In last year's piece, we spilled a lot of ink thinking out loud about the implications of ABC acquiring SEC rights from CBS. When promoting the sport of college football didn't align perfectly with promoting ESPN's coverage of the sport of college football, where would ESPN's interests lie?
The end result: in the 15 weeks between Labor Day Weekend and Conference Championship Saturday, GameDay visited an SEC location nine times. The non-SEC games: No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan; No. 8 Miami at Cal (also an ESPN property), No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon, Washington at No. 13 Indiana, No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State, and No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State. So, GameDay will drive its trucks outside of the South, but the trip has to be an obvious one.
GameDay will make its home base between Austin, Texas, and Gainesville, Fla., again in 2025. But it won't start there. (All rankings via FootballScoop's Pre-Preseason Top 25.)
Week 1 (Aug. 30)
Call your grandma. Write this one in ink. Tattoo it on your forehead. If Vegas is foolish enough to take bets on such a thing, empty out your 401(k) and bet the farm. For Lee Corso's final headgear pick, GameDay will return to the site of his first headgear pick for No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State.
The storylines here are beyond obvious: it's the defending national champions in a semifinal rematch against Arch Manning in his debut as a college football starting quarterback. That would be enough to get GameDay on campus, but the opportunity to bookend Corso's career makes this pick as automatic as a LeBron James slam dunk on a Nerf hoop. Ohio State has hosted a record 25 times, and Corso has put on the Brutus Buckeye headgear 45 times, most of any in college football.
So not only am I telling you where the show will air, I'll tell you how it's going to end: Corso will end as he started by putting on the Brutus headgear for a record 46th time, Kirk Herbstreit will have tears in his eyes, and Pat McAfee will find a way to make the moment about himself.
Week 2 (Sept. 6)
They've played 2,757 combined games and only one against each other. Both teams are looking for bounce back seasons behind new offensive coordinators and new quarterbacks. For Week 2, GameDay will trek to Norman for No. 16 Michigan at Oklahoma.
Week 3 (Sept. 13)
Look, the formula's not complicated. Get a big brand from the South to play a big brand from the Midwest, put the game on campus, and people will be interested. It's that simple, okay? GameDay could visit Tuscaloosa for Wisconsin at No. 9 Alabama but will instead opt for South Bend for No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 5 Notre Dame.
Week 4 (Sept. 20)
It's early in the season to project GameDay visiting a non-undefeated team, but this one is just as much about the visitors as its is the home team. Despite a season-opening setback to Notre Dame, GameDay heads to South Beach for a 'Canes game for the first time since 2020 to see DJ Lagway and No. 11 Florida at No. 14 Miami.
Week 5 (Sept. 27)
Per capita, GameDay loves this matchup more than any other. The show's been on hand for 11 of their 15 meetings since the first roadshow, two off the national lead and trailing only two matchups that are annual or near-annual (Ohio State-Penn State, Alabama-LSU). There's no need to overthink this one: No. 8 Alabama at No. 7 Georgia.
Week 6 (Oct. 4)
We don't decide how the world works here at GameDay Prediction HQ, we just reflect it as it is. And if both these teams win their road non-conference games, this is a top-10 matchup pitting Heisman-candidate QBs in game that will air on a Disney network. It's No. 1 Texas at No. 11 Florida.
Week 7 (Oct. 11)
One of six Power 4 schools yet to host, Bret Bielema's squad rips off wins over Indiana and USC to secure the biggest home game in school history for No. 3 Ohio State at No. 10 Illinois.
Week 8 (Oct. 18)
Calling my shot here. I think these teams will be the best in the Big 12, and GameDay will recognize that when it comes to campus for the first time in 20 years for No. 19 Texas Tech at No. 12 Arizona State.
Week 9 (Oct. 25)
GameDay has been to numerous FCS locations -- multiple trips to the Fargodome, the Brawl of the Wild, an HBCU game, an Ivy League game. They've been to a Division III game. But they've never visited a Division II location. What better time to break that seal than Grand Valley State at Ferris State?
Defending champion Ferris State has won three of the last four national titles and is 77-7 since 2018. Grand Valley State is 62-12 over that span, and is the only team to beat Ferris State in the playoffs since covid. And better yet, these teams hate each other. The nation needs to know about the Anchor-Bone Classic, arguably the hottest rivalry in all of college football right now.
Week 10 (Nov. 1)
Is now the time? For a record-breaking 14th time, GameDay will be on hand for No. 2 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State.
Week 11 (Nov. 8)
Again, no need to overthink this one. It's an early November staple so long as both teams are good, and they should be again this year. For the 14th time, GameDay heads to No. 9 LSU at No. 8 Alabama.
Week 12 (Nov. 15)
The trucks have an easy trip this week, a couple hundred miles down I-20 for No. 1 Texas at No. 7 Georgia.
Week 13 (Nov. 22)
Do you know the last time GameDay graced a USC game? The 2016 season Rose Bowl. The show has visited the Troy Trojans more recently than the USC Trojans. It hasn't been to the LA Coliseum since 2013. I don't see that happening in 2025, but I do think they'll be on hand for USC at No. 6 Oregon.
Week 14 (Nov. 29)
Obviously, many choices here on rivalry Saturday. GameDay went to the reunion of Texas-Texas A&M last year in College Station, so Austin for the return trip is an option. GameDay has never visited Clemson-South Carolina, and this year could be a juicy choice with both teams starting in the AP top-15. But so long as That Team Up North keeps winning, the nation won't look away. It's No. 3 Ohio State at No. 16 Michigan.
Week 15 (Dec. 6)
GameDay has been in Atlanta for the SEC Championship five times in the last six years, and most of those trips occurred when the game was on CBS. They'll make is 6-of-7 in December for No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Alabama.