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[05/12/26 - 02:24 PM]
ESPN's "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Kicks Off 40th Season in Baton Rouge with 500th Show on the Road
Following Baton Rouge, College GameDay will travel to Austin, Texas on September 12 for a battle of powerhouse programs in Week 2 as the Texas Longhorns host Ohio State in a rematch of last season's 14-7 Buckeyes' win in Columbus.
[via press release from ESPN]

ESPN's "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" kicks off 40th season in Baton Rouge with 500th show on the road

· College GameDay opens the 2026-27 college football season in Baton Rouge for statement show: Saturday, Sept. 5 featuring LSU vs. Clemson

· College GameDay will originate from Austin, Texas in Week 2 (Sept. 12)

· GameDay, coming off its most-watched season in history, is nominated for seven Sports Emmys

ESPN's College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will kick off its 40th season with a milestone event - its 500th show on the road - on Saturday, Sept. 5, from Baton Rouge, La. ahead of LSU's marquee Week 1 matchup against Clemson. The three-hour season premiere of college football's premier pregame show will air live at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNU from LSU's campus, marking the show's 15th visit to Baton Rouge.

Following Baton Rouge, College GameDay will travel to Austin, Texas on Sept. 12 for a battle of powerhouse programs in Week 2 as the Texas Longhorns host Ohio State in a rematch of last season's 14-7 Buckeyes' win in Columbus. The same two programs also faced each other in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in January 2025.

Additional details surrounding both shows will be announced in the weeks leading up to each GameDay stop.

Date Site Game

Sep 5 Baton Rouge, La. Clemson at LSU

Sep 12 Austin, Texas Ohio State at Texas

College GameDay's 500th show on the road

While College GameDay debuted on ESPN in 1987, its first-ever on-campus road show was November 13, 1993 when Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Craig James traveled to South Bend, Ind., for the marquee matchup between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame, one of the biggest games in college football history.

During the past 33 years, GameDay has traveled to 82 different schools in 39 states from coast to coast as well as internationally with the 2024 Week 0 show in Dublin, Ireland. College GameDay has also originated from Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World (2019), the flight deck of the USS San Diego (homeported at Naval Base San Diego in 2012), Times Square in New York City (2017) and Augusta National Golf Club (2020).

Additional details about GameDay's 500th show on the road on Sept. 5 in Baton Rouge will be announced closer to the college football season.

Award-winning talent team returns

Former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, college football's preeminent analyst, will mark his 30th anniversary on College GameDay this fall. In addition, Rece Davis, who is nominated for a 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio Host, will begin his 12th season as host alongside Michigan Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl MVP and College Football Hall of Famer Desmond Howard (21st season); West Virginia Athletics Hall of Famer and former All-Pro Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee (fifth season); and College Football Hall of Famer and seven-time national champion head coach Nick Saban (third season).

College GameDay, which has won 16 Sports Emmy Awards all-time, including 10 Emmys for best weekly studio show, earned seven nominations for the 2026 Sports Emmy Awards, which will be announced May 26.

Milestone road shows for ESPN's College GameDay:

1st Nov 13, 1993 No. 1 Florida State at No. 2 Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.)

100th Sep 6, 2003 No. 1 Oklahoma at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

200th Oct 24, 2009 No. 8 TCU at No. 16 BYU (Provo, Utah)

300th Oct 31, 2015 No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 21 Temple (Philadelphia, Pa.)

400th Jan 1, 2021 No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State (New Orleans, La.) for CFP Semifinals at the Allstate Sugar Bowl

500th Sep 5, 2026 Clemson at LSU

Looking ahead

College GameDay begins its 40th season with significant momentum. Last year, GameDay delivered its most-watched regular season ever, averaging 2.7 million viewers over 15 weeks - up 22 percent across the regular season and conference championship weekend - and more than doubling the audience of its competition. Nine of the top 10 most-viewed episodes in GameDay history came in the 2025-26 season, with legendary analyst Lee Corso's final appearance on the show after 38 years delivering the most-watched episode of all time.

Brands Double Down on College Football with Disney

College football remains a premier platform for brands seeking to connect with passionate, highly engaged fans. The sport reached a new all-time high in total minutes watched, fueled by more college football windows than ever before.

For the 2025-26 season, Disney's college football portfolio attracted more than 400 advertisers, with 57% of returning advertisers increasing their year-over-year spend. Notably, sponsorship across college football is up year over year as well.

Meanwhile, College GameDay remained one of the most in-demand properties in sports media, nearing a full sellout by October 2025. The program secured 132 advertisers overall, with 58% increasing budgets year over year.

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