Big Ten fans hate College GameDay’s decision to go to Oklahoma-Texas
By Ethan Lee
Instead of featuring a matchup that has two Big Ten teams ranked in the top 5, College GameDay is going to the Red River Showdown.
Each and every week, ESPN’s College GameDay makes the decision to feature a prominent college football game. The pregame show has a long, proud history of showing up and showcasing a fascinating matchup.
But this week’s choice is something of a controversial one.
Instead of going out and being on site for the showdown between two top-five Big Ten teams, College GameDay is headed to watch the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 21 Texas Longhorns in their annual rivalry game.
https://twitter.com/CollegeGameDay/status/1444693861352284162
Understandably, plenty of Big Ten fans aren’t too happy with that choice. The College GameDay crew could be at the meeting between No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes, but the decision-makers at ESPN chose to show off two teams that have been underwhelming at times this season.
So Oklahoma vs unranked Texas is a better game then a top 5 matchup in the Big 10?
— 〽️itchell Thomas (@Mitchigan16) October 3, 2021
Let’s skip the Top 5 matchup in Iowa City of two undefeated teams for not even a Top 25 matchup. Good work GameDay. Go Hawks! 🙄👏🏻🤦♀️
— Nikki Adamson (@nikgirl78) October 3, 2021
Imagine selecting this over a top 5 matchup between Penn St and Iowa
— Scotty Smalls (@mexico1love) October 3, 2021
You got the wrong game guys 🤷🏻♂️
— Nick Polum (@NickPolum73) October 3, 2021
The decision for GameDay to skip out on this particular Big Ten game is definitely frustrating for fans who would like to see the show in a variety of locations and on campus. It’s been a while since College GameDay has been to Iowa and it seems like they’re frequently at neutral site locations in large cities.
Y'all could've gone to Iowa City for the first time in 15 YEARS for a TOP FIVE matchup with HUGE CFP implications but chose this instead. And Fox having the game has NOTHING to do with it because BNK & CGD have been at the same site multiple times before & already once this year.
— David Cosgrove III (@dcosgroveiii) October 3, 2021
However, Iowa and Penn State fans can take some solace in knowing that their game isn’t being ignored. FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff is set to be at the game.
Gameday was always going to find a way to avoid Iowa City. Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff already claimed it and they get all the preferential treatment because they own the rights.
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) October 3, 2021
Big Noon Kickoff is really gaining momentum. It’s not a consolation prize. It’s going to be great!
GameDay missing out on a contest featuring two teams ranked in the top five is certainly beneficial to the Big Noon Kickoff crew as they now have the most intriguing matchup of the week as the backdrop for their pregame show.
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