ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot travels to Austin, Texas, for Week 2 of its 40th season, setting up live from the lawn of the LBJ Presidential Library at The University of Texas. The show airs Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN, ESPNU, Disney+ and the ESPN App, ahead of a high-stakes primetime matchup as No. 4 Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Glen Powell, currently completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas and set to graduate this spring, returns as celebrity guest picker, one week after Season 2 of Chad Powers debuted on Hulu on Disney+. He previously served as celebrity guest picker during Week 2 of the 2022 season, also a Texas home game — against No. 1 Alabama — going 7-5 with his picks that week.
Texas will host College GameDay for the 11th time, carrying a 5-5 record in previous hosting appearances — including a Week 2 matchup in 2006 against No. 1 Ohio State, a game the Buckeyes won 24-7. Saturday’s show marks Texas’ 29th all-time appearance on the program. Ohio State extends its own record with its 69th College GameDay appearance.
Host Rece Davis is at the helm for his 12th season, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban. College football insider Pete Thamel, college football analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the GameDay cast for the 2026 college football season.
Coming off its most-watched season ever, College GameDay is off to another record-setting start. Last week’s episode delivered the show’s second-highest season debut on record and ranks among its top three regular-season episodes all time.
Show highlights & guests
- Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian joins College GameDay live on set ahead of the No. 4 Longhorns’ home game against No. 1 Ohio State (7:30 p.m. on ABC).
- Oregon head coach Dan Lanning joins College GameDay live from Stillwater ahead of the Ducks’ showdown against Oklahoma State.
- The GameDay Film Room with Nick Saban, the seven-time national champion and legendary college football head coach, returns. This week, Saban breaks down how Oklahoma’s defense shut down Michigan’s offense in last year’s meeting ahead of Saturday’s rematch.
Features
- “The Man in the Red Bandanna”: Welles Crowther, a former Boston College lacrosse player and volunteer firefighter, was working at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, when two hijacked airplanes struck the twin towers. Twenty-five years later, his heroism and legacy endure through one of the most powerful traditions in sports: Boston College football’s Red Bandanna Game.
- “Arch Manning”: Since birth, Arch Manning has been enrolled in a masterclass on the hardest position in sports, taught by the family who knows it better than anyone else — his own. As Arch begins his junior campaign under center for the Texas Longhorns, the world is watching to see if he can carry the Manning family mantle and accomplish what none in his lineage have: win a national championship. Pete Thamel reports.
- “Boise State’s Blue Turf”: Forty years ago, a decision made in a small corner of the country sent shockwaves across college football, changing the identity of a school forever and creating one of the most iconic symbols in the sport. Jen Lada takes viewers inside the bold choice to play ball at Boise State University on what has become known as “The Blue.” Jen Lada reports.
- “Points Means Pushups”: Starting the season in mid-season form is no easy task — a reality that applies as much to mascots and cheer squads as it does to players, particularly those asked to perform push-ups and more for every point their program scores. Jess Sims puts her Peloton expertise to work helping some of those struggling out of the gates. Jess Sims reports.
Pat McAfee’s “Kicking Is Easy” Contest
Pat McAfee’s “Kicking Is Easy” Contest, a fan-favorite segment, returns to College GameDay for its fourth season, with The Home Depot coming on as the Presenting Sponsor. Fans who arrive early will have a chance to be selected from the onsite pit and attempt a 33-yard field goal. Throughout his time on the show, McAfee has awarded more than $6 million of his own money through contest prizes and charitable donations. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.
Extra Yard for Teachers
The College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers and ESPN’s Take Back Sports will kick off Extra Yard for Teachers Week, with celebrations running from Saturday, Sept. 12 through Saturday, Sept. 19. As in years past, ESPN will celebrate educators across its programming with on-air and social content, encouraging viewers to nominate outstanding teachers at CFP-Foundation.org. ESPN commentators will also distribute DonorsChoose gift cards to deserving educators and College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will spotlight teachers during its Week 3 show at Ole Miss. Together, the College Football Playoff Foundation and ESPN have invested more than $4 million since 2014 to support teachers and coaches.
ESPN College GameDay Scavenger Hunt comes to Austin
The ESPN College GameDay Scavenger Hunt continues in Austin, giving fans an interactive way to engage with the show throughout the week leading up to Saturday’s live broadcast. The contest opened Wednesday, Sept. 9, via a dedicated digital microsite. Fans can complete one challenge per day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with tasks ranging from snapping photos at campus landmarks to answering trivia about past editions of College GameDay.
Fifteen winners will be selected at random from participants who complete all three tasks. Each winner, plus one guest, receives access to a premium seating area near the front of the College GameDay broadcast within camera view and exclusive College GameDay merchandise. Additional participants will also win official ESPN College GameDay merchandise.
ESPN collaborated with experiential agency Assembli on the interactive digital and on-site fan experience, with Flowcode connecting the initiative inside the new College Football ESPN Fan House.
Countdown to GameDay returns
Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. return for their fifth season as co-hosts of ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay, with Sims joining the duo this season as a co-host, reporting live from the College GameDay site each week. The show is available weekly at 8:20 a.m. across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App.