- GameDay’s 16th visit to Atlanta and eighth show from the SEC Championship Game
- SEC Championship head coaches Nick Saban and Kirby Smart to appear on-set together
- Former Gators head coach Dan Mullen will be a guest analyst
- Special live performance during the show from multi-platinum, GRAMMY award-winning Zac Brown Band; lead singer Zac Brown will also be Saturday’s guest picker
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will travel to Atlanta for the 16th time this Saturday, Dec. 4 (9 a.m. – noon ET), as No. 1 Georgia faces No. 3 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game – a Top 5 showdown that will have major impact on Sunday’s final College Football Playoff Rankings. The premier three-hour traveling pregame show will air on ESPN and ESPNU, highlighting key storylines and offering news, analysis and predictions in advance of the Crimson Tide-Bulldogs clash. GameDay will originate from The Dr Pepper SEC FanFare at the Georgia World Congress Center (building C).
Rece Davis hosts the 12-time Emmy Award-winning show with analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and former Georgia All-American David Pollack, research producer and sports betting analyst Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica, and reporters Jen Lada and Gene Wojciechowski.
GameDay’s last trip to the SEC Championship was 2019. The most recent visit to Atlanta was in August when the first road show of the season originated from Center Parc Stadium for the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff.
College GameDay precedes a busy Saturday of conference championship games across ESPN networks. At noon on ABC, No. 9 Baylor faces No. 5 Oklahoma State in the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship with Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Molly McGrath. At 3:30 p.m. on ABC, No. 21 Houston battles No. 4 Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference Championship with Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy and Katie George on the call. The Pac-12 Championship kicks off the weekend Friday night in Las Vegas with No. 10 Oregon vs. No. 17 Utah. Chris Fowler, Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will call the action (8 p.m., ABC).
College GameDay Highlights:
- Brian Kelly Conversation: Rece Davis travelled to Baton Rouge for a conversation with new LSU head coach Brian Kelly to talk about what went into his decision to leave Notre Dame, the impact that choice could have on the College Football Playoff, and what excites him most about this new challenge.
- Saban and Smart: Head coaches Nick Saban of Alabama and Kirby Smart of Georgia are scheduled to join GameDay together on-set Saturday morning before leading their teams into the SEC Championship Game.
- Born to be a Wolverine: For Aidan Hutchinson, the path to becoming a Michigan Wolverine was set the moment he was born, and while the senior captain followed his father’s footsteps to Ann Arbor, he has been able to carve out his own lasting legacy. Reporter: Gene Wojciechowski.
- Bryce Young Conversation: Kirk Herbsteit sits down with Alabama quarterback and Heisman hopeful Bryce Young to discuss his journey to becoming “the guy,” what he learned from Mac Jones, and how he remains so poised under pressure.
- A Season to Celebrate: In stadiums across the country, the 2021 college football season has provided memorable moments week in and week out, moments that echo even louder considering the emptiness of last season. A look back at everything that has made this year one for the ages. Reporter: Ryan McGee.
- Championship Game Previews: GameDay will preview all of Saturday’s Championship game matchups, including the ACC, American Athletic, Big Ten, Big 12, MAC, SEC and Sun Belt. GameDay will also offer live looks at the Baylor and Oklahoma State warm-ups with the Big 12 Championship kicking off at noon on ABC in Arlington, Texas.
- Guest Analyst: Former Florida head coach Dan Mullen, who led the Gators to the SEC Championship Game a year ago, will be a special guest analyst on Saturday’s show.
- Live performance and guest picker: GameDay will feature a special live performance from multi-platinum, GRAMMY-award winning Zac Brown Band, who just released their latest album, The Comeback. Lead vocalist Zac Brown will also be Saturday’s guest picker. A lifelong Georgia football fan and Atlanta native, Brown also made the game picks at the 2019 SEC Championship Game when the Bulldogs faced LSU in Atlanta (Photos).
Stats from ‘The Bear’/Corso Facts:
- This is the eighth time GameDay has originated from the SEC Championship Game, and the fifth straight SEC title game that GameDay has attended that will feature Georgia. Two of those were Alabama-Georgia games – decided by a combined 11 points in the final seconds.
- GameDay, which kicked off the 2021 season across town at the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff, is back in Atlanta for the 16th time in the show’s history.
- Coach Corso is 6-1 with his SEC Championship headgear picks, losing only in 2008 when he incorrectly picked Alabama to beat Florida.
- Corso is 5-4 when picking Georgia, but has won each of the last five times he’s picked the Bulldogs. Corso has also won the last three times he’s picked against the Bulldogs.
- This is the fourth time this season that GameDay is on-site for a Georgia game, and the first for Alabama.
- Corso has donned Alabama headgear 34 times – second only to Ohio State – and is 24-10 with those headgear picks. He’s won each of the last six times he’s picked the Tide. Corso has picked against Alabama 13 times and is 5-8 in those picks.
- This is GameDay’s 417th road show and headgear pick No. 380.
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 call 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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