This week’s college football action is still ongoing, but we already know where ESPN will take its flagship Saturday morning show. Columbia was announced as the College GameDay location for Week 3 of the 2024 college football season, drawing some raised eyebrows and questions from media and fans alike. Why did ESPN opt to take their long-running showpiece to South Carolina?
Columbia a Surprise College GameDay Location in Week 3
ESPN announced late on Saturday night that the College GameDay location for Week 3 would be Columbia, with Kirk Herbstreit and co. providing the warm-up act to the South Carolina Gamecocks facing off against the LSU Tigers from Williams-Brice Stadium.
It’s the first time in 10 years that the ESPN flagship has made the trip to Columbia.
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South Carolina vs. LSU is the first game of an all-SEC ABC triple-header, which might explain why ESPN has opted to take College GameDay to Columbia in Week 3.
The other two games on that slate are Florida vs. Texas A&M and Kentucky vs. Georgia. Both the Gators and Aggies already have a loss on their resume and Kentucky just got ripped apart by the Gamecocks in Week 2.
The selection of Columbia as the College GameDay location is somewhat of a reflection of a lack of high-profile matchups in Week 3.
Two of the more intriguing games on the schedule next week are on Friday night, with the Kansas Jayhawks hosting unbeaten UNLV and Kansas State welcoming Arizona to Manhattan in a clash of two of the best teams in the Big 12.
The latter game is on Fox, and although College GameDay traveled to Ann Arbor to compete with Fox Big Noon Kick Off in Week 2, they’d be unlikely to compete against that network at either Madison for Wisconsin vs. Alabama or for an Oregon State vs. Oregon rivalry game in Corvallis that might lack historic bitterness with the two teams playing in different conferences.
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