College GameDay is expected to head to Bristol Motor Speedway in early September for the Battle at Bristol between Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
ESPN’s College GameDay has always tried to give the audience a taste of what college football is like around the country and each college campus. It highlights what is unique about each locale and each stadium, giving viewers of taste of the pageantry and tradition.
And then sometimes they go to college football environments that are entirely unique. Stadiums and games that may not be the best game that week, but something that is truly unique and different.
That is where GameDay appears to be headed Sept. 10.
Tennessee will take on Virginia Tech in the “Battle at Bristol.” What this makes non-conference game special is that it takes place at Bristol Motor Speedway. The game has already sold out.
And now it appears set to get GameDay.
"“We have a pretty good indication, pretty good feeling, that Kirk Herbstreit and his crew will be in town for College GameDay,” Bristol Motor Speedway VP of customer service and guest experience Ben Trout told The Food City Lead Lap show on WNML in Knoxville, Tenn. “We feel like that’s going to happen. We’re still waiting on some official confirmation on that."
It would mark Tennessee’s first GameDay appearance since a 2012 loss to Florida in Knoxville.
The game does not feature teams that are necessarily at the top of the list when it comes to national championship contenders. The Volunteers are favored to win the SEC East, but have not been the SEC Championship Game since 2007.
It has been a long time since the Vols were truly in the spotlight. It might be something of a gimmick being part of a game at a race track, but that will not take away from what should be an incredible game.
And College GameDay obviously wants to be part of the experience.
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