Dublin may be a suburb of Columbus, but that is not where ESPN's College GameDay will be heading for Week 0. It would absolutely shock me if the GameDay crew did not cross the pond to return to its international home away from home in Dublin, Ireland for some sweet, delicious Farmageddon, baby! Yes, Kansas State and Iowa State should kick us off right in Dublin for Week 0. I am so excited for this!
But after that, can we semi-realistically predict what cities College GameDay will be coming to? Figuring out the first few weeks is fairly easy, but so much is riding on other teams living up to their name and brand recognition. Surely, I will get a few of these 20-something GameDay locations right, but there will be far better games emerging than the ones I have listed. ESPN usually get this right.
Using the 2025-26 college football season schedule, here is where I think College GameDay will go.
Week | Location | Road Team | Home Team |
|---|---|---|---|
Week 0 | Dublin, Ireland | Kansas State Wildcats | Iowa State Cyclones |
Week 1 | Columbus, OH | Texas Longhorns | Ohio State Buckeyes |
Week 2 | Norman, OK | Michigan Wolverines | Oklahoma Sooners |
Week 3 | Knoxville, TN | Georgia Bulldogs | Tennessee Volunteers |
Week 4 | Bloomington, IN | Illinois Fighting Illini | Indiana Hoosiers |
Week 5 | University Park, PA | Oregon Ducks | Penn State Nittany Lions |
Week 6 | Notre Dame, IN | Boise State Broncos | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Week 7 | Baton Rouge, LA | South Carolina Gamecocks | LSU Tigers |
Week 8 | Clemson, SC | SMU Mustangs | Clemson Tigers |
Week 9 | Columbia, SC | Alabama Crimson Tide | South Carolina Gamecocks |
Week 10 | Columbus, OH | Penn State Nittany Lions | Ohio State Buckeyes |
Week 11 | Tuscaloosa, AL | LSU Tigers | Alabama Crimson Tide |
Week 12 | Athens, GA | Texas Longhorns | Georgia Bulldogs |
Week 13 | Gainesville, FL | Tennessee Volunteers | Florida Gators |
Week 14 | Columbia, SC | Clemson Tigers | South Carolina Gamecocks |
Conference Championship | Atlanta, GA (SEC Championship) | Texas Longhorns | Georgia Bulldogs |
College Football Playoff First Round | Eugene, OR (No. 7 vs. No. 10) | No. 7 Oregon Ducks | No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks |
College Football Playoff First Round | Notre Dame, IN (No. 8 vs. No. 9) | No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers | No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal | Arlington, TX (Cotton Bowl) | No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes | No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones |
College Football Playoff Semifinal | Glendale, AZ (Fiesta, Bowl) | No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes | No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions |
College Football Playoff Semifinal | Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl) | No. 3 Texas Longhorns | No. 2 Clemson Tigers |
College Football Playoff National Championship Game | Miami Gardens, FL | No. 2 Clemson Tigers | No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions |
I feel very confident that after Farmageddon in Dublin in Week 0 it will be Texas at Ohio State in The Horseshoe for Week 1. From there, I have a good feeling it will be Michigan at Oklahoma in Week 2 because that is still a compelling helmet game in the non-conference. Week 3 at Neyland between Georgia and Tennessee is shooting fish in a barrel. Anything after that is a bit of a shot in the dark.
For the record, here is my way-too-early College Football Playoff field at this point of the offseason.
- Penn State Nittany Lions (Projected Big Ten champion)
- Clemson Tigers (Projected ACC champion)
- Texas Longhorns (Projected SEC champion)
- Iowa State Cyclones (Projected Big 12 champion)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (Projected Big Ten runner-up)
- Georgia Bulldogs (Projected SEC runner-up)
- Oregon Ducks (Projected Big Ten at-large)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Projected national independent at-large)
- Tennessee Volunteers (Projected SEC at-large)
- South Carolina Gamecocks (Projected SEC at-large)
- Arizona State Sun Devils (Projected Big 12 at-large)
- Boise State Broncos (Projected Mountain West/Group of Five champion)
I will now explain why I picked all 22 locations for College GameDay for this year in a sentence or two.
