Once again, "College GameDay" is ready to travel all across the college football landscape to preview the biggest games and storylines.
But, not so fast my friends. The "GameDay" broadcast team isn't previewing just one game in Week 1 this year: Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, David Pollack, Lee Corso and Co. will treat college football fans to a rare double feature.
The first official stop of the 2022 season is in Pittsburgh for the Thursday night Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and 17th-ranked Pitt. Following that, the team will head to Columbus, Ohio, to preview the top-five Saturday meeting between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Notre Dame.
And with that, college football is officially back.
MORE: Watch Pitt-WVU, Ohio State-Notre Dame live with fuboTV (free trial)
The Thursday night feature of Pitt-West Virginia should be heavy on nostalgia: It's the teams' first meeting since 2011, and also marks the 15-year anniversary of the infamous 2007 game in which the unranked, 4-7 Panthers shocked the second-ranked Mountaineers — and college football at large — in a 13-9 upset.
That game kept West Virginia out of the BCS championship game and was one of the earliest precursors to the eventual switch to the College Football Playoff.
Saturday's program will preview more than just Ohio State-Notre Dame, but will still feature plenty about the Midwest powers. The Buckeyes have what could be their best offense in school history, while Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman will take on his alma mater. Look for plenty of speculation about Notre Dame to the Big Ten storylines, as well.
MORE: Top 25 QBs for 2022 | Preseason All-Americans
With that, The Sporting News takes a look at the two "GameDay" visits for Week 1:
Where is 'College GameDay' location for Week 1?
Thursday, Sept. 1
- Location: Pittsburgh
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Matchup: West Virginia at No. 17 Pitt
Pitt will make only its third appearance on "GameDay," with both of the previous meetings being held in Pittsburgh. The then-25th-ranked Panthers won their first "GameDay" in 2003, stunning No. 5 Virginia Tech 31-28. Two years later, unranked Notre Dame beat No. 23 Pitt 42-21 on the road.
West Virginia, meanwhile, will make its fifth all-time appearance on the show. The Mountaineers are 1-3 in such games so far — 0-2 at home and 0-1 on the road — though their one victory was a 70-33 shellacking of No. 14 Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl.
Pitt and West Virginia have never met as "GameDay" opponents.
MORE: The best college football games in 2022
Saturday, Sept. 3
- Location: Columbus, Ohio
- Time: 9 a.m. ET
- Matchup: No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State
Ohio State's appearance on "College GameDay" will be its 54th all time, giving it two more than second-place Alabama. It will be the Buckeyes' 21st time as the hosting team.
The Buckeyes are the winningest team in "GameDay" history, with a record of 37-16. They also have the second-highest win percentage of teams with double-digit appearances: .698, trailing only USC's mark of .750 at 18-6. The Buckeyes are 15-5 all time when hosting.
Notre Dame will be making its 34th all time appearance on Saturday. The Fighting Irish are 15-18 when among the featured teams on "GameDay," including 8-12 as the road team.
The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish have met only once as "GameDay" opponents: No. 4 Ohio State beat No. 5 Notre Dame 29-16 in South Bend, Ind., in 1996.
MORE: College football rankings 2022
'College GameDay' schedule on ESPN
Thursday, Sept. 1
- Start time: 6 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+, fuboTV
Saturday, Sept. 3
- Start time: 9 a.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+, fuboTV
The "GameDay" crew will preview all the Week 1 action live from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, then Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Pitt-WVU game will kick off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN on Thursday. The Ohio State-Notre Dame game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday.
Where ESPN will head in Week 2 has yet to be determined, though it will almost certainly be in Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns will take on No. 1 Alabama. It will be only the third non-conference road game of Nick Saban's tenure with the Crimson Tide, and will pit him against his former offensive coordinator in Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian.
| Week | Matchup | Location | Guest Picker | Corso's Headgear | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia at No. 17 Pitt (Thursday) | Pittsburgh | N/A | Panthers | TBD |
| 1 | No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State | Columbus, Ohio | Jack Harlow | TBD | TBD |
Who is the guest picker on 'College GameDay' for Week 1?
"GameDay" has yet to announce its Week 1 guest pickers for Pitt-West Virginia, though Jack Harlow, a rapper out of Louisville, Ky., has been named as the entertainment and first guest picker of the season for Ohio State-Notre Dame:
Columbus, get ready 👀@jackharlow WILL BE PERFORMING LIVE ON COLLEGE GAMEDAY 🎤 pic.twitter.com/GPMwgAvWHH
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) August 28, 2022
