- College football’s premier pregame show makes its first trip since 2007 to the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game
- Saturday’s show marks the third visit to a TCU game this season
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot travels to Arlington, Texas, this Saturday, Dec. 3, for the Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game between No. 10 Kansas State and No. 3 TCU. It is GameDay’s first visit to the Big 12 Championship since 2007 and the third time the premier pregame show has originated from a TCU game this season. GameDay will be live from outside AT&T Stadium from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN, ESPNU and the ESPN App.
Rece Davis leads the show in his eighth season as host and is joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Pat McAfee and David Pollack. Reporters Jen Lada, Gene Wojciechowski and newcomer Jess Sims, along with research producer Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica and college football insider Pete Thamel, round out the GameDay crew for the show’s 36th season.
College GameDay is on pace for its most-viewed season ever and last week in Columbus was the most-watched telecast of this record-breaking season with 2.4 million viewers and a peak audience of 3.1 million viewers during the final hour. The premier college football pregame show is averaging 2.1 million viewers for the season – a 10% increase over 2021.
Scheduled Features & Highlights
- Big 12 Exclusive Access: TCU – K-State Player Diaries– As the Big 12 Championship game approaches, Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn and TCU’s Kendre Miller provide an all-access look into the days leading up to the big game. Both running backs take cameras behind the scenes to practice, press conferences and even on the hood of a car. The GameDay crew will also have exclusive access on both team busses ahead of the Big 12 showdown game
- Sonny Dykes Conversation – The first-year TCU coach discusses the importance of confidence, why he was so calm during the frenetic end of the Baylor game and what makes Max Duggan not only the best player in college football, but also perhaps the cuddliest. (Reporter: Gene Wojciechowski)
- Coach Mimi – As a graduate assistant with the Michigan football team, Mimi Bolden-Morris is blazing a trail as the first woman to hold the position in the Big Ten Conference. (Jen Lada)
- Stetson’s Story – Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett has been counted out, doubted and cast aside, but it has all served as motivation. You can doubt the man they call ‘the Mailman’ all you want, but don’t be surprised when he continues to deliver. (Ryan McGee, in collaboration with SEC Network)
- Former NFLers and Big 12 running backs Darren Sproles (K-State) and LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU) will be onsite to join the GameDay crew with insights on the conference championship match up
This week’s ‘Live WIRED’ segment will feature K-State head coach Chris Klieman ahead of the Big 12 Championship game. Newly hired Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze will join the GameDay crew on set while top-ranked Georgia’s head coach Kirby Smart will join for a remote interview ahead of the Bulldogs’ SEC Championship game in Atlanta. College Football Playoff Committee Chair Boo Corrigan will also join the show remotely.
Corso’s Count
- Lee Corso will be making his 394th headgear pick this weekend
- Corso’s count is 5-0 when picking TCU and 1-0 when picking against the Horned Frogs. He is 1-4 when picking K-State and 1-0 when picking against the Wildcats
- Last weekend’s Ohio State loss snapped Corso’s 12-game headgear winning streak dating back to last season
ESPN’s Expanded Digital Coverage
ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Live, co-hosted by Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. will be live from Arlington on Dec. 3, at 8:30 a.m. The show is available across Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App. The assignment will be a homecoming for Williamson, a former Big 12 digital correspondent.
Additional GameDay updates can be found via ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter and details throughout the week can be found HERE and on College GameDay’s Hub HERE.
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