College GameDay in New York was worthy one-time experiment
College GameDay is the best pregame show on television but the decision to take the show off a college campus and to New York City was a massive misfire.
When ESPN first announced that College GameDay was going to New York City to host Saturday’s show from Times Square, I was pretty intrigued. It was a new way of thought for the show that travels from one college campus to another every weekend. I was curious to see how the vibe and atmosphere would be in a city that isn’t known as a hotbed for college football fandom. Would there be the same number of GameDay signs? Would there be one fanbase represented more than others? Would anyone even care?
I had to give the show the benefit of the doubt for shaking things up and doing something different. It’s easy to get in a rut and stick with the same plan, so I applaud them for going to an unconventional location. It just didn’t work out and I hope College GameDay recognizes this and goes back to the tried-and-true formula of hosting on a college campus. I don’t care if it’s at Alabama, Ohio State, North Dakota State or Mount Union.
ESPN needs to put the college game in College GameDay.
It’s just not the same without a localized rowdy fanbase that has been prepping for the chance to get on television and show off their signs for a week. The atmosphere at Times Square was so tame, quiet, uneventful and borderline boring. If you weren’t chugging coffee during the three-hour show, you may have fallen back asleep.
I missed the signs that trolled the opposition that was in town for the week. That was completely neutralized at this neutral location. It totally defeated the calling card of the show.
And then there’s Lee Corso’s headgear pick. It’s the final moment on the show where he makes his pick for the game they’re in town for, but with no specific game on the agenda, it took the wind out of a fun and exciting segment. Instead, Corso dressed up as the Statue of Liberty, including green face paint.
College GameDay had some interesting segments like Tom Rinaldi going to the various alumni bars to show us college football fans to exist in New York City. And Keegan-Michael Key doing his James Franklin impression and sitting in as the guest picker was fine and all. But College GameDay not at a college just made for a different type of atmosphere. Again, it was a worthwhile experiment, but it didn’t resonate with me like it may have with other viewers. Let’s just hope this was a one-time experiment and won’t be the norm.
College GameDay can get back on track by visiting Virginia Tech for their contest vs. Clemson.