ESPN's "College GameDay" will air from Times Square on Sept. 23, making its "first-ever stop" in N.Y., according to Neil Best of NEWSDAY. The pregame show typically broadcasts from the "site of an important game later that day," but this edition is "tied to no game in particular." The idea is to "tap into the city’s energy and to touch the vast alumni networks many colleges maintain" in N.Y. The show "plans to celebrate" N.Y.’s college football history, as well as the "diversity of its college fan base." The main set will be "between 43rd and 44th Streets, parallel to Seventh Avenue, with the backdrop of the set facing 44th Street." ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Lee Fitting credited the net's Chris Fowler, who hosted "GameDay" for decades, for "pushing in recent years to bring the show to New York" (
NEWSDAY.com, 9/14). SECCOUNTRY.com's Connor Riley wrote fans "weren’t all that thrilled" with ESPN's decision to head to N.Y., especially with games like Washington-Colorado, Penn State-Iowa and TCU-Oklahoma State on the slate. The program has "always been willing to try new things," but "part of what makes 'GameDay' so great is the sea of fans crowding around the set." The weekly highlight of the show is when Lee Corso "puts on his headgear" to pick the winner of the game the show is at, but that moment will be a "little zapped given that there won’t be a big game, or even a game at all, that the show is at" (
SECCOUNTRY.com, 9/14).
OFF TO THE BIG APPLE: THE RINGER's Rodger Sherman acknowledged there "might not be a huge matchup" next Saturday, and the net likely bypassed TCU-Oklahoma State in order to save Stillwater "for the all important Bedlam game" against Oklahoma on Nov. 4. However, the show "would have been far better served choosing a place where a small game was happening." For instance, the net made two trips to Fargo, N.D., in recent years "to check out multiple-time FCS champion North Dakota State." Sherman: "'GameDay' should have gone to a game, any game. ... This decision likely saves ESPN travel costs (there is an ABC studio overlooking Times Square), but it sets a terrible precedent" (THERINGER.com, 9/14).
TWITTER REAX: The Athletic's Stewart Mandel wrote on Twitter, "Hey, let's take an event that showcases the passion of college football to the least passionate spot in the country." Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde: "Times Square could be a bit of a letdown after Louisville." The Ringer's Sherman: "Finally, the college football world turns its eyes to the small, Rutgers-mad town I call home." ElevenWarriors.com's Ramzy Nasrallah: "Anyone who thinks Gameday in Times Square is a bad idea hasn't thought through Corso choosing between Cookie Monster, Elmo or Dora's head."
