ESPN College GameDay is headed to Provo in Week 7, but the bigger question is where the show lands next.
Week 8 already has a handful of games that could work as the backdrop for the traveling pregame staple, especially with several ranked teams and a few unbeaten or surging programs still in the mix. And ESPN’s signature Saturday show is rolling right now: through six weeks, viewership is up 6% year-to-date, and the Week 6 edition for Georgia vs. Alabama averaged 2.8 million viewers.
The Week 7 stop in Provo will be College GameDay’s first trip to BYU since 2009. After that, the board gets a lot more crowded.
One obvious candidate starts in Austin. Florida visits No.
7 Texas on Oct. 17 at noon ET on ABC, and the Longhorns’ next game after that is Ole Miss vs. Texas.
If both teams are still sitting in the Top 10, that matchup could easily enter the conversation for GameDay.
Texas enters Week 7 at 4-1 after last week’s loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. Tate Sandell’s game-winning field goal ended that one, and Arch Manning had a mixed afternoon, finishing 19 of 31 for 260 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions, including a pick-six.
That Texas-Ole Miss angle depends heavily on what happens in Oxford first. No.
9 Ole Miss hosts No. 13 Missouri, and a Rebels win would strengthen the case for a possible Austin visit next week.
Ole Miss is coming off a win over Vanderbilt after bouncing back from a loss to Florida before the bye week.
Trinidad Chambliss has stayed on the rise even with a coordinator change in Oxford. Through five games, he’s completed 70.1% of his passes for 1,435 yards and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions.
There’s also a path that runs through Albuquerque. ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis recently mentioned North Dakota State vs. New Mexico as a Week 8 possibility, and the Lobos can help themselves with a game against Air Force on Saturday.
New Mexico is 4-1, with its only defeat a 14-6 loss at Oklahoma in Week 3. Jason Eck has kept the program moving in the right direction since taking over in 2025, and the Lobos are among the top teams in the new-look Mountain West heading into Week 7.
North Dakota State remains in the mix too. The FBS newcomer started 5-0 and won each of those first five games by double digits before a 13-7 loss to UNLV in Las Vegas in Week 6. The Bison are still near the top of the Mountain West picture heading into their game against Nevada, and a bounce-back performance would only help the New Mexico game’s profile.
Kentucky is another team worth watching. The Wildcats host Oklahoma on Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network, and if they get past the Sooners, their Week 8 game against Vanderbilt could become a real option for College GameDay.
Will Stein has Kentucky off to a strong start, and the Wildcats just survived another overtime thriller in Week 6. They used the two-point conversion again in overtime, knocked off LSU, and improved to 5-1, matching last season’s win total. Fans stormed the field at Kroger Field, with the moment stirring memories of 2002.
A few other games could shape the picture, even if they don’t end up hosting the show themselves: Pitt vs. Boston College points toward Pitt vs.
Miami; Wisconsin vs. UCLA points toward Wisconsin vs.
USC; Utah vs. Colorado and Oklahoma State vs.
Houston both connect to Houston vs. Utah; Miami vs.
Florida State points toward Pitt vs. Miami; and Vanderbilt vs.
Arkansas points toward Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt.
ESPN’s next College GameDay destination probably won’t be clear until Saturday night or Sunday morning. But after a strong start to the season, the show has plenty of viable choices waiting in Week 8.
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Kentucky's Linebacker Situation Just Took Another Unexpected Turn
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