Fansided

Predicting every ESPN College GameDay location for 2017

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; ESPN College Gameday hosts from left Desmond Howard and Rece Davis and Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit discuss the days matchups on their set outside Ohio Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State won the game 30-27 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; ESPN College Gameday hosts from left Desmond Howard and Rece Davis and Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit discuss the days matchups on their set outside Ohio Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State won the game 30-27 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive back Tray Matthews (28) takes the field for the game against the Clemson Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers defensive back Tray Matthews (28) takes the field for the game against the Clemson Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports /

Week 13: Nov. 25

Candidates

  • Washington State at Washington
  • Notre Dame at Stanford
  • Alabama at Auburn
  • Florida State at Florida
  • Ohio State at Michigan

This one comes down to which of the major rivalries has the most at stake in terms of playoff implications. Columbus, Ohio hosted GameDay last season when No. 3 Michigan traveled for its clash against No. 2 Ohio State, and if the Buckeyes are ranked in the top three again, there’s a good chance the show will head to Ann Arbor.

However, Michigan lost a ton of talent from its 2016 roster and could be in a rebuilding mode in 2017, which opens the door for the Iron Bowl. Alabama will certainly be ranked in the top three of the preseason AP Poll, and as the favorite in the SEC, the Crimson Tide appear headed for another College Football Playoff appearance. With Auburn seen as a possible Top 10 team, the Tigers could host the show for the first time since 2013 (Tuscaloosa hosted the show in 2014, which was the last Iron Bowl to be prominently featured). If Alabama-Auburn gets the nod this year, it would be the seventh time the South’s most heated rivalry was given center stage.

But there is at least one other option. If Florida State is in a position to play for a national championship, and if the Florida Gators have wrapped up their third consecutive SEC East title and are ranked in the Top 15 or so (both a distinct possibility despite Georgia entering the season as the favorite in the division), the Sunshine Showdown could be the choice for the first time since 2009. If GameDay goes to Auburn in Week 11, Florida’s odds go up.

College GameDay Location Prediction: Alabama at Auburn

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