Back in May when we made our annual post predicting College GameDay's locations, we reasoned ESPN would take its traveling circus to Fort Worth, Texas, for Colorado at TCU for its Sept. 2 episode. We didn't think that hard about it, either.
LSU vs. Florida State is the biggest game of Week 1, but the Tigers and Seminoles won't play until Sunday. And so the juiciest -- if not the most competitive -- game of the season's first Saturday is easily Coach Prime's Colorado debut against the defending national runners-up. There is no close second, really.
Alas, CU-TCU airs on Fox, and so ESPN has opted for a different locale.
WE'RE COMING TO THE QUEEN CITY! 👑
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) July 24, 2023
See you Week 1 in Charlotte for a battle of the Carolinas 🍿@UNCFootball | @GamecockFB pic.twitter.com/OJ7J7SOM6b
This will be the fourth time GameDay has originated in Charlotte, following the 2017 ACC Championship between No. 1 Clemson and No. 7 Miami, the 2020 ACC Championship rematch featuring No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson, and the 2021 Week 1 game between No. 5 Georgia and No. 3 Clemson.
This will mark just North Carolina's third appearance. The Tar Heels starred before a 1997 loss to Florida State and a loss to LSU to open the 2010 season.
South Carolina has appeared eight times previously on the show, with seven of those appearances originating out of Columbia. The Gamecocks' last appearance came Sept. 27, 2014.
North Carolina leads the all-time on-again/off-again territorial grudge match (can we call this a rivalry?) 35-20-4, but South Carolina has won four of the five meetings since 1991.
The UNC-USC game will air 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.