It’s just not a Saturday morning during college football season without the triumphant tailgate that is ESPN’s College GameDay on your screen.
Every year since 1993, the network’s flagship college show has gone from city to city and stadium to stadium, covering the best games, stories and fans the sport has to offer.
The 2023 season should be no different.
So where might College GameDay head this fall? A glance at the college football schedule gives us some strong possibilities and we’ve come up with odds on how likely these matchups are to receive the GameDay treatment.
You’ll want to circle your calendar for these matchups regardless.
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Week 1
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
College GameDay will head to Charlotte and Bank of America Stadium for a rivalry game between North Carolina and South Carolina to get the season started.
That much has already been announced by ESPN. The big question is where the famed show goes next.
Week 2
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
The Favorite: Alabama vs. Texas (+350)
The game is airing on ESPN, which helps a great deal, but it’s also a matchup featuring a Texas team picked to finish first in the Big 12 and an Alabama team which *checks notes* yep, it’s still the same old dominant Alabama. Consider this an absolute lock if Arch Manning wins the starting job.
Other Contenders:
- Miami (FL) vs. Texas A&M (+1200)
- Colorado vs. Nebraska (+5000)
Week 3
Charles LeClaire
The Favorite: West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh (+500)
College GameDay kicked off the 2022 season with the Backyard Brawl and was rewarded with a thrilling 38-31 victory by Pittsburgh. The game is in Morgantown this year and will be broadcast on ABC. Sounds perfect for a return trip by Corso & Co.
Other Contenders:
- Florida vs. Tennessee (+800)
- Georgia vs. South Carolina (+3000)
- Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers (+10000)
Week 4
(AP Photo/Phil Sears)
The Favorite: Clemson vs. Florida State (+250)
This is a layup for the GameDay producers. The likely top two teams in the ACC meeting for an early-season showdown in matchup that should catapult the winner squarely into the College Football Playoff debate.
Other Contenders:
- Notre Dame vs. Ohio State (+1500)
- Alabama vs. Ole Miss (+2000)
Week 5
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Favorite: Colorado vs. USC (+800)
On the surface this seems like another layup. Deion Sanders in his first season at Colorado, a scenic campus that was a staple of the GameDay rotation but hasn’t hosted since 1996, and a USC team expected to contend for a national championship — why not lock it in? Well, for starters, Colorado may not be over .500 by Week 5 with early season matchups against TCU, Oregon and Nebraska.
This is also the point in the season where surprise teams begin to emerge and games that looked one-sided when the schedule came out suddenly are worth circling. In Week 5 that could mean Ole Miss vs. LSU — unless Ole Miss gets blown out against Alabama in Week 4. If the Rebels beat the Crimson Tide, GameDay in Oxford is probably a done deal. If Syracuse is undefeated with wins against Western Michigan, Purdue and Army, it may entice GameDay to come to campus for the first time ever with Clemson in town. And it wouldn’t be the first time the show has featured one opponent in back-to-back weeks.
Other Contenders:
- Ole Miss vs. LSU (+1200)
- Syracuse vs. Clemson (+1500)
- Texas vs. Kansas (+2500)
Week 6
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY
The Favorite: Oklahoma vs Texas (+120)
The final Red River Rivalry game featuring Texas and Oklahoma as members of the Big 12 occurs during a rather meh week of matchups overall. Of course, that’s easy to say before the season. College football has a way of turning boring weeks into extraordinary ones.
Other Contenders:
- Minnesota vs. Michigan (+1000)
Week 7
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Favorite: Notre Dame vs. USC (+200)
If Colorado vs. USC doesn’t draw GameDay, Trojans fans can feel confident this classic rivalry game will. Even if NBC has the broadcast rights.
Other Contenders:
- Tennessee vs. Texas A&M (+400)
Week 8
The Favorite: Ohio State vs. Penn State (+200)
Two of the likely top three teams in the Big Ten East meeting in Columbus makes this an easy pick for GameDay. However, Illinois has never hosted the show before and welcomes Wisconsin to campus this week. If the Illini have an exceptionally strong start to the season, we could finally see Corso in Champaign.
Other Contenders:
- Kansas State vs. TCU (+400)
- Alabama vs. Tennessee (+500)
- Illinois vs. Wisconsin (+9000)
Week 9
MARK HOFFMAN/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
The Favorite: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State +200
Camp Randall Stadium in Madison is another classic GameDay stop, but it hasn’t hosted the show since 2017. A home game against Ohio State this year feels like Wisconsin’s best chance to end that drought.
Other Contenders:
- Florida vs. Georgia (+400)
Week 10
Brett Rojo-USA TODAY
The Favorite: Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma +200
The final edition of Bedlam with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as members of the Big 12 is a worthy choice here — especially with the game in Stillwater. Cowboys fans won’t take too kindly to their in-state rival running off to the SEC. The only way this isn’t the pick is if Oklahoma State is stuck in the Big 12’s basement by Week 10. If that’s the case, the other contenders here have a strong argument.
Other Contenders:
- USC vs. Washington (+250)
- Alabama vs. LSU (+500)
- Clemson vs. Notre Dame (+900)
Week 11
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Favorite: Washington vs. Utah (+300)
If Washington stuns USC in Week 10 (not impossible!), it’ll be difficult for GameDay to go elsewhere, but there are plenty of great options this week.
Other Contenders:
- LSU vs. Florida (+400)
- TCU vs. Texas (+500)
- Ohio State vs. Michigan State (+700)
Week 12
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY
The Favorite: Tennessee vs. Georgia (+100)
One of the most crucial games of the season in the SEC pits the back-to-back reigning national champions against the team picked to finish right behind them in the SEC East. Lock this one in.
Other Contenders:
- Clemson vs. North Carolina (+500)
- TCU vs. Baylor (+800)
- Kansas vs. Kansas State (+2500)
Week 13
(Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
The Favorite: Michigan vs. Ohio State (+100)
The Game is tied for the third-most frequent GameDay matchup with eight appearances including last season. There’s no reason to assume ESPN won’t pick it again this year, but rivalry week offers a few fun alternatives (depending on how the standings look).
Other Contenders:
- Auburn vs. Alabama (+500)
- Florida vs. Florida State (+800)
- LSU vs. Texas A&M (+800)
- Washington vs. Washington State (+1000)
