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College GameDay will kick off the season on Sept. 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the neutral site slugfest between No. 21 North Carolina and South Carolina – an appropriate choice for an underrated cross-conference rivalry that’s regained more revival in the past decade.
That’s the only College GameDay location we know so far. The rest won’t be unveiled until the weeks of – ESPN isn’t taking any risks. But not me, I’m different. I’m a risk taker. I’ll pick out every contest the pre-game show should shadow from Week 2 through the end of the road, and I’ll do it through the lens of a fan, not a television executive. Talk about courage.
I tried to balance disappearing rivalries, matchup quality, and inclusion equality in my choices. I wanted to honor the series that we can’t guarantee beyond 2023 while spreading the show across the country as much as possible. No team features more than twice throughout the year, and no conference dominates the destinations.
Week 2: Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Texas at Alabama)
A preview of a soon-to-be conference clash, the Longhorns will trek to Tuscaloosa with eyes on reprisal for the one-point loss it suffered to the Crimson Tide in Austin last September. This will be a serious litmus test for Texas early in the campaign to see how serious it is about challenging for its last-possible Big 12 title. Alabama is Alabama – for as long as Nick Saban is the head coach, you have a good idea of what to expect.
This one picks itself.
Week 3: Morgantown, West Virginia (Pittsburgh at West Virginia)
The Backyard Brawl is one of the sport’s true gems. It wasn’t played from 2012 through 2021 after West Virginia and Pitt both separated from the Big East, but it was renewed in 2022 in Pittsburgh – a 38-31 thriller that the Panthers narrowly claimed.
Now, the return trip to Morgantown is on tap. It will be Pitt’s first time back at Milan Puskar Stadium since 2011, and the Mountaineers will not be welcoming to their returning rivals. Expect blood, at least metaphorically.
Week 4: Clemson, South Carolina (Florida State at Clemson)
Divisions are a thing of the past in the ACC, so Florida State and Clemson are now directly competing to reach the conference’s championship contest. The Seminoles and Tigers are viewed as the two titans of the league in the preseason, and this Week 4 matchup is expected to play a major role in who rides into Charlotte with a shot at a title.
Don’t forget: Clemson has won seven in a row over Florida State dating back to 2015 and came within six points of snapping that skid in 2022. There’s a nice storyline and some extra motivation.
Week 5: Stanford, California (Oregon at Stanford)
In 2024, Oregon is off for the Big Ten, while Stanford’s future is murky. What has been perhaps the most compelling, competitive, and important series in the Pac-12 for the last 15 years will experience an indefinite end after this season.
There’s a much longer history between Stanford and Oregon than just the last decade and a half, but in that span, the two programs have been the cream of the conference’s crop while dashing each other’s dreams and delighting fans with incredible affairs. It feels fitting for College GameDay to show this series the respect it deserves.
Week 6: Minneapolis (Michigan at Minnesota)
The Battle for the Little Brown Jug has one of the coolest backstories in college football, and these teams do genuinely have disdain for one another, even if the Gophers have managed just two victories in the series in 27 tries since 1987.
The Wolverines should still be highly ranked by Week 6, and their trip to Minneapolis is a huge opportunity for head coach P.J. Fleck and Minnesota to prove to the country what they can do. This will be one of a few possible traps on Michigan’s schedule, and it’s a giant chance for Minnesota to declare its candidacy to represent the Big Ten West in the league championship.
Week 7: South Bend, Indiana (USC at Notre Dame)
It’s worth paying attention whenever the Trojans and Irish share a field, but this year’s meeting could have playoff implications. There is a reasonable chance that USC takes a 6-0 record into South Bend, and if Notre Dame is also looking at one or zero in its loss column, then the national importance of this one climbs through the roof.
Last year, USC put to bed a four-game losing streak to its cross-country rival, 38-27, in Los Angeles. The series moves back to Notre Dame Stadium in 2023 with the Irish hungry for revenge.
Week 8: Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Tennessee at Alabama)
The Third Saturday in October produced the game of the season in 2022. Tennessee broke a 15-year spell to its hated southern neighbors with fireworks, 52-49, to announce to the college football world that Knoxville was back on the map.
The Crimson Tide don’t forget. The Volunteers won’t enjoy a friendly atmosphere as their backdrop in 2023. National attention will fixate on Bryant-Denny Stadium to see if one of the quintessential Southern rivalries can outdo the drama of yesteryear.
Week 9: Berkeley, California (USC at Cal)
It’s possible that Cal will have a losing record by Week 9, and it’s also possible that USC will demolish the Bears when it comes to Berkeley in late October. But I don’t care – USC and Cal have skipped just three years since they started their series in 1915, but it’s anyone’s guess when they’ll meet next after 2023.
The Trojans were part of the initial Pac-12 exodus, and Cal is stuck with artificial Pac-12 intelligence. These long-time, in-state conference mates are divorcing, and even if their sendoff isn’t on the national radar, College GameDay should help the sport celebrate its last hurrah. Maybe the Bears will pull off an upset for the road.
Week 10: Stillwater, Oklahoma (Oklahoma at Oklahoma State)
Bedlam is appropriately named. There aren’t many other series in college football that consistently unfolds in less believable ways than Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, other than the Sooners almost always winning (sorry, Cowboys). If a standard Bedlam offers us unique dramatics and point totals rivaling a basketball game, then what do you think the last one will yield? And in Stillwater, no less.
