 24-12, 7-5 at home
Ohio State: 20-9, 10-3 at home
Oklahoma: 19-9, 5-2
Alabama: 17-20, 2-5 at home (14-3 since 2008)
Southern Cal: 15-6, 6-3 at home
LSU: 15-8, 5-4 at home
Michigan: 13-9, 8-3 at home
FSU: 11-15, 4-4 at home
Oregon: 10-6, 5-2 at home
Notre Dame: 8-11, 3-4 at home
Miami 10-7, 5-1 at home
Nebraska 9-5, 5-1
Georgia 3-13, 0-2 at home
Auburn: 7-8, 4-3 at home
Texas: 6-5, 5-1 at home
Tennessee: 6-7, 2-5 at home
Virginia Tech: 4-8, 4-1 at home

GameDay is a barometer of your program's relative strength. Westerdawg noted in the comments (and some time ago in a post), we haven't had that many games in Athens to warrant them coming to town. This week is very much that kind of match up.

Hell, they've been to Columbia, South Carolina six times. That alone doesn't convince you that we should want GameDay in Athens, I don't know what will, because Athens is a damn sight better scene than the back lot of Mad Max is. I'll get to the 'GameDay jinx' or whatever later this week, but just wanted to be sure we objectively understand the importance to recruiting and as a program PR vehicle hosting GameDay is.

TD

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GameDay will be in Athens for LSU game

Well, this was clearly wrong.

From GameDay producer Lee Fitting:

Next Saturday @CollegeGameDay will be in Athens for the Dawgs and Tigers.
— Lee Fitting (@leefitting) September 22, 2013

From the official twitter feed:

It’s official. GameDay is headed between the hedges for #LSUvsUGA! #GetUp4GameDay pic.twitter.com/FJKlVAtaYS
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 22, 2013

No idea where they'll set up, but apparently Meyers Quad was a great place for them last time.
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GameDay selection process

Earlier, I posted that I didn't think ESPN GameDay would come to Athens for LSU vs. Georgia. It inspired a few comments about GameDay and their selection process. @ClemMcDavid sent me to an article in Street and Smith's Sport Business Daily about GameDay, which was a nice rundown on it's sponsorship evolution process, but also had some nuggets I found interesting.

First, three of the four major sponosors are rooted in Atlanta. Conceptually, I knew this, but didn't think about it until I was reading the article. They they actually addressed it. Between Home Depot, AT&T, and Coke, they are only lacking Delta for the Atlanta slam. The reason, Atlanta is the center of the college football firmament.

It isn't an accident they are almost always at the SEC Championship game. They are almost always at the CFA kickoff game. Don't be surprised when they are in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl when it hosts the semi-finals. There is a chicken and egg relationship here. Atlanta is the largest American city that is a true college football town.

One other interesting thing is their selection process for GameDay locations:

From a list as long as five or six games each week, Fitting and the “GameDay” crew — Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard — talk about the merits of each potential road trip. While Fitting runs point on the meeting, Fowler, the primary host, and Herbstreit, the show’s most visible personality, typically have the most input.

Now, that won't quell those that think Herbie is biased against UGA, but that also makes sense. ESPN's brass is involved, too:

By the time Fitting left the “GameDay” set and flew home to his Connecticut home that Saturday night at 10, the emails were still flying back and forth with Mark Gross, ESPN’s senior vice president and executive producer, and John Wildhack, executive vice president, production. 

“John has the ultimate say,” Fitting said. “But rarely is there ever any pushback.”

That is where the ESPN connection comes in. Of course, they say their is no network bias, noting

ESPN does not discriminate over which broadcaster has the game at that site. On several occasions, “GameDay” has traveled to a game that’s being televised by CBS or Fox.
“There’s no real formula and there’s no concern over the network broadcasting the game,” Fitting said.

And no one, Fitting emphasizes, other than those who work on “GameDay,” have a voice in the decision. Even the highest-level sponsors don’t know where the show is going until a public announcement is made on Sundays.

Again, it could be a chicken and egg thing. CBS only broadcasts 15 games a year, including the SEC Championship game, with ABC carried 42 games on a national or split national basis last year. In 2012, four of their regular season games, including the SECCG, were GameDay sites. That math suggests randomness, too.

