ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot Heads to Notre Dame for Week 4 Trip

• College football’s premier pregame show travels to South Bend – the site of GameDay’s first road show 30 years ago and 11th visit all-time to Notre Dame
• Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will join GameDay along with Irish Heisman winner Tim Brown
• Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze joins live from the field ahead of the Tigers’ road game at Texas A&M

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot travels to South Bend, Ind., ahead of the top-10 match up between No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 23. The three-hour pregame show will be live from Library Lawn on campus from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN and ESPNU.

Host Rece Davis will be joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit – the former Buckeye quarterback and team captain, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee with college football insider Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin.

GameDay makes its return to Notre Dame – the site of the first road show 30 years ago, for its 11th trip to South Bend. This weekend’s show marks the third time that GameDay is originating from a Notre Dame-Ohio State showdown. The Buckeyes won the previous two games, including Week 1 last September in Columbus.

For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.

 Corso’s Count

• Legendary GameDay analyst Lee Corso has picked Notre Dame 12 times throughout his 400 headgear picks, going 8-4 in those games.
• The last time he picked the Fighting Irish in South Bend in front of a crowd was in 2018 when Notre Dame beat Michigan.
• Corso has picked Ohio State’s mascot head gear 39 times, the most of any team. His very first pick back in 1996, Ohio State has gone 26-13 in those games winning five of the last six regular season games.

Show Highlights & Guests

• Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will join the GameDay crew live during Saturday’s show along with NFL Hall of Famer and former Notre Dame Heisman winner Tim Brown.
• Guest Picker – Celebrated actor and avid supporter of the Fighting Irish, Vince Vaughn will join the show as this week’s guest picker. Vaughn is no stranger to GameDay, joining the show in 2020 during a remote broadcast and in 2012 ahead of the Notre Dame – Stanford match up.
• Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze will join live from Kyle Field ahead of the Tigers’ road game against Texas A&M (noon, ESPN).
• Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – This week, GameDay will offer an exclusive contest during the live show, Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest. One fan will be chosen from the ‘pit’ onsite with the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal. If the contestant successfully completes the kick, he/she will be awarded $25,000 from McAfee. Full details including official rules can be found here.

Additional guests will be announced ahead of Saturday’s show on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.

Features:

• Zero Excuses – Notre Dame senior safety Xavier Watts regularly gets messages from his father Jeff reminding him to focus on his future and stay out of trouble. But his father’s presence alone is a constant reminder of choices and consequences that can alter lives forever. Jen Lada
• Cast No Doubt – Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis has endured a journey full of peaks and valleys to become one of the most feared quarterbacks in the nation. Throughout the strife, one thing has always given him a sense of calm and purpose… fishing. Marty Smith
• Now We CU – With a cultural impact best described as “rare,” Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have become the biggest story in sports. Now, as Coach Prime and the Buffs prepare for the most difficult stretch of their season with a pair of back-to-back top-10 conference foes waiting to knock them off, just what does success look like for a team that has already surpassed expectations? At least, all expectations other than their own. Andscape’s Justin Tinsley
• Green Juice – The energy will be high in South Bend with Notre Dame donning their green jerseys when they take on Ohio State on Saturday night. But this isn’t your typical 2023 alternate uniform. As with all things Irish, there’s a long history lesson behind the green garb. Ryan McGee

ESPN’s Expanded Digital Coverage
ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper, will be live from South Bend for Week 4. Hosts Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr., will talk the big matchups of the week and the Harrys will continue this season’s ‘One-Minute Drill,’ challenge with a Notre Dame – Ohio State faceoff.

The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, X/Twitter, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:30 a.m. ET weekly.

Live From Notre Dame
ESPN’s SportsCenter (Friday and Saturday editions) and The Pat McAfee Show will join GameDay in South Bend this week live from Library Lawn and will be open to fans. McAfee’s show airs on Friday from noon – 2 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN on YouTube from noon to 3 p.m.

-30-