Photos via ESPN Images
- GameDay’s ninth visit all-time to East Lansing – first since September 2015
- GameDay kicks off college football’s Statement Saturday, culminating with 20 Penn State at No. 5 Ohio State on ABC’s Saturday Night Football
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will travel to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend for a Top-10 showdown between in-state Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 30 (9 a.m. – noon ET). The premier three-hour traveling pregame show will air on ESPN and ESPNU, highlighting key storylines and offering news, analysis and predictions ahead of the No. 6 Michigan at No. 8 Michigan State matchup. GameDay will originate from Ralph Young Field on the Michigan State University campus for the first two hours before moving inside Spartan Stadium for the final hour, capturing the pregame pageantry of the Wolverines-Spartans rivalry – aka the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy.
Rece Davis hosts the 12-time Emmy Award-winning show with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, former Michigan All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard and David Pollack, research producer and sports betting analyst Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica, and reporters Jen Lada and Gene Wojciechowski.
This will be College GameDay’s ninth visit to East Lansing all-time and the show’s first trip in six years – since September 12, 2015 when the Spartans hosted Oregon. With the show airing on Halloween Eve, fans are encouraged to wear costumes to GameDay. The best costume voted by the crew will win a prize.
College GameDay precedes a full slate of games across ESPN networks on Statement Saturday, highlighted by the primetime Big Ten matchup of No. 20 Penn State at No. 5 Ohio State on ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One, which Chris Fowler, Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will call at 7:30 p.m. In all, 15 ranked teams will be in action across ESPN networks. Top matchups include: Texas at No. 16 Baylor (noon, ABC), Texas Tech at No. 4 Oklahoma (3:30, ABC), and No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 18 Auburn (7 p.m., ESPN).
College GameDay Highlights:
- Thunder & Lightning: Michigan running backs Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum have rushed for a combined 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns and have the ground game rolling for the 7-0 Wolverines. Desmond Howard returned to The Big House to talk football, high jumps, Jim Harbaugh quotes and Squid Game with the duo.
- The Connection: Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and wide receiver Jayden Reed have a special connection on the field. A connection built on competition, chemistry, and compassion. GameDay put that connection to the test to find out just how well the Spartans duo know each other. Reporter: Jen Lada.
- Saturday Scaries: At 6-foot-6, 340 pounds with the agility of a linebacker, Jordan Davis has been giving opposing offenses nightmares all season. In honor of Halloween, a look at what makes the Georgia defensive tackle perhaps the scariest player in college football – and also a Heisman candidate.
- Battling Brothers: Michigan was so dominant in its rivalry with Michigan State that it one day declared itself big brother, and the Spartans little brother. The problem with that: little brothers grow up, and their memory stretches from Ann Arbor to East Lansing. Reporter: Gene Wojciechowski.
- Special On-Set Guests: Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker will preview Saturday’s game on-set with the GameDay crew, while Hall of Fame hoops coach Tom Izzo will visit with college basketball season just around the corner. Former Spartans safety Jalen Watts-Jackson, who picked up a fumbled snap on a punt and returned it 38 yards for a game-winning touchdown in Michigan State’s epic 2015 win over Michigan, will also make an appearance on the show.
- Corso’s Curse: GameDay will revisit Coach Corso’s infamous ‘F bomb’ during the show at the University of Houston on the 10-year anniversary of the NSFW moment that caught everyone by surprise.
- Guest Picker: Actor/comedian Ken Jeong (The Hangover, ABC’s Ken, and Crazy Rich Asians) will be Saturday’s guest picker in East Lansing. A Detroit native and noted sports fan, Jeong once served as a special guest co-anchor on SportsCenter. Video.
Stats from ‘The Bear’/Corso Facts
- This is College GameDay’s ninth trip to East Lansing and its first since a 2015 win over Oregon. That was 121 road shows ago. The Spartans are 3-5 in the previous eight instances GameDay was present.
- Coach Corso is 5-3 in headgear picks in East Lansing.
- This is the fourth time GameDay has originated from a Michigan-Michigan State game. Michigan was favored in each of the previous three and lost two of them outright to the Spartans.
- Corso has donned Michigan headgear 12 times and is 8-4 when picking the Wolverines. He’s picked against Michigan 15 times and is 11-4 when picking against the Wolverines. So he’s 19-8 when picking a Michigan game with the end-of-show headgear.
- Corso is 3-0 when picking Michigan State and 5-4 when picking against the Spartans.
- Jim Harbaugh-coached Michigan teams are 2-7 with GameDay
- Favorites have won just four of the nine games GameDay has attended this year.
- This is GameDay’s 412th road show and headgear pick No. 375.
ESPN Social and Digital
Countdown to GameDay Live is College GameDay’s pregame show, before the pregame show. Each week, host Christine Williamson and Harry Douglas will usher fans into the show and the Saturday college football lineup throughout the season at 8:30 a.m. Countdown to GameDay is available on Saturday across Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and the ESPN App.
Additionally, College GameDay: All Access on Snapchat debuted this season, with Williamson taking fans behind the scenes of the legendary pregame show College GameDay. From interviews with players and coaches to experiencing local traditions to the best GameDay signs, she will give fans everyone a look at why Saturdays are so special – even before the games start.
Fans can follow and engage in all the action each and every Saturday across College GameDay’s social platforms (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok).
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