ESPN Images selects from the previous Game day trips to Texel

• College Football’s premier pregame show heads to Austin, Texas, for an all-out ‘ESPN Texas Takeover’ weekend and top-5 SEC matchup
• Week 7 Special Guests: Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, Longhorns legend Vince Young, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe; World No. 1 golfer and ex-Texas Scottie Scheffler joins as guest selector for Week 8
• Fans who arrive early will have a chance to win prizes including exclusive t-shirts, free breakfast, photo opportunities with a custom Texas-clad Formula 1 car and the chance to enter to be chosen for Pat McAfee’s kicking competition and the chance to win $90,000 of Pat’s money

ESPNs College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Austin, Texas, ahead of one of the most anticipated matchups of the season as No. 1 Texas hosts new SEC rival No. 5 Georgia. College football’s premier pregame show will be in the AP Top-5 for the third time this season and will take place from 9 a.m. to noon ET on ESPN and ESPNU on the South Mall on campus.

The Game day visit adds to a full ‘ESPN Texas Takeover’ weekend, along with the top-5 college football showdown on Saturday night and the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Sunday. Additional ESPN and ABC programming, as well as event activations, will take place in Austin throughout the action-packed weekend.

Host Rec Daviswho is in his tenth season at the helm, is accompanied at the desk by Game day analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee And Nick Saban. College football insider Piet Thamel, college football betting analyst’Stanford Steve’ Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada And Jess Sims round off Game day form.

After the pregame show, the leading game team from Chris Fowler, Herbstreit And Holly Rowe, accompanied by Katie George, will be in conversation ABC Saturday Night Football presented by Capital One (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+).

Midway through the college football regular season, College GameDay remains on track for best season ever, averaging 2.2 million viewers, up 9% from the 2023 season. Week 7’s trip to Oregon was the best October episode since the show expanded to three hours and the second best October episode of all time.

On location in Austin
The first 200 fans will receive free breakfast tacos to start the morning and a chance to win prizes, including exclusive ones Game day t-shirts and a chance to win a photo at the iconic desk with the show’s analysts.

Additional offers this week include the opportunity to take photos with a custom Texas-clad Formula 1 car and play ‘Pitch-a-Fit’ for additional prizes.

Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Returning for its second season, Game day will offer an exclusive competition, Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest, during the live show. Fans who arrive early will have the opportunity to be chosen from the on-site ‘pit’ with the opportunity to score a 33-yard field goal. If the participant successfully completes the kick, they will receive $90,000 from McAfee. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.

The show and offerings are free to fans and early arrival is encouraged for these exclusive offers.

For information on site, please visit College GameDay‘s Hub HERE.

Show highlights and guests

• Coaches and players Game day – Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will visit the Game day takes place during the show before the Longhorns’ game. The show will provide a look at Indiana’s preparation ahead of their matchup with Nebraska featuring the Hoosier linebacker Aiden Visser connected to sound earlier this week.
• Coach’s film room – Saban takes fans into his film room to break down the new attack on undefeated Navy.
• Crossover for the Texas takeover – Sims chat with F1 drivers before the show and test their knowledge of American college football, while Saban makes a quick lap of the Circuit of the Americas where the Formula 1 race will be held on Sunday.
• Special guests – Texas football legend Vince Young makes a stop at Game day this week. The former quarterback is one of the most decorated QBs in Longhorn history and was the third overall pick in the NFL Draft after his collegiate career. Highly decorated Olympic track and field medalist Gabby Thomas is also participating in the pregame show this week. The Austin native earned three gold medals at the Paris Olympics this summer. Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe will appear on the show and compete with McAfee in his Kicking Contest this week.
• Guest selector – World No. 1 golfer and Texas Ex Scottie Scheffler returns to Austin to compete College GameDay as Week 8’s celebrity guest selector. Scheffler is coming off a historic seven-win season on the PGA TOUR, including a successful title defense at THE PLAYERS Championship and a season-long victory in the TOUR Championship to retain the title as FedExCup Champion of secured the 2024 PGA TOUR. Other career-defining victories this season include his second Masters title, a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and joining the victorious U.S. team at the Presidents Cup.

Additional guests will be announced prior to Saturday’s show Twitter from ESPN PR And College GameDay‘t Twitter.

Corso’s count

• Coach Corso will make his 419th mascot headgear selection this week in Texas. So far this season, his picks have gone a perfect 5-0.
• This will be the Longhorns’ 10th time as hosts Game dayand Texas’ 24th appearance on the show. Corso is 9-6 in his previous 15 appearances at Texas, including a win earlier this season in Week 2 against Michigan.
• The Bulldogs will make their 37th appearance on the pregame show, with Corso donning Georgia caps 13 times for an 8-5 record in those games.

Features:

• Texas fight – Since his freshman year, Texas left tackle. Kelvin Banks started every game for the Longhorns, but for most of those games his mother was not in the stands. For two years, Monica Banks was plagued by health problems that baffled doctors and robbed her of the ability to walk and talk. Thanks to her husband’s determination and a chance conversation, Monica is on the road to recovery – wearing a burnt orange sweater and cheering for her son. Jen Lada reports.
• Tennessee tradition – “Papaw Carroll” was a huge Tennessee football fan and there was nothing he took more seriously than the Volunteers’ rivalry with the Alabama Crimson Tide. After his passing, his grandson Josh started a tradition of keeping their bond over the Vols alive with a special tribute at Papaw’s grave that continues to this day – especially on the third Saturday in October.
• Fall wedding 101 – There are only so many Saturdays in the fall when the rest of the world falls away and only you and college football day lie ahead. But what happens when one of those Saturdays suddenly no longer belongs to you, because… “you are cordially invited.” Marty Smith And Ryan McGee think about how to survive the fall wedding season when the couple’s special day is all about watching football.
• Hope for half – As we approach the halfway point of an already incredible college football season, fans have experienced unforgettable moments, tremendous upsets and weekly displays of greatness. But there is one thing that many teams are experiencing that is unknown so far in the season: hope. Ryan McGee reports.

ESPN’s extensive digital coverage

ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepperwill be live from Austin with hosts Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas And Harry Lyles Jr. for the week 8 show. Lifelong Longhorn linebacker Brian Orakpo will join the show as a special guest at the beginning of the show, Douglas will provide film analysis on Georgia’s offense and ‘Stanford Steve’ will join the trio to discuss the best college football games of the week. The show is available weekly at 8:20 a.m. via ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN app.

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Media contact:
Julie McKay, ESPN communications – (email protected), @McKay_Julie