- College football’s premier pregame show travels to Dallas ahead of No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas
- GameDay makes its eighth visit to the historic rivalry ahead of ABC’s noon ET showdown
- Special guests on-site: head coaches Steve Sarkisian and Brent Venables, actor and Texas alum Matthew McConaughey and Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield will be Week 6’s guest picker
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot descends on Dallas for the highly anticipated border battle between No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 3 Texas on Saturday, Oct. 7. The premier pregame show will be live from the Texas State Fair – and inside the Cotton Bowl Stadium during the final hour – for the Allstate Red River Rivalry (9 a.m. – noon ET, ESPN & ESPNU).
The Week 6 visit will mark the eighth time GameDay will be live from the historic rivalry, having last visited in 2021. Each of the previous seven times, both teams have been ranked.
Host Rece Davis will be joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee with college football insider Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims and college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin.
Following GameDay, the Red River Rivalry will air on ABC at noon with Chris Fowler, Herbstreit and Holly Rowe on the call. In addition to the traditional game presentation, Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN2 will feature McAfee and the show’s ensemble cast – including Tone Digs, A.J. Hawk, ‘Boston Connor’ Campbell, Darius Butler and Ty Schmit – live from the sidelines of the Oklahoma/Texas tussle. ESPN also previously offered a Field Pass presentation of the Texas-Alabama game in Week 2 with McAfee and team.
The Red River Rivalry tradition was first played in 1900 and renewed with uninterrupted annual meetings since 1929. This year’s Week 6 game will mark the 119th playing between the Sooners and Longhorns. Texas leads the all-times series 63-50-5, including a 2022 victory over Oklahoma.
For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.
Show Highlights & Guests
- Both Red River head coaches – Steve Sarkisian (Texas) and Brent Venables (Oklahoma) will join the show ahead of the border battle. Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm will be featured in the ‘Wired’ audio segment, while Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz will share his Friday night team speech.
- Texas alum, famed actor and GameDay supporter Matthew McConaughey will join the crew during the show, with additional guests to be announced in the coming days.
- Guest Picker – 2017 Heisman winner and Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield will join the desk as this week’s guest picker. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller will make his first appearance on the GameDay
- Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – In its fourth week, GameDay will offer an exclusive contest during the live show, Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest. One fan will be chosen from the ‘pit’ onsite with the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal. If the contestant successfully completes the kick, he/she will be awarded $45,00 from McAfee. Full details including official rules can be found here.
Additional guests will be announced ahead of Saturday’s show on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.
Features:
- New Year, New Ewers – Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers – and his signature mullet – was one of the top high school players in the country, heading to Ohio State in the fall of 2021 as the crown jewel of their recruiting class. But after transferring to Texas last year, he struggled with injuries and what he calls ‘self-doubt,’ never really finding his groove for the Longhorns. This year, the mullet is gone and Ewers has found his groove – and his voice, as one of the best players and leaders in college football. Jen Lada
- The Imposter – The last time Texas A&M and Alabama played at Kyle Field, the Aggies knocked off the top-ranked Tide in one of the most memorable games of the 2021 season. But the upset win may not have been the most unbelievable thing that happened at Kyle Field that day after it ended with a real life “Catch Me If You Can” case. Dan Arruda
- Red River Divide – From whiteouts to blackouts, checkerboard seating charts and laser light shows, college football stadiums have become a cacophony of color. But nothing tops the scene at the Cotton Bowl when Oklahoma and Texas meet, and the line of fandom is literally drawn in the stands. Ryan McGee
ESPN’s Expanded Digital Coverage
ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper, will be live from the Texas State Fair for the Week 6 Red River Rivalry. Hosts Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr., will break down winners and losers from the Big Ten schedule release and will be joined by Desmond Howard to debate who is the real No. 1 team in the country. Williamson will deep-dive into the best food at this season’s Texas State Fair while Douglas and Lyles Jr., Harry and Harry continue the season-long ‘One-Minute Drill,’ segment competing head-to-head in fair games.
The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, X/Twitter, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:30 a.m. weekly.
New “Greatest Story Ever Played” Spot Highlights Nebraska Superfan Who Created First College GameDay Sign
ESPN’s popular brand campaign “The Greatest Story Ever Played” launched a new :30 spot, “The Story of How GameDay Got Its Signs,” which features Nebraska superfan Bobby Mersed. The piece explores the tradition of GameDay crowd signs and how it evolved from Mersed’s ingenuity way back in 1994.
Also Live from Dallas
Also hitting the road for Week 6 action will be The Pat McAfee Show joining GameDay in Dallas and open to fans. McAfee’s show airs Friday (Oct. 6) from noon – 2 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN on YouTube from noon to 3 p.m. College Football Live will also join from Dallas, with Lada, Howard, Coughlin and Thamel hosting the program to air at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 on Friday.
-30-
-
-
-
-
-
