ESPN is bringing “College GameDay” back to Bloomington, and with it comes the inevitable guessing game: who will be the guest picker for Indiana’s matchup with Minnesota?
The show will air ahead of No. 5 Indiana’s home game against the Golden Gophers on Saturday, a meeting that still carries real weight for both teams.
The Hoosiers are 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota enters at 5-2 and 3-1. ESPN announced Sunday that the show will make the trip to Bloomington for the second time in three years.
This visit is set for Showalter Fountain on campus, giving fans time to catch the show and then make the short trip to Memorial Stadium for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
The guest picker spot is the one everyone will be watching. Joining Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee, the pick is usually the one figure who can tie the morning together. And Indiana has no shortage of possible names with IU connections.
One obvious candidate is John Mellencamp. The IU alum has had “Hurt So Good” played at Memorial Stadium and other stadiums, and it was also part of the national championship celebration in January.
Another name that jumps out is Lee Corso. The former IU coach already has a built-in connection to the show, and the thought of him returning to wear Hoosier the Bison’s headgear would be hard for the production to resist.
Mark Cuban is on the list too. The businessman, entrepreneur and former “Shark Tank” star has been around IU football and has publicly backed Curt Cignetti and the program financially.
Clayton Anderson, a proud IU fan from Bedford, could also fit the bill. His song “Indiana” was played on television during Indiana’s run to the national championship, and he has opened a bar in downtown Indianapolis with a Nashville-style sign.
Caitlin Clark is another name that naturally comes up for promotional reasons, especially with her profile in greater Indianapolis as an Indiana Fever star. But she already appeared for “College GameDay’s” Oct. 3 visit to Ohio State at Iowa, and that show drew 2.9 million viewers according to ESPN PR. She also said she supports Notre Dame, and the school is an adidas school.
Tyrese Haliburton has become one of Indiana’s biggest sports voices, at least in the state sense, and he could theoretically make it back from a late tip-off Friday night in Miami before the Pacers play again Sunday. The question is whether the timing works.
Fernando Mendoza would be a tougher fit because of the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the New York Jets, and his brother Max Mendoza is another possibility after becoming a familiar face to IU fans and the national audience. Max has already appeared on ESPN windows during the NFL preseason, on “The Pat McAfee Show” at the ESPY’s and elsewhere.
There are plenty of other IU-connected names in the mix as well: OG Anunoby, Jason Jordan - born Nathan Everhart - Ryan Murphy, Alex Palou, Angelo Pizzo, Antwaan Randle El, Scott Rolen and Sage Steele.
Anunoby has the basketball credentials and the profile, though the Knicks play in Philadelphia on Friday night and then not again until Monday. Jordan, before his WWE career, was a three-time NCAA championship qualifier for IU wrestling and finished his senior season 38-3.
Murphy is the one-time IU journalism major who wrote “Glee,” while Palou, a five-time IndyCar champion, has become a familiar face around American sports and IU football. Pizzo brings the “Hoosiers” and “Rudy” connection, Randle El starred at quarterback for Indiana before an NFL career and a Super Bowl ring, Rolen is a Jasper native and Baseball Hall of Fame selection, and Steele is one of IU’s trustees after leaving ESPN following a settlement with ESPN and Disney.
There’s no shortage of possibilities. And in Bloomington, that’s usually the fun part before the fun starts on the field.
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