Still, with #3 Ohio State playing Wisconsin, I'd be shocked if they forgo the opportunity to be in Columbus, even for a top 10 match-up in Athens. For my money, we'll see them in Jacksonville this year.
TD

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ESPN College GameDay not coming to Athens

Let me go on the record: I don't believe in a GameDay curse or whatever (I'm working on a post about our record on GameDay). I also wholeheartedly agree with Logan Booker at Bulldawg Illustrated about the benefits to having GameDay in Athens. Georgia was going to lose to Alabama in 2008, regardless of the jerseys worn, what network it was on, who ran out the tunnel first, or what time the kickoff was.

On top of that, it can only help our program recruit if these kids see GameDay in Athens, because that is what they all hope to see: themselves being featured in promos leading up to GameDay.

As for September 28th, GameDay is not coming to Athens. Wisconsin vs. Ohio State is already scheduled for  8pm on ABC. Unless Wisconsin loses this week to Purdue and they hold off announcing the location until after that game (they have been announcing the next week's match-up during the broadcast), they'll be in Columbus.
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College Game Day is headed to North Dakota State

That’s right folks we are heading to Fargo, ND next week! pic.twitter.com/01vA5w3ZXq
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 14, 2013

With next week being the least compelling match up weekend of the year, going to [goes to North Dakota State's Wikipedia page] Fargo isn't that much of a stretch. The Bison plays Delaware State next week. That also means my prediction about them being at Navy later in the season isn't likely to happen, since they aren't likely to go to two non-big name schools in one season.

TD

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ESPN College GameDay will be in Clemson Week 1

As predicted.

We are heading to Death Valley to see Clemson take on Georgia! pic.twitter.com/5gT3snVQPw
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 6, 2013

I noted in my prediction post that they won't come to Athens for UGA vs. South Carolina if they are in Clemson. I stand by that and think they'll go to Michigan in Week 2.

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ESPN College GameDay Predictions, Weeks 11-15

You can see weeks 1-5 and 6-10 in prior posts.

The only way Washington State gets on GameDay

Week 11 (November 9)
Prediction: LSU at Alabama (7pm, CBS not confirmed)
The SEC West will be on the line for one of these teams. Both will be one loss or better. Likely night game in the bayou T-Town. It is possible BYU at Wisconsin trumps if ESPN picks up the game and both teams are undefeated.
Other Candidates: BYU at Wisconsin (TBA); UCLA at Arizona (TBA); Kansas State at Texas Tech (TBA); Nebraska at Michigan (TBA);

Week 12 (November 16)
Prediciton: Houston at Louisville (TBA)
I think The American Conference title is on the line here. GameDay has never been to Louisville, but did go to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl last year. It wouldn't surprise me if the Cards are top 5. Florida at South Carolina would be an option, but I'm not sure they'd do three SEC games in a row.
Other Candidates: Florida at South Carolina (TBA); Stanford at USC (TBA); TCU at Kansas State (TBA); Ohio State at Illinois (TBA);

Week 13 (November 23)
Prediction: Cal at Stanford (TBA)
Bit of a flyer pick. The sexy picks would be BYU at Notre Dame or Nebraska at Penn State, but I just have a feeling they'll be in Palo Alto. The other games this week are all fairly compelling, but unless you have #1vs#2 in one of the other games, I think Cal at Stanford is the destination.
Other Candidates: Oklahoma at Kansas State (TBA); Texas A&M at LSU (TBA); Oregon at Arizona (TBA); Nebraska at Penn State (TBA); Kentucky at Georgia (TBA); BYU at Notre Dame (2:30pm, NBC);

Week 14 (November 30)
Prediction:Ohio State at Michigan (TBA)
As good as some of the other games might be (including three possible SEC vs. ACC championship game participants and the de facto Big 12 championship game), I don't see any way they aren't in Ann Arbor for what is likely to be a match-up between two teams with Rose Bowl aspirations (and will likely be the ABC prime time game).

Always chasing the cat

Other Candidates: UCLA at USC (TBA); Clemson at South Carolina (TBA); Florida State at Florida (TBA); Georgia at Georgia Tech (TBA); Notre Dame at Stanford (FS1 or Fox); Alabama at Auburn (TBA); Baylor at TCU (TBA); Penn State at Wisconsin (TBA)

Week 15 (December 7)
Prediction: SEC Championship Game.
Since GameDay added the 15th week in 2007, they've been to Atlanta four times. Unless one of the games below is a play in game or if the SEC features a couple of teams with no hope of going to the BCS National Championship, they'll be in Atlanta.
Other Candidates: Louisville at Cincy (6:30pm, ESPN); ACC Championship (6:45/7pm, ESPN/ABC) Pac 12 Championship (6:45/7pm, ESPN/ABC); Oklahoma at Oklahoma State (TBA)

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ESPN College GameDay Predictions, Weeks 6-10

You can find my Week 1-5 predictions and disclaimers in the first post in this series. Also, this time of the year requires some generalizations about how teams will be doing at this point in the season. I'm not going to do something crazy like put the Wake at Syracuse game on here, but if both are one loss teams, expect them to be in Syracuse if it is an otherwise uninteresting week. Same could be said for any match up in a location they've never been that will make folks go all WTF. Call it the Vandy rule.

