Rece Davis didn’t hide it: he was rooting for Iowa, and not for some sentimental Hawkeye reason.
On Sunday’s episode of the College GameDay Podcast, the ESPN host said he was pulling for Iowa against Michigan because of what it would mean for the show’s next stop. ESPN is headed to Iowa City for Week 5 of the 2026 college football season, and Iowa’s win over Michigan helped make that destination a little clearer.
“I didn’t want Iowa to beat Michigan because I wanted Michigan to lose, or because I’m some big Iowa fan,” Davis said, per Awful Announcing.
“I root for the show, and it was going to be really, really good for the show if Iowa won on Saturday. They did. And now, a big showdown with Ohio State coming up next week.”
That showdown is now set up as a top-15 game. Iowa climbed to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 after beating Michigan, and the Hawkeyes will host No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday.
Davis’ comments also leave room for a little what-if thinking elsewhere. If Michigan had handled Iowa, the best matchup by AP ranking would have shifted to Alabama at Mississippi State. Alabama sits at No. 7 and Mississippi State at No. 16, and both teams are undefeated.
Even with that possibility, GameDay may have been leaning toward Iowa City anyway. The show’s first four stops of the 2026 season all came from SEC campuses - LSU, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee - which drew criticism from fans and media members who accused ESPN of leaning too heavily toward the conference.
This week, Davis and the GameDay crew will be in Big Ten country. There’s still likely to be plenty of SEC conversation around them.
In Other News...
Derek Meadows Is Becoming An Alabama Concern For A Bigger Reason
Derek Meadows season has taken on an odd shape for Alabama, because the sophomore receiver arrived with some interest but has barely found a foothold once the games started. He had three catches for 44 yards in the opener, then went quiet, while Rico Scott has settled into the tertiary receiver spot behind Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks. For a passing game that always has room for another trusted target, the absence of any real uptick in Meadows usage has become noticeable.
Alabamas coaching staff has not increased his role, and that leaves Meadows in a tricky place as the season moves along. The competition around him is real, his path to steady snaps is unclear, and the longer he goes without earning more work, the more his future with the program starts to feel like part of the conversation. With other players pushing for touches and speculation already drifting toward a possible transfer, this is becoming more than a depth-chart issue for the Tide. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces One Early Kickoff Test Before Mississippi State
Alabamas trip to Starkville comes with one of the more awkward scheduling quirks on the calendar, an 11 a.m. CT kickoff against Mississippi State that will send the Crimson Tide onto the road and into game mode before most stadiums are fully awake. It is the kind of setup that can test a teams routine, especially when travel and an early start are stacked together on the same day.
Bray Hubbard said the Tide are built for that kind of adjustment because their days already begin early with meetings and practice. For a program that leans on structure and pace throughout the week, the short turnaround between arrival and kickoff may be more of a nuisance than a hurdle, but it still adds a layer to a game Alabama will be expected to handle cleanly. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Is Now At The Center Of An Uncomfortable Debate
Nick Sabans post-coaching profile has kept him in the middle of college footballs biggest conversations, and his latest involvement has only sharpened the spotlight. Since retiring after the 2023 season and moving into a broadcaster role with ESPN, the former Alabama coach has remained a powerful voice around the sport, including in his prominent push for the Protect College Sports Act.
Paul Finebaum, though, argued that Sabans presence in that debate may not resonate the way it once did, saying the Hall of Fame coach is out of step with todays players. Finebaum pointed to Georgias Kirby Smart as a sharper fit for the modern college football moment, creating an awkward contrast for a figure whose opinions still carry enormous weight in the sport and especially across the SEC. [Read more 🡒]