As if they were going anywhere else on opening weekend, ESPN College GameDay is officially heading to Atlanta for the showdown between two top teams in the nation.
The month of August is here, which means it’s time to focus on one of the most wonderful times of the year, the beginning of the college football season. While the season technically starts with some meetings on Aug. 26, the official first weekend of the season isn’t until the weekend of Sept. 2. And on Sept. 2, we’ll immediately be given what could end up being the game of the year in college football, as the Florida State Seminoles will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in a matchup that folks have been waiting the past few years for.
So of course, as everyone more or less expected, the Seminoles and the Tide will be getting the royal treatment on opening weekend in Atlanta. It was officially announced on Wednesday that ESPN College GameDay will be kicking off their season previewing this monumental 2017 matchup, as well as some of the other big games that will be taking place that weekend.
It’s official!
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 2, 2017
To open the 2017 season, we are headed to Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/9XEVKmbPzX
Again, really no major shock here. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t too long ago that everyone’s beloved GameDay team member Lee Corso pretty much spilled the beans that this would be the show’s destination for Week 1 of the season.
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Really, there was no other logical choice. The preseason AP Poll will be released on Aug. 21, and when the rankings are put out there to the masses, there is a pretty good chance that this game will become a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country to begin the 2017 campaign.
Florida State and Alabama will clash on Sept. 2 inside the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia with kickoff taking place shortly after 8 p.m. ET on ABC. College GameDay will air on ESPN earlier in the day to get everyone ready at 9 a.m. ET.