Photos via ESPN Images
College GameDay Built by Home Depot will make its seventh visit to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas – and first since 2018 – for the AT&T Red River Showdown this weekend, Saturday, Oct. 9 (9 a.m. – noon ET). The premier three-hour traveling pregame show will air on ESPN and ESPNU, highlighting key storylines and offering news, analysis and predictions ahead of the top-25 matchup between No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 21 Texas. GameDay will originate from Cotton Bowl Plaza before moving inside the stadium for the final hour of the show, capturing the pregame pageantry of this long-standing Big 12 rivalry ahead of the noon kickoff on ABC.
Rece Davis hosts the 12-time Emmy Award-winning show with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, research producer and sports betting analyst Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica, and reporters Jen Lada and Gene Wojciechowski.
College GameDay precedes a full slate of games across ESPN networks. Herbstreit will join Chris Fowler and Holly Rowe for the Sooners vs. Longhorns matchup at noon to kick off a Saturday ABC tripleheader, followed by Boise State at No. 10 BYU (3:30 p.m.) and ABC Saturday Night Football, which pits No. 9 Michigan against Nebraska (7:30 p.m.).
College GameDay – which averaged more than two million viewers on Oct. 2 – is coming off its most-viewed October show since expanding to three hours in 2013. Last week’s telecast from Athens, Ga., also delivered three million viewers in the final hour – the most-viewed final hour since November 2018.
College GameDay Highlights:
- The Path – Texas quarterback Casey Thompson was born into a family of Sooners. His dad was a star QB for OU in the late 80’s. But for Charles Thompson, as quickly as the stardom came, it was gone. Following an arrest for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, he spent 17 months in prison, which is where he was first interviewed by Chris Fowler. Thirty-one years later, Fowler reconnects with the elder Thompson and his son to discuss the lessons learned and the path that has led them both to this point – on the opposite side of the Red River. This story is produced in collaboration with Longhorn Network. Reporter: Chris Fowler.
- Tyler The Creators – One creates the holes and the other creates the moments. Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum and running back Tyler Goodson both know they need each other to get where they want to be, whether that’s the end zone or undefeated at the end of the Hawkeyes’ season.
- Day By Day – For most of his life Ohio State head coach Ryan Day tried to avoid the pain of his past, until a 2018 recruiting trip forced him to confront it. Now Day and his wife, Nina, are working to normalize conversations and treatment surrounding mental health. Reporter: Jen Lada.
- Spencer Rattler Conversation – The Oklahoma quarterback discusses getting booed at home, how he responds to criticism and the expectations he continues to have for himself and the Sooners. Reporter: Gene Wojciechowski.
- Penn State head coach James Franklin will also join the show live to preview the Nittany Lions’ top-5 matchup against Iowa.
Stats from ‘The Bear’/Corso Facts
- GameDayis making its seventh trip to Dallas for the Oklahoma-Texas game, but it’s just the second time in the last 10 years (last visit was 2018). Each team has won three times with GameDay in attendance.
- Lee Corso has picked the favorite in each of the previous six trips to the Red River Rivalry; however, the underdog has won four of the previous six games, meaning Corso is 2-4 with headgear picks in this game.
- Corso has won each of his five headgear picks at FBS games this season.
- Corso has picked Oklahoma 18 times and is 11-7 with those 18 picks. He has picked against Oklahoma 19 times and is 5-14 when choosing against the Sooners. The 19 times picking against OU represents the most Corso has picked against a team.
- Corso has picked Texas 11 times and is 7-4 when picking the Longhorns, though hasn’t picked Texas since the 2009 Championship Game when he incorrectly picked Texas to beat Alabama. Corso has picked against Texas six times and is 3-3 in those picks.
- This is just the fourth time since the 2009 Championship Game that Texas has been part of a GameDay
- This is the fourth neutral site game in seven GameDayshows this year, following Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago.
- This is GameDay’s 409th road show and headgear pick No. 372.
ESPN Social and Digital
Countdown to GameDay Live is College GameDay’s pregame show, before the pregame show. Each week, host Christine Williamson and reporter Harry Lyles Jr. will usher fans into the show and the Saturday college football lineup throughout the season at 8:30 a.m. Countdown to GameDay is available on Saturday across Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and the ESPN App. [More on Countdown to College GameDay via ESPN Front Row.]
Additionally, College GameDay: All Access on Snapchat debuted this season, with Williamson taking fans behind the scenes of the legendary pregame show College GameDay. From interviews with players and coaches to experiencing local traditions to the best GameDay signs, she will give fans everyone a look at why Saturdays are so special – even before the games start.
Fans call follow and engage in all the action each and every Saturday across College GameDay’s social platforms (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok).
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