For the first time in the 2021 college football season, "College GameDay" is heading to a college campus for the show's featured matchup.
This week, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and the crew will head to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, for the meeting between No. 10 Iowa and No. 9 Iowa State. This game takes on even greater importance for Iowa State, which has its highest ranking in years and is looking to break a five-game losing skid against their rivals.
Iowa has to feel confident heading into this matchup, not only after demolishing No. 17 Indiana 34-6 in the season opener, but also because of its all-time dominance in this series. Matt Campbell's team, meanwhile, entered this season with lofty goals after finishing the season with a 9-3 record and No. 9 finish in the AP Top 25 in 2020. But the Cyclones fell flat in a 16-10 season-opening win over Northern Iowa, and will need to play significantly better if they want to evade the Hoosiers' fate.
Regardless, here's everything you need to know as "College GameDay" makes its way to Ames, Iowa, to preview the game:
Where is 'College GameDay' location for Week 2?
- Location: Ames, Iowa
- Matchup: No. 10 Iowa at No. 9 Iowa State
"GameDay" couldn't have picked a better weekend to showcase the Cy-Hawk Series: It will be the show's second-ever visit to Ames, and the second time featuring the Iowa State-Iowa rivalry. Moreover, according to Sports Reference, this is the first time in the history of the Cy-Hawk Series that both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones will play as ranked opponents.
The last time "GameDay" visited Ames was in 2019; No. 19 Iowa came away with a narrow 18-17 victory over unranked Iowa State in the latter's first and only appearance on the show; coincidentally, that was also the last time these two teams played, as the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for these teams to meet in 2020.
Iowa has more appearances (eight) than its in-state rival, but has gone 1-7 all time while part of the featured matchup. Its lone victory was a win over No. 4 Penn State in University Park, Pa. in 2009:. Otherwise, the Hawkeyes are 1-3 all time in road matchups and 0-2 in neutral-site games. They do, however, have a five-game win streak over the Cyclones, over whom they have a 45-19 series advantage.
MORE: Watch Iowa vs. Iowa State live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
'College GameDay' schedule on ESPN
- TV channel: ESPN
- Start time: 9 a.m. ET
Davis, Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack will preview Week 1 action live from Ames, Iowa, starting at 9 a.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. ET.
Several intriguing nonconference matchups take place in Week 3: Nebraska at No. 4 Oklahoma, Michigan State at No. 22 Miami, No. 19 Virginia Tech at West Virginia and Auburn at No. 11 Penn State. Or "GameDay" could stick with the easy matchup and head to Gainesville, Fla. for the ranked matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 13 Florida.
| Week | Matchup | Location | Guest Picker | Corso's Headgear | Outcome |
| 0 | Alcorn State vs. NCCU | Atlanta | Eddie George | Braves | NCCU 23, Alcorn State 14 |
| 1 | No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 3 Clemson | Charlotte, N.C. | Kane Brown | Bulldogs | Georgia 10, Clemson 3 |
| 2 | No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Iowa State | Ames, Iowa | Ashton Kutcher | Hawkeyes | TBD |
Who is the guest picker on 'College GameDay' for Week 2?
"GameDay" on Friday announced actor and noted Iowa superfan Ashton Kutcher would be its guest picker for Week 2:
WEEK 2 GUEST PICKER ALERT 🚨 @aplusk 😏 pic.twitter.com/unBAeHFjSM
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 10, 2021