Another opportunity for Corso to put on a Gator head.

Week 6 (October 5)
Prediction:Kansas State at Oklahoma State (TBA)
If KState beats Texas on Sept 21st and Oklahoma State beats West Virginia Sept 28th, both will be in the top 25. This is one of those that it is highly dependent on network and conference time slot. I could see any combination of the games below being between undefeated or one loss to a highly ranked undefeated team (see TCU). If for some reason, all of the AQ games are snoozers, GameDay will do their annual flyer site and go to Annapolis for Air Force at Navy. For now, I think they'll be in Stillwater.
Other Candidates: TCU at Oklahoma (TBA); Washington at Stanford (TBA); Georgia Tech at Miami (TBA); North Carolina at Virginia Tech (TBA); Ohio State at Northwestern (8pm, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2); Air Force at Navy (TBA)

Week 7 (October 12)
Prediction: Michigan at Penn State (4pm, ESPN/ESPN2)
If Texas doesn't suck, I'd look for them to be in Dallas. I think Texas will suck.
Other Candidates: Baylor at Kansas State (TBA); Florida at LSU (TBA); Oklahoma vs. Texas (TBA)

Week 8 (October 19)
Prediction: Nevada at Boise State (8pm, CBSSN)
The sexy pick is USC at Notre Dame, but I'm bearish on USC. I'd also pick FSU at Clemson but this is pretty much the last point in the season for them to go to a non-power conference conference site. Note: If they do go to Annapolis in Week 5, look for another location.
Other Candidates: USC at Notre Dame (6:30pm, NBC); Florida State at Clemson (TBA); UCLA at Stanford (TBA)

Week 9 (October 26)
Prediction:Penn State at Ohio State (7pm, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)
If UCLA is undefeated at this point and Oregon has a Rose Bowl pulse, they could sneak in there. I have them slotted in Columbus in September, but we are getting to the point in the season where records and match-ups are more a consideration than repeats.
Other Candidates: UCLA at Oregon (TBA); Louisville at South Florida (TBA); Texas Tech at Oklahoma (TBA)

Week 10 (November 2)
Prediction: Georgia vs. Florida (3:30pm, CBS)
Iffy schedule week and the SEC East on the line means GameDay in Jacksonville for the first time since 2005. Maimi at Florida State is the closest thing to a back up here.
Other Candidates: Miami at Florida State (TBA); Michigan at Michigan State (TBA); West Virginia at TCU (TBA); Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (TBA)

Up next, weeks 11-15.
TD

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ESPN College GameDay Location Predictions, Weeks 1-5

Sometimes you write a post just to use an awesome picture.

Until ESPN confirms sites, all of this is speculation. I have listed the all known networks and times and all times listed below are Eastern. If I didn't list a time and/or network, it is because I couldn't find information on it. As usual, the go to for information on college football broadcast times and networks is LSUfootball.net.

I'll assume, unless it is just a really, really compelling match up (see Week 3), GameDay will be at a WWL broadcast game (ABC/ESPN) site.

Week 1 (August 31)
Prediction: Georgia at Clemson (8pm, ABC)
David Pollock as much as announced this in April. It is on the right network and will feature two teams that'll be top 10'ish. Look for Corso to wear a Tiger head.
Other Candidates: LSU vs. TCU at Jerry World (8pm, ESPN); Alabama vs. Va Tech at the Georgia Dome (4:30pm, ESPN)

Week 2 (September 7)
Prediction: Notre Dame at Michigan (7pm, ESPN)

They'll both be there Sept 7

It is the Big House, stupid. Honestly, there are only two games this week that come close to being big enough to host it and one of the teams will be involved in GameDay the week before. The only other game that would be close is Florida vs. Miami, which is a noon kickoff on ESPN
Other Candidates: South Carolina at Georgia (TBA) (only if they aren't in Clemson for the opening weekend)

Week 3 (September 14)
Prediction: Alabama at Texas A&M (3:30pm, CBS)
Current Heisman winner versus the reigning National Champion in College Station. 'Bama looking avenge their only loss of 2012. Pawwwwlllllll. Unless the '85 Bears play the '72 Dolphins on a sinking carrier leaking nuclear material while surrounded by sharknados, GameDay will go to College Station.
Other Candidates: No other reasonable candidates.

