Photos from past GameDay trips to Ohio State (via ESPN Images)
- College football’s premier pregame show spotlights an AP Top 5 matchup for the fifth time this season
- Week 13 Special Guests: Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti join the show live, with Florida’s HC Billy Napier joining ahead of the Ole Miss-Florida matchup
- Fans arriving early will have the chance to win prizes, including two Xbox consoles, exclusive t-shirts, along with free breakfast and the chance to enter to be picked for McAfee’s Kicking Contest for the opportunity to win $150,000 of his money
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Columbus, Ohio, ahead of the Big Ten conference clash between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana. College football’s premier pregame show is on-site at its fifth AP Top 5 matchup this season and will originate from outside St. John Arena on the Ohio State campus on Saturday, Nov. 23 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, former Ohio State quarterback and captain Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, 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 2.1 million viewers. Last weekend at Georgia, the show averaged two million viewers with 2.6 million final-hour viewers and peak viewership scoring 2.9 million viewers.
On Site in Ohio
The first 200 fans will receive free breakfast tacos to start the morning and will have the chance to win prizes including two Xbox consoles, exclusive GameDay t-shirts and a chance to win a photo at the iconic desk with the show’s analysts.
Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Returning for its second season, GameDay will 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 $150,000 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.
Show Highlights & Guests
- Coaches & Players on GameDay – Ohio State head coach Ryan Day joins the show live from set in Columbus while Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti will be live from the field ahead of the Big Ten showdown. Florida head coach Billy Napier will join for a live interview from The Swamp ahead of the Gators’ matchup with Ole Miss. Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham gives GameDay inside access to his Friday night team speech ahead of the ranked bout against Big 12 foe BYU.
- Coach’s Film Room – Saban breaks down No. 19 Army’s offense and the Black Knights QB Bryson Daily ahead of their matchup against No. 6 Norte Dame at Yankee Stadium.
- NHL Crossover – Jess Sims will share a sneak peek at the layout for the NHL’s Stadium Series matchup of the Red Wings and Blue Jackets, set for Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Ohio Stadium which will air at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.
This week’s celebrity guest picker will be announced on Friday morning on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.
Corso’s Count
- Coach Corso will be making his 424th mascot headgear selection during his return to Ohio State, with an 8-2 record this season.
- The show will be making its 24th visit to Columbus this week– the most of any school. Corso has picked the Buckeyes 19 times in their previous times hosting and a record 43 times in OSU’s 62 appearances on the show.
- Indiana has been picked once previously by Corso which came during this season’s stop to IU for Week 9.
Features:
- Uncle Joe – Meet the man his brother calls the best towel folder in the country, Joe Saturnio. Since moving from Hawaii to West Point to live with his brother, Army Special Teams Coordinator Sean Saturnio, Joe, who has Down Syndrome, has impacted the Army Football program with his love and compassion. Meticulously folding those towels, Joe says is his way to serve his country. Marty Smith reports.
- Buck-IQ – Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs comes from a football family and is blessed with incredible natural ability. However, he has taken his game to the next level by honing his football IQ in both conventional and unconventional means. Jen Lada 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 Ohio State with hosts Christine Williamson and Harry Douglas for the Week 13 stop. The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. weekly.
-30-
Media Contact:
Julie McKay, ESPN Communications – Julie.McKay@espn.com, @McKay_Julie
-
-
-
-
-
