ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot heads to Lubbock for the Big 12 game of the year as No. 8 Texas Tech hosts No. 7 BYU

Colin Bradley

November 6, 2025

College football’s premier pregame show to preview first CFP Top 10 matchup between Big 12 opponents since 2021
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire joins the set live
Fan-favorite Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest makes Lubbock debut

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Lubbock, Texas ahead of the Big 12 game of the year, as No. 8 Texas Tech hosts the undefeated seventh-ranked BYU Cougars. The premier college football pregame show will originate from outside Jones AT&T Stadium on the west side green space beginning at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN, ESPNU and Disney+. The show moves inside the stadium for the final hour beginning at 11 a.m.

College GameDay heads to Lubbock for the second time in the show’s history. The previous visit was in 2008, when the No. 6 Red Raiders beat No. 1 Texas 39-33 behind Michael Crabtree’s last-second touchdown. The Cougars will make their fourth appearance on College GameDay and are in search of their first win when the program has originated from a BYU game.

Host Rece Davis is at the helm for his 11^th season, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts 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 for the 2025 college football season.

Show Highlights & Guests

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire joins College GameDay live on set ahead of the Red Raiders’ Top 10 showdown with the undefeated Cougars (noon, ABC).
Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Back for its third season, the fan-favorite Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest will offer an exclusive competition during the live show. 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. McAfee has given out more than $4 million of his own money in prizes and charity donations across his time on the show. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.
Coach’s Film Room – Nick Saban, the seven-time National Champion and legendary college football head coach, goes inside the film room to break down critically important late-game strategy decisions that head coaches face each week, as the season enters the home stretch where one mishandled situation could make the difference between a team making or missing the College Football Playoff.
Navy-Notre Dame All-Access – College GameDay takes viewers inside this week’s preparations of both Navy and No. 10 Notre Dame before they meet on Saturday. Navy head coach Brian Newberry and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman are both wired for sound.

The show and offerings are free for fans and early arrival is suggested for these exclusive offers. For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE. The Week 11 celebrity guest picker will be announced Friday.

Features:

Cougars, Tiger & Bear… oh my! – At the beginning of the season, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was turning heads for his given name and his #47 jersey number. But eight games and zero losses later, Bachmeier has taken college football by storm for a different set of reasons. The five-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week transferred into BYU from Stanford alongside his brother, Tiger. Now both are playing key roles in what the Cougars hope is a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth. Jen Lada reports.
To protect and serve – Larry Pickett Jr. is a safety for the Army football team and a sophomore at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Following the Black Knights’ season opener this fall, Pickett and his family came across the scene of a single vehicle accident shrouded in downed power lines. The driver was unconscious. What happened next was a decision made by cadets and veterans alike since the beginning of their sacrifice for our country – to protect and serve. Marty Smith reports.
Wreck ‘em Tech! – There are college towns and then there is Lubbock. This is where Zach Thomas leveled ball carriers. Where Patrick Mahomes and Wes Welker honed the skills that earned a drawer full of Super Bowl invitations. Where Spike Dykes challenged the Lone Star football superpowers and Mike Leach challenged…well, everything. So, let those tortillas fly. And Wreck ‘Em. It’s football time in West Texas. Ryan McGee reports.
A couple of defenders – Jacob and Emma Rodriguez are a couple of elite defenders, in two completely different fields. Jacob is a senior linebacker for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and their relentless defense, while his wife Emma is a Blackhawk helicopter pilot for the US Army. Jess Sims reports.

ESPN’s Expansive Digital Coverage
Back for their fourth season together, Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. co-host ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper. Countdown kicks off college football Saturdays with fun, fresh insights into the full weekend slate of games. The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. weekly.

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