With just 16 days until the 2025-26 college football season kicks off, fans are gearing up to cheer on their favorite schools for at least the next four months.
ESPN's College GameDay has been an institution in the sport since 1993 and has given the fans of hundreds of schools the opportunity to put their pride on full display on national television. The 2025 season will offer the weekly program ample opportunity to showcase some of the biggest matchups and the most passionate fanbases.
Predicting College GameDay locations for every week of the 2025 season
The destinations for all but Week 1 have not been revealed yet and typically are announced about a week in advance. GameDay also tends to visit the campus where a matchup has the heaviest impact on the overall rankings or, at least once per year, a location it has never visited. As of this year, Illinois, SMU, Syracuse, Maryland, Rutgers and Virginia are the only Power Four programs that have still never hosted GameDay.
Week 0 - Dublin, Ireland (Iowa State vs. Kansas State)
The GameDay crew got the 2024 season started with a trip to the Emerald Isle and it would be very difficult to see ESPN skip out on it this year. It was the first time the program aired a production outside of the United States.
This year, a heavyweight Big 12 battle will get things started on Aug. 23 between Iowa State and Kansas State - a potential preview of the conference championship game. Good luck, keeping Pat McAfee and company away from the Guinness and football in Dublin.
Week 1 - Columbus, Ohio (Texas vs. Ohio State)
ESPN made this location known early in the offseason. It will be a full circle moment as Columbus was the first destination where iconic GameDay host Lee Corso made his first game prediction using the headgear of a mascot.
📍 Week 1: Columbus, OH
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) June 10, 2025
We're kicking off College GameDay with a trip to Texas-Ohio State, as we celebrate Lee Corso's final show back where he first made headgear history! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/FtOLmXPXKB
Week 1 will be the final appearance for the 90-year-old Corso as he announced his retirement from the broadcast due to health reasons earlier this year.
Week 2 - Norman, Oklahoma (Michigan vs. Oklahoma)
This matchup has the potential to set the tone for the season for both programs. Michigan is looking to rebound from a national championship hangover and Oklahoma wants to prove it belongs in the SEC after a disappointing debut last year.
Both programs are expected to be ranked in the opening AP poll which would provide ESPN with an easily juicy battle to feature that Saturday morning. What network executive would say no to two ranked matchups two weeks in a row?
Week 3 - Morgantown, West Virginia (Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia)
The Backyard Brawl. Enough said.
Pittsburgh and West Virginia won't be seeing one another in this classic rivalry again until 2029. It's an easy decision for GameDay to take advantage of celebrating it by visiting one of the rowdiest college towns in America.
Week 4 - Coral Gables, Florida (Florida vs. Miami)
Another rivalry matchup that can't be ignored this year, Florida vs. Miami should have all eyes on Hard Rock Stadium. The GameDay crew loves warm weather destinations and South Florida offers just that as well as massive SEC vs. ACC bout that could have College Football Playoff implications down the road.
Week 5 - Athens, Georgia (Alabama vs. Georgia)
This game could easily be a Top 10 matchup or even a Top 5 bout by the time Week 5 rolls around. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer needs to impress in his second year at the helm during the post-Nick Saban era and what better opportunity to prove he was the right choice than defeating Kirby Smart and the Dawgs?
On top of it being one of the biggest SEC rivalries, this game will have enormous CFP implications and give the winner the upper hand if the conference race gets tight toward the end of the year.
Week 6 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Clemson vs. North Carolina)
The college football world is eagerly awaiting the debut of head coach Bill Belichick for the Tar Heels. In fact, many wondered if he would even step onto the sideline given the drama happening behind the scenes.
ESPN should jump to feature this game, especially when Belichick might be more inclined to join the program due to his relationship with McAfee. The matchup could also solidify a clear favorite to win the ACC.
Week 7 - Dallas, Texas (Oklahoma vs. Texas)
There's literally no reason why GameDay would ignore having the Red River Rivalry as its backdrop for Week 7. The midway point of the season is a prime spot to have the Sooners and Longhorns duke it out at the Cotton Bowl.
Arch Manning vs. John Mateer. Steve Sarkisian vs. Brent Venables. What more could you ask for?
Week 8 - South Bend, Indiana (USC vs. Notre Dame)
This could be the last time these historic and iconic programs face off against one another. Let that sink in a minute.
USC vs. Notre Dame one last time from South Bend should be an automatic decision for ESPN despite NBC having he rights to the broadcast that night. There's too much history and it's too big an opportunity to ignore if the rivalry does conclude.
Week 9 - Columbia, South Carolina (Alabama vs. South Carolina)
This is where the network may need to start getting a little creative. There may be another destination that is preferable given the results of prior weeks but if not, you can't go wrong with a potential marquee SEC matchup.
Alabama is always considered a contender in the conference and for the national title but South Carolina has displayed in previous years that it can certainly play the role of spoiler. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has drawn some outside Heisman Trophy hype so this should be on ESPN's radar for sure.
Week 10 - Ames, Iowa (Arizona State vs. Iowa State)
This is a rematch of the Big 12 Championship Game from last year. The Sun Devils return nearly all their starters, save running back Cam Skattebo, and the Cyclones still have an impressive lineup themselves.
If both teams are undefeated or near the top of the Big 12 standings by this time, this could be a de facto conference playoff game. Given ASU is the defending champ, there should be some obvious hype around this game.
Week 11 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama (LSU vs. Alabama)
It wouldn't be a college football season without GameDay traveling to Tuscaloosa at least once in the year. ESPN loves the SEC and it will take every opportunity it can get to promote the conference.
This may not be the matchup it chooses to attend but if the Tigers manage to have a season where they're exceeding expectations (or meeting them, rather) then this game could have major implications for the SEC title race and the CFP.
Week 12 - Athens, Georgia (Texas vs. Georgia)
This is a rematch of the SEC Championship Game from last year and if projections are any indication, there could be a rubber match in Atlanta again depending on how this result turns out.
Arch Manning will have his opportunity to shine on the biggest stage, if things haven't taken a turn for the worse yet, and facing Georgia is the most opportune moment for GameDay to head down to Athens to hype fans up.
Week 13 - Eugene, Oregon (USC vs. Oregon)
This is the week where most SEC powerhouses are playing their cake matchups against FCS opponents, so GameDay maybe scraping the barrel with this one. Thankfully, there's a potentially big Big Ten (former Pac-12) matchup that could save the day.
Both Oregon and USC could be major players in the conference race but even if they wind up not being so, ESPN loves heading to Eugene at least once a year. This would be their best opportunity.
Week 14 - Ann Arbor, Michigan (Ohio State vs. Michigan)
I mean, it's The Game. Does there really need to be an explanation here?
There were fireworks after last year's matchup and the Buckeyes are still looking for their first win against the Wolverines since 2019. There's no other place to be but in Columbus to wrap things up in the regular season.
Postseason
It's impossible to know where GameDay will go in the postseason until the regular season plays out but typically the show travels to the SEC Championship Game or whichever matchup has larger implications on the CFP. After that, they'll host shows during each round of the playoff at to be determined locations.