Week 4 (September 21)
Prediction: Utah at BYU (TBA)
A very weak week for college football. I almost took a flyer and predicted Columbia vs. Fordham, since NYC and all, or one of the HBCU matchups like Alabama A&M vs. Prairie View. However, The Holy War, as this game is known as in the Inter-mountain West, is a compelling match up of two teams, neither of whom will suck. I don't think you can say the same for the two SEC games listed below.
Other Candidates: Tennessee at Florida (TBA); Auburn at LSU (TBA)

Week 5 (September 28)
Prediction: Wisconsin at Ohio State (7pm, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2)
This week is a bit of a toss up. There aren't any rivalry games. The match-ups are very record dependent at this point in the season. I almost went with the Oklahoma State at West Virginia game here, and if the Mountaineers go on the road and beat Oklahoma, that'll happen. Otherwise, look for cheep beer and sweatshirts to rule the landscape in Columbus.
Other Candidates: Oklahoma at Notre Dame (NBC); LSU at Georgia (TBA); Oklahoma State at West Virginia (TBA); Stanford at Washington State (TBA)

I'll do weeks 6-10 and 11-15 later.
TD

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Why Lee Corso Should Be on all ESPN Shows

Yeah, he dropped an F-bomb on live TV.  We've all been there.



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ESPN College Gameday Site Projections

I think "guesses" is a better word, but here goes.

Week 1: Oregon vs. LSU
Preseason #3 vs. #4 in a neutral site contest at Jerry World. Biggest no brainer ever. Update: Confirmed.

Week 2: Notre Dame at Michigan
Rumors suggest that Ann Arbor is the target (Now confirmed) . is honoring Desmond Howard and the game is already marked on the ESPN tentative calendar. Personally, I'd send the crew to Happy Valley as PSU (#25) hosts #2 Bama. Both are ABC/ESPN games. Updated: Confirmed.

Week 3: Oklahoma at Florida State
Preseason #1 vs. #5. This is a no brainer. Update: Confirmed.

Week 4: Missouri at Oklahoma
This is wide open. Alabama hosts Arkansas, but that game is a near lock for CBS. I'm going to go with preseason #1 Oklahoma hosting #21 Missouri. Downside to this guess would be the back to back appearances by OU. Also, the lack of an SEC home game to this point makes a trip to Tuscaloosa a strong possibility as well.

Week 5: Nebraska at Wisconsin
Nebraska's first Big 10 game looks like the leading candidate. Bama at Florida would be a solid guess except it looks slated for a CBS primetime slot. I don't see Disney promoting counter programing.

Week 6: Miami at Va Tech (?)
If Cheaty McSweatervest and Pryor were still at Ohio State, I would've said Ohio State's first visit to Nebraska would be the choice here. But this could be UF at LSU, Auburn at Arkansas, Texas vs. Oklahoma, or Miami at Va. Tech. I like the Hokie's here, but it's just a shot in the dark.

Week 7: Oklahoma State at Texas
I could also see Michigan at Michigan State due to weak scheduling both Sparty and UM could both be staring at 1 loss or less entering into this game. Arizona State at Oregon could factor into the mix, but it seems less likely. I'm also doubtful that Auburn at Florida will have much sizzle by Week 7 as both teams could have 2 losses by then.

Week 8: Wisconsin at Michigan State
The slate is really weak for this one. USC at Notre Dame will air on NBC so it's likely out and Oklahoma State vs. Missouri has zero national appeal. Auburn at LSU is another candidate.

Week 9: Stanford at USC
Another less than stellar group to choose from. Texas A&M hosting Missouri will be an intriguing destination for them as well. If UGA makes it through the first two games undefeated, another Cocktail Party visit isn't out of the question.

Week 10: LSU at Alabama
This should be the biggest game of the week. If either team falters, then Arkansas at South Carolina could also be a big deal nationally.

Week 11: TCU at Boise
The best game of the day will could end up being Stanford at Oregon, but I think ESPN is going to want to promote this one instead. Especially if BSU takes down UGA in Week 1. Other big games for the weekend include Miami at Florida State and Nebraska at Penn State.

Week 12: USC at Oregon
Mainly because I think Oregon is getting screwed out of hosting ESPN the week before. Oh..and this week sucks.

