Predicting Every ESPN College GameDay Stop for 2016 Season
Every Saturday morning in the fall, football fans wake up early to watch ESPN's College GameDay for in-depth previews of the upcoming action. For many, it's a ritual.
The television program travels all over the country throughout the season, and the 2016 campaign will feature several high-profile locations—and, as always, a few unexpected destinations.
We're giving it our best shot to project each stop for Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, the GameDay crew and Ol' Crimson throughout the pre-bowl portion of the year.
Note: "vs." denotes a neutral-site game with the "home" team listed second.
Week 1: LSU vs. Wisconsin
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Location: Lambeau Field; Green Bay, Wisconsin
This showdown is already confirmed.
LSU will travel north for the season opener. Instead of stopping in Madison, Wisconsin, for the matchup with the Badgers, though, the Tigers will continue to Lambeau Field, home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers.
However, when the programs agreed to this outing three years ago, nobody expected an important storyline connecting LSU and Wisconsin. But defensive coordinator Dave Aranda accepted the same position in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following the 2015 campaign.
The Tigers will attempt to open the season with a flashy nonconference road victory, while the Badgers try to avoid falling in the first game of an absolute gauntlet to begin the year.
Week 2: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
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Location: Bristol Motor Speedway; Bristol, Tennessee
Although this venue isn't official, we have two excellent indications of why the Battle at Bristol will host GameDay.
First, the half-mile racetrack holds 140,000 people. Without question, the Sept. 10 matchup between Virginia Tech and Tennessee would include the largest crowd in college football history.
Secondly, Bristol Motor Speedway vice president of customer service and guest experience Ben Trout said on WNML he expects it.
"We have a pretty good indication, pretty good feeling, that Kirk Herbstreit and his crew will be in town for College GameDay," Trout said. "We feel like that's going to happen. We're still waiting on some official confirmation on that."
Week 3: Ohio State at Oklahoma
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Location: Memorial Stadium; Norman, Oklahoma
Heading into the 2016 season, cautious optimism surrounds Ohio State. Despite losing 15 players who signed an NFL contract, quarterback J.T. Barrett leads a roster stacked with young talent.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma enters the campaign as the Big 12 favorite. Baker Mayfield guided the Sooners to the College Football Playoff during his first season as the starting gunslinger.
The nonconference bout will provide useful insight into the outlooks for both programs, and barring craziness in previous weeks, it would be shocking if GameDay isn't in Norman on Sept. 17.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Week 4: Georgia at Ole Miss
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Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium; Oxford, Mississippi
Depending on how Ole Miss fares against Florida State and Alabama, GameDay might not consider Oxford. But if the Rebels even split those games, Stanford at UCLA probably won't overtake this SEC tilt.
Hopefully, Georgia's attack will have a new face under center in 5-star early enrollee Jacob Eason. Regardless, the Bulldogs will attempt to record a victory before hosting SEC East rival Tennessee.
Leading the opposite offense will be Chad Kelly, who accounted for 41 total touchdowns last year. The Rebels are too needing a win, since they'll either be pursuing a 4-0 record and top ranking, looking to reach 3-1 with two quality victories or desperately trying to avoid a 1-3 start.
Week 5: Illinois State at North Dakota State
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Location: Fargodome; Fargo, North Dakota
Since the marquee games of Week 5 might include North Carolina at Florida State, Wisconsin at Michigan and Oklahoma at TCU, GameDay could head to Fargo, North Dakota.
In 2013 and 2014, the program featured the Bison—be sure to say "Bizon" correctly—of North Dakota State. Last year, the school claimed its fifth straight Football Championship Subdivision title.
NDSU has defeated five consecutive Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, so Iowa must be careful on Sept. 17. And if the Bison pull the upset, the potential of hosting GameDay during their homecoming against Illinois State soars.
Week 6: Florida State at Miami
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Location: New Miami Stadium; Miami Gardens, Florida
Mark Richt has brought renewed life to a disgruntled program. Behind potential first-round NFL draft pick in quarterback Brad Kaaya and a soft opening schedule, Miami should start 4-0.
But Oct. 8 brings the ultimate test: Florida State.
The Seminoles boast six straight victories in the series, though the Canes have inched closer in recent seasons. With that being said, FSU encountered a bit of a down season in 2015 yet still edged Miami, 29-24.
While Jimbo Fisher's club will likely be favored, Kaaya and Co. will have home-field advantage. Fire off the attendance jokes if you'd like, but the Hurricanes are 16-4 at home since 2013.
Week 7: Stanford at Notre Dame
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Location: Notre Dame Stadium; South Bend, Indiana
Since ABC/ESPN has already secured a prime-time slot for Ohio State's matchup at Wisconsin, there's an excellent chance GameDay will travel to Madison on Oct. 15.
But if Stanford survives its season-opening gauntlet, David Shaw's club will deserve serious attention against Notre Dame.
2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey will lead the Cardinal into games against Kansas State, USC, UCLA, Washington and Washington State before they head to South Bend.