- Week 0: Kansas State Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones (Dublin, Ireland)
- Week 1: Texas Longhorns at Ohio State Buckeyes (Columbus, OH)
- Week 2: Michigan Wolverines at Oklahoma Sooners (Norman, OK)
- Week 3: Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, TN)
- Week 4: Illinois Fighting Illini at Indiana Hoosiers (Bloomington, IN)
- Week 5: Oregon Ducks at Penn State Nittany Lions (University Park, PA)
- Week 6: Boise State Broncos at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Notre Dame, IN)
- Week 7: South Carolina Gamecocks at LSU Tigers (Baton Rouge, LA)
- Week 8: SMU Mustangs at Clemson Tigers (Clemson, SC)
- Week 9: Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks (Columbia, SC)
- Week 10: Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes (Columbus, OH)
- Week 11: LSU Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide (Tuscaloosa, AL)
- Week 12: Texas Longhorns at Georgia Bulldogs (Athens, GA)
- Week 13: Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers (Gainesville, FL)
- Week 14: Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks (Columbia, SC)
- Conference Championship: Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs (Atlanta, GA)
- College Football Playoff First Round: No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 7 Oregon Ducks (Eugene, OR)
- College Football Playoff First Round: No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Notre Dame, IN)
- College Football Playoff Quarterfinal: Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones (Arlington, TX)
- College Football Playoff Semifinal: Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions (Glendale, AZ)
- College Football Playoff Semifinal: Peach Bowl: No. 3 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 2 Clemson Tigers (Atlanta, GA)
- College Football Playoff National Championship Game: No. 2 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions (Miami Gardens, FL)
Week 0: Kansas State Wildcats vs. Iowa State Cyclones (Dublin, Ireland)
Whatever game is the one going to Dublin in Week 0 has to be the featured game for GameDay.
Week 1: Texas Longhorns at Ohio State Buckeyes (Columbus, OH)
This is a rematch of the Cotton Bowl, as Texas and Ohio State can win the College Football Playoff.
Week 2: Michigan Wolverines at Oklahoma Sooners (Norman, OK)
Either Michigan or Oklahoma may be fringe playoff contenders; for now this is a big helmet game.
Week 3: Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers (Knoxville, TN)
The winner of Georgia at Tennessee will gain its first impressive pelt for their playoff tapestry.
Week 4: Illinois Fighting Illini at Indiana Hoosiers (Bloomington, IN)
Indiana was last year's playoff darling, but Illinois is on the Hoosiers' trail to be that this season.
Week 5: Oregon Ducks at Penn State Nittany Lions (University Park, PA)
A rematch from last year's Big Ten Championship Game will do numbers on any television network.
Week 6: Boise State Broncos at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Notre Dame, IN)
When do we see Boise State ever play Notre Dame? Exactly, which is why this is my Week 6 pick.
Week 7: South Carolina Gamecocks at LSU Tigers (Baton Rouge, LA)
Last year's game in Columbia left us on the edge of our seats. I expect this one will do the same.
Week 8: SMU Mustangs at Clemson Tigers (Clemson, SC)
A rematch of last year's ACC championship. We know Clemson will be elite, but is SMU still good?
Week 9: Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks (Columbia, SC)
The winner of Alabama at South Carolina could very well get an SEC at-large berth into the playoff.
Week 10: Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes (Columbus, OH)
It has been hammer vs. nail, but at some point James Franklin has to beat Ohio State, right?
Week 11: LSU Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide (Tuscaloosa, AL)
I do not have either of these teams making the playoff, but this one is a spectacle too big to ignore.
Week 12: Texas Longhorns at Georgia Bulldogs (Athens, GA)
Georgia and Texas have had this one circled on the calendar for a while. Will they meet again later?
Week 13: Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers (Gainesville, FL)
Florida is a year away from being a viable playoff threat, but can the Gators play spoils to the Vols?
Week 14: Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks (Columbia, SC)
Palmetto is about to be off the chain, as both the Tigers and Gamecocks will be making the playoff!
Conference Championship: Texas Longhorns vs. Georgia Bulldogs (Atlanta, GA)
And so we meet again! The allure of Texas finally getting the best of Georgia will have our intrigue.
College Football Playoff First Round: No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 7 Oregon Ducks (Eugene, OR)
LaNorris Sellers vs. Dante Moore in Liquid Sunshine is what first-round playoff games were made for.
College Football Playoff First Round: No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Notre Dame, IN)
We got two first-round games for GameDay last year. Will the luck of the Irish prevail over the Vols?
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal: Cotton Bowl: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones (Arlington, TX)
Ohio State vs. Iowa State is an intriguing enough of a non-conference matchup to merit our attention.
College Football Playoff Semifinal: Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions (Glendale, AZ)
And so we meet again! The winner of this game is going to Atlanta, while the loser goes back home.
College Football Playoff Semifinal: Peach Bowl: No. 3 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 2 Clemson Tigers (Atlanta, GA)
A rematch of last year's No. 5 vs. No. 12. It will be so much orange, but only one is going to Miami.
College Football Playoff National Championship Game: No. 2 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions (Miami Gardens, FL)
Right now, I just like what Penn State and Clemson offer the most out of any college football teams.
We are still five months out from the season even starting, but you can see it coming together, right?