Indiana is new territory for ESPN College GameDay; Personalities who are happy to be here

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – To keep it matter of fact: ESPN College GameDay has been to Indiana before. The legendary college football pregame show was hosted on a Thursday night at the 2017 opening game at Memorial Stadium.

That's a fact, but it's also true that Indiana has never hosted the Saturday version of the show. When it comes to the circus-like atmosphere the show is famous for, this distinction makes all the difference in the world.

ESPN College GameDay begins its version of roadshow madness on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET. The show airs on ESPN and ESPNU. The game itself, which begins at 12 p.m., will not be available to watch on ESPN. It will air on Big Ten Network.

College GameDay host Rece Davis enjoys having College GameDay visit a new site. Even he admitted that the 2017 performance was just a taste of reality.

“We were in the stadium in 2017. It was a great evening and people were thrilled. But it’s special to experience the whole show and the whole three hours and start the day of football,” Davis told the Indiana media Friday at Memorial Stadium. “It’s just a different vibe and a different energy.”

College GameDay is doing its best to host the event on the site that tells the best story in college football this weekend. Unlike some of its competitors, ESPN doesn't hesitate to host the show in locations hosting games it doesn't broadcast.

Davis knows Indiana will be excited for the legendary show, which began in 1987 and has been on campus since 1993. Over the years, it has become part of college football tradition. Former Indiana coach Lee Corso, who has been with the show since its inception, has become famous for his personality and antics on the morning show.

“I’m excited to actually be one of the Indiana fans,” Davis said. “It's very different when we go to a place we've never been before. When we go to Ohio State, when we go to Alabama, we're treated well, we're treated by great, wonderful people.

“But it’s almost like saying, ‘Hey, you guys are back. Did you pay the property tax and everything? I know we're all neighbors here.' You know, it’s like they’re used to seeing us,” Davis said.

With or without Corso involvement, Indiana's football team had to get on ESPN's radar to even get on the show. Indiana enters the game against Washington with a record of 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten. Curt Cignetti's quick turnaround has caused a stir in the college football world.

“The adjective I used is clear and what I mean is that they are carried out. They are not sloppy. There is no confusion. A lot of that can be attributed to coach (Mike) Shanahan (offensive coordinator), coach Cignetti and coach (Tino) Sunseri (offensive coordinator),” Davis said.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was also cited as a key factor in Indiana's success, but he will not play against Washington because of his right thumb injury. Tayven Jackson will play in his place.

“(Jackson) comes in and I think they're going to run the ball and come out of here with a win,” said ESPN personality “Stanford Steve” Couglin. “NO. The first six plays are passes, he throws two touchdowns and they score 28 more points. So, that foot is going full throttle and I can't wait to see what they bring to the table.”

Davis believes Indiana is in control of its own destiny when it comes to the College Football Playoff. The first CFP rankings will be announced on November 5th.

“First? They can win the Big 10, which is certainly a tall order. I understand that. But even if not, let's say they lose to, say, Ohio State,” Davis suggested. “They don't make it to the Big -10 championship game, but they play competitively, I think there's a really good chance they'll be in the top 11 (the best non-Power Four conference champion gets an automatic bid), probably depending on. where the other (non-Power Four) conference champion would be ranked.”

Indiana's weak schedule – something Davis defended while pointing out that it will hurt Indiana compared to other playoff contenders – will play a role in the Hoosiers' fate.

“There will still be a football assessment, their schedule outside of the games coming up in November will be reviewed and that is appropriate. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Davis said. “So a lot will depend on how they play. If they play competitively I think they have a chance and the best thing about the new system is they can just win and then they don’t have to worry about it.”

For Saturday specifically, Coughlin had a cautionary tale for Indiana fans. When they visited Cignetti at James Madison in 2023, there was similar hype around the JMU campus. Almost all of the attention was focused on JMU. Their opponent, Appalachian State, was an afterthought.

“In that three-hour show, we didn’t mention App State once, and App State won (26-23), costing JMU an undefeated season,” Coughlin said. “Knowing Coach Cig was there for that, I’m sure he learned from it.”