The Irish figure to enter this contest 5-1 at worst. Whichever team takes this matchup will have a realistic path to the playoff.
Week 8: TCU at West Virginia
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Location: Milan Puskar Stadium; Morgantown, West Virginia
If a trip to NDSU doesn't happen on Oct. 1, Week 8 is the most likely time GameDay will choose an FCS venue. But we'll give a cautious nod to the Big 12 outing between TCU and West Virginia.
Not only are both programs nestled onto the conference's second tier, they have favorable, home-heavy opening schedules.
Throughout the first six weeks, TCU hosts South Dakota State, Arkansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma while only traveling to SMU and Kansas. West Virginia welcomes Missouri, Youngstown State, BYU and Kansas State before heading to Texas Tech.
Barring upsets, the Horned Frogs and Mountaineers should be one-loss teams with Top 20 rankings as Oct. 22 approaches.
Week 9: Clemson at Florida State
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Location: Doak Campbell Stadium; Tallahassee, Florida
Michigan and Michigan State will battle in East Lansing, but the showdown between Clemson and Florida State may determine the eventual Atlantic Division—and ACC—champion.
In other words, there's probably a College Football Playoff up for grabs in Tallahassee on Oct. 29.
Deshaun Watson headlines what should be the nation's most explosive and well-rounded scoring attack. Although the Tigers are facing a rebuild on defense, the offense should only improve in 2016.
Fortunately for the 'Noles, they're poised to stand out as one of the feistiest defenses. Plus, standout runner Dalvin Cook and all five starters on the offensive line return.
Don't miss this matchup. College GameDay won't.
Week 10: Alabama at LSU
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Location: Tiger Stadium; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
If the trend continues, expecting a pair of Top 10—or even Top Five—programs to square off in Baton Rouge on Nov. 5 is fair.
But can LSU finally shake Alabama—and the aftermath?
The Crimson Tide have notched five straight series victories. Since 2012, the Tigers have amassed a 28-5 overall record before encountering Bama. Including and after that game, they're just 9-9.
During four of the last five years, the winner of this rivalry eventually claimed both the SEC West and the SEC Championship Game. History likely will repeat itself in 2016.
Week 11: Stanford at Oregon
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Location: Autzen Stadium; Eugene, Oregon
In 2015, Oregon had a six-season streak of hosting College GameDay snapped. Time to start a new one.
Despite the hype for Washington and Washington State, the Pac-12 North Division figures to hinge on the outcome of the Nov. 12 clash between Stanford and Oregon.
After all, since the creation of the Pac-12 Championship Game in 2011, only the Ducks and Cardinal have represented the North.
College Football Playoff survival will be on the line.
Week 12: USC at UCLA
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Location: Rose Bowl; Pasadena, California
After taking 10 weeks before booking a West Coast venue, GameDay passes up Ohio State at Michigan State to watch a storied rivalry.
Like the previous three destinations, the featured game includes a couple of teams vying for a place in the conference championship. USC and UCLA are considered the top South Division contenders.
Now, unless either program assembles a surprise season, the playoff will merely be a dream at this point. Still, a spot in the Pac-12 title game is a meaningful prize, and this is USC's final conference tilt.
Week 13: Michigan at Ohio State
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Location: Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Rivalry week has no shortage of appealing options, but it'll be difficult for ESPN to not choose Michigan and Ohio State.
The ideal storyline would be "winner take all," which hasn't happened since 2007. Thanks to head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer, this showdown should be relevant for a long, long time.
Michigan must fulfill the offseason hype, but it's possible the Wolverines are atop the Big Ten East Division standings entering Nov. 26. The question is whether Ohio State sits within one game—and that, too, is a likely scenario.
Odds are the victor of The Game heads to Indianapolis to compete for the Big Ten championship.
Week 14: SEC Championship Game
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Location: Georgia Dome; Atlanta
Bedlam might demand our attention. Should either Oklahoma State or Oklahoma be eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, GameDay will probably head to a location with a berth on the line.
Alabama represented the SEC in 2014 and 2015 after stomping Missouri and controlling Florida, respectively. But while the West Division reign may continue, the East should be more competitive.
Tennessee is the darling of the offseason. Florida reached Atlanta in Year 1 of the Jim McElwain era. Georgia, if it survives September and October, will be a battle-tested team.
Perhaps the East champion may hold a minimal CFP chance, but it'll likely be the best of any power-conference underdog.
Week 15: Navy vs. Army
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Location: M&T Bank Stadium; Baltimore
Hopefully this is becoming a tradition. For the last two years, College GameDay has followed the Army-Navy Game.
Last season, the Midshipmen claimed their 14th consecutive series win. But unfortunately for them, 2015 marked the final time Keenan Reynolds would lead Navy against the Black Knights.
Under the direction of head coach Jeff Monken, Army is steadily closing the gap. Plus, while the Mids lose a majority of their starters, the Black Knights return most of their production.
No matter what happens on the field, though, the pregame ceremonies and postgame rituals are a treat to watch.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