The Cowboys have won less than 17 percent of their all-time meetings with their in-state adversary, but all they’ll care about is going 1-0 in the only last Big 12 game against the Sooners before they shove off for the SEC. It’s possible that these two will schedule one another in the non-conference in the coming years, but it still won’t be the same. Boone Pickens Stadium will be on fire on Nov. 4.
Week 11: Fort Worth, Texas (Texas at TCU)
Texas waves goodbye to the Big 12 next summer, bringing an end to its regular relationship with the other in-state schools left in the conference. The Longhorns and Horned Frogs have had some outstanding outings the past few years – every game since 2020 has been decided by one score – and the emotion of this one will be elevated beyond what it normally is.
Add in that both programs are contenders for the Big 12 title, and I’m sold. By Week 11, we should have a good idea on if either of them has a hope at hardware and a playoff bid, but even if not, UT’s last road Big 12 game in the state of Texas is notable. You know the Fort Worth faithful will be rowdy regardless of record, given the circumstances.
Week 12: Corvallis, Oregon (Washington at Oregon State)
Oregon State is one of the misfits in the Pac-12 mess. Washington won’t find much love in Reser Stadium when it comes down for one of its last-ever Pac-12 conference contests. Add in some potentially huge implications for the league’s championship, and College GameDay should go to Corvallis.
The Beavers and Huskies were both major factors in the conference title hunt last season, and they each figure to be again in 2023. There would be no sweeter justice in the mind of Oregon State than a conquest of the league in its final season in its historic form, while Washington would find pleasure in twisting the knife on its way out. The loser of this one probably won’t realize their dreams.
Week 13: Ann Arbor, Michigan (Ohio State at Michigan)
How much convincing do you need here? The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is one of the greatest in the sport’s history and has been at the forefront of the national conversation for multiple years running. The winner of The Game has been the Big Ten championship every season since 2017, and while Penn State or someone in the Big Ten West might have something to say about that continuing, it’s not a bad bet that it’ll all come down to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Can Ryan Day silence the critics and overcome Michigan? Does Jim Harbaugh officially have a stranglehold on the Buckeyes? Will Ohio State make it three defeats in a row to the Wolverines, which would be its worst run in the rivalry since 1995 through 1997? Some big questions will be answered in Ann Arbor.
Week 14: Las Vegas (Pac-12 Championship)
I don’t care what the conference championship games look like or what their outcomes would mean: I’d send GameDay to where the last title of the Pac-12 as we’ve known it will be determined.
Maybe the league will somehow continue on after 2023, but even if so, it will never be anything like it’s been. The Pac-Whatever will never return to the heights it once held, and College GameDay should celebrate more than a century of Pac-12 athletics by attending its championship. It’s quite literally the least ESPN could do.
Bowls: Pasadena, California (Rose Bowl)
Something that’s been seemingly lost in the conference realignment shuffle – either due to sheer shock or nobody really caring anymore – but whatever little was left of the Rose Bowl and its incredible tradition is dead. The aura of the Rose Bowl is predicated on the Big Ten and Pac-12 squaring off in Pasadena, and while that’s been torn at for years, the implosion of the Pac-12 truly kills it off.
In an ideal world, the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions would meet at the Rose Bowl this winter. In reality, we’ll be lucky if the game features teams from those conferences, let alone their top dogs. Nevertheless, the grandiosity of the Granddaddy of Them All is dissipating fast, and College GameDay should broadcast from the game while it still means anything at all.
CFB FAQs
How are college football bowl games determined?
Only bowl-eligible teams are selected for College Football Bowls. At the NCAA Division I FBS level, the standard by which teams become available for selection in bowl games varies. For example, in 2018-19 season, the team had to have at least as many wins as overall losses. Wins against non-Division I teams do not count toward the number of wins.
How do you play college football pick'em pools?
Simply pick winners from the games each week selected by the Pool Commissioner, either straight up or against the spread. Whichever member has the most points at the end of the season wins
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
What is a college football squares pool?
In a college football squares pool, a commissioner starts with a 10x10 grid of 100 squares (though commissioners decide to use smaller 5x5 pools). Members pick one or more squares in that grid. Winners are determined based on the score of each team after each quarter and at the end of the game.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to read a football squares pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football confidence bowl pool?
The winner of a college bowl confidence pool is the member with the most points after all games have ended. Members rank each game based on how confident they are in their pick (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). For each game picked correctly, members receive the number of points they assigned.
What is a college football bowl confidence pool?
Players try to pick the winner of every bowl game, assigning a point value to each game. Picks are made "straight up," not using a point spread system. Members rank each game based on how confident they are (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). A winner is determined by totalling the point values assigned to correctly picked games.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football bowl pick'em pool?
As you might expect, the player who selects the most bowl winners will win their pick'em pool. You can win your college football bowl pick'em pool by choosing winners wisely, based on past performance, player starting status and other "intangibles."
What is a college football bowl pick'em pool?
In a College Bowl Pick'em pool members attempt to pick the winner of every College Bowl game (or a subset of games determined by the Pool Commissioner). Picks are made using the point spread system or "straight up", as assigned by the Pool Commissioner.