Week 13: Alabama at Auburn
Past two national champs going at it in the Sanctions Bowl. Realistically, ESPN could end up at any rivalry game this weekend. FSU at UF, ND at Stanford,


When I look at that slate in all at once, it looks lite on SEC home games. That probably helps Alabama hosting Arkansas in Week 4.

What are your thoughts?

PWD

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Why does Chris Fowler hate America?

Jason Whitlock of FoxSports rips ESPN to shreds in this column (ht - Scott Kennedy). It's an interesting read regardless of whether or not you agree with him.

I personally don't hate ESPN. I do recognize that ESPN College Gameday and SportsCenter are simply cross promotional vehicles for Disney/ABC/ESPN, and that they threw non-partisan coverage out the window years ago. I also recognize that their power is too great.

But I am hopefully that ESPN's self-interests are now aligned with my own. Consider:

• ESPN will invest $2.25 billion over the next 15 years in the Southeastern Conference. It just so happens that I love the SEC.
  
  
• ESPN also invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the BCS which will prevent us from having any sort of a playoff discussion until after 2014. It just so happens that I'm anti-playoff.
  
  
• ESPN now owns six crappy small bowls. It just so happens that I like televised crappy small bowls.
  
  
• ESPN employs a myriad of sideline reporters not named Holly who have nice ta-tas It just so happens that I like nice ta-tas

So pardon me if I don't join the ESPN Hate Wagon. Should I hate them simply because Herbie loves Ohio State more than UGA and pushed UGA out of the national title discussion last year in favor of Ohio State? No. That just means I hate Herbie.

Even if I do agree with much of what Whitlock says, I've waited 10-15 years for the World Wide Leader's interests to finally align with my own. Why hate now?

Separately, am I the only one that thinks Jessie Palmer, in spite of being a douche Gator QB and reality TV tool box, is actually exceptionally good at both in-game color commentary and in studio work? Does that make me less of a Dawg?

PWD

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ESPN College Gameday Coming to Vandy

As HobnailBoot said in the comments earlier, the end is near. The world now cares about SEC East leader . . . Vanderbilt. ESPN College Gameday from Nashville.

PWD

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ESPN Gameday's Last Visit

The last time (above) ESPN College Gameday came to Athens was the 1998 Tennessee game. UGA fans were riding high coming off a road win over Top 10 LSU in Baton Rouge. We had a freshman QB who had just set the bayou on fire under the lights, and Champ Bailey was totally unstoppable on both sides of the ball.

Tennessee was playing the game without Peyton Manning, who was the Bulldog Anti-Christ for 4 years, and Jamal Lewis was out of the game with an injury suffered at Auburn the week before.
Gameday opened with WCW Champion Bill Goldberg looking into the camera and saying something like, "Tennessee...You're Next."

Things looked great...well...until the game started and Tennessee physically beat the ever living hell out of Georgia. The 22-3 score doesn't remotely begin to reveal the physical difference between the two teams. Today's underclassmen students were 8-9 years old on that painful day.

We've come a long way baby.

We enter the game tomorrow with superior or equal talent at every position except one (Left Tackle). Just as importantly, we have a world class coach who has instilled a work ethic that breeds success. Big wins aren't shocking anymore to Georgia fans.

On the other side of the field is Bama. This is NOT the Alabama program of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Not yet anyway. This is an Alabama team that lost to Louisiana-Monroe last year. This group of players has yet to face an elite SEC opponent in a game with this much build-up and come out the other side a winner. Dealing with that spotlight isn't easy.

All the intangibles favor Georgia.
Most of the personnel match-ups favors Georgia.
And it's a home game.

If Georgia protects the ball like it has all season and covers kicks at least as well as they did versus Arizona State, we're going to win this thing by 7 points or more.

In 2008, Georgia doesn't hope to win. Georgia expects to win. It's going to be a war, and Bama isn't going to roll over for us. But, I can't wait for Saturday.

PWD

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Get your fried chicken on

From Chick-Fil-A's PR folks (edited):

Chick-fil-A is the newest sponsor of ESPN’s College GameDay telecast and to celebrate its involvement, the chain is sending team members to Athens prior to the match-up versus the Alabama Crimson Tide to provide samples of some Chick-fil-A menu items. The product sampling will occur near the GameDay set this Saturday beginning at approximately 7:45 a.m. (til 8:45), while supplies last. In addition, the Chick-fil-A "Eat Mor Chikin" Cows will be on-hand to welcome fans to the game.

All that means...if you're there early for the Gameday show...Chick-Fil-A will do their best to feed you.

PWD


(PS - Chick-Fil-A isn't a sponsor of this site. Although, I'd be glad to have that change.)

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