- College football’s premier pregame show heads to Bloomington, Ind., for its first Saturday show at IU with a homecoming show for Corso and a home game for McAfee
- Week 9 Special Guests: Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti joins on set while Navy QB Blake Horvath joins remotely, Week 9 guest picker former IU baseball player Kyle Schwarber
- Fans arriving early will have the chance to enter to be picked for Pat McAfee’s kicking contest for the opportunity to win $100,000 of Pat’s money
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot heads to Bloomington, Ind., for a homecoming show for Lee Corso ahead of the undefeated Hoosiers’ Big Ten matchup with Washington. The premier college football pregame show will originate from the South Lawn of Memorial Stadium on campus from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN & ESPNU.
Host Rece Davis, at the helm for his 10th season, is joined at the desk by GameDay analysts including Lee Corso – IU’s head coach from 1973-82, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Indianapolis resident and former Colts All-Pro punter Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. College football insider Pete Thamel, college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the GameDay cast.
College GameDay remains on pace for its best season ever averaging 2.2 million viewers and up 10% from the 2023 season. Last weekend at Texas marked the show’s best Week 8 episode ever, averaging 2.3 million viewers and 3.1 million viewers in the final hour with a peak of 3.8 million viewers.
Show Highlights & Guests
- Coaches & Players on GameDay – Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti will be live from set ahead of the Hoosiers’ Big Ten matchup while Navy quarterback Blake Horvath will join from the field at MetLife Stadium during pregame warmups before the showdown with Notre Dame. Former Washington State cornerback and Center Grove, Indiana’s current Chief of Police Ray Jackson will wave the Ol’ Crimson flag in Bloomington on Saturday before his son, Tayven Jackson, gets his first start at QB for the Hoosiers.
- Coach’s Film Room – Saban breaks down the play of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and how he’s led the Ducks to the No. 1 ranking.
- Guest picker – Former Hoosier baseball player and member of the 2016 Chicago Cubs World Series championship team Kyle Schwarber joins College GameDay as the Week 9 guest picker. The current Philadelphia Phillies leftfielder and first-round 2014 MLB draft pick returns to his alma mater for the undefeated Hoosiers’ showdown with Washington.
- Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Returning for its second season, GameDaywill offer an exclusive contest during the live show, Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest. Fans who arrive early will have a chance to be chosen from the ‘pit’ onsite with the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal. If the contestant successfully completes the kick, they will be awarded $100,000 from McAfee. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.
The show and offerings are free for fans and early arrival is encouraged for these exclusive offers.
For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.
Additional guests will be announced ahead of Saturday’s show on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.
Corso’s Count
- Coach Corso will be making his 420th mascot headgear selection during his return to Indiana. The legendary coach spent 10 seasons at the helm from 1973-82. His best season with the Hoosiers was 1979 when he led IU to a 8-4 record and a win in the Holiday Bowl. In 2010, Corso was inducted in the IU Athletics Hall of Fame.
- Indiana will host GameDay for just the second time in program history. The first show was a special Thursday night edition when the Hoosiers opened the 2017 season against Ohio State.
- Washington makes its 10th appearance on the show, going 2-7 in their previous appearances. Corso has picked the Huskies four previous times with a 2-2 record in those games.
Features:
- Burden is Proof – Luther Burden III’s decision to stay close to home and attend the University of Missouri changed the course of the Tigers’ football program. Playing two hours away from his hometown of St. Louis also allowed the wide receiver the chance to be a role model to the community that raised him. College GameDay joined Burden at his free kids’ camp at East St. Louis High School, an example of how he’s giving back. Pete Thamel reports.
- Google Him – Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti says he’s often called cocky, abrasive and arrogant. But that self-belief is just what the 63-year-old head coach needed when he decided to leave his job as an Alabama assistant to take a head coaching gig at Division II IUP. How did that decision from 13 years ago work out for Cignetti? Google him. He wins. Jen Lada reports.
- Coach Corso Roundtable – Long before he joined College GameDay, Lee Corso was the head coach at Indiana for a decade, impacting countless players and coaches during his time leading the Hoosiers. As Corso returns to Bloomington, his former players and staff share stories, memories and messages with the man who means so much to so many. Rece Davis reports.
ESPN’s Expansive Digital Coverage
ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper, will be live from Indiana with hosts Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. for the Week 9 stop. The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. weekly.
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Media Contact:
Julie McKay, ESPN Communications – Julie.McKay@espn.com, @McKay_Julie
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