ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot returns to the blue turf for the first time in 16 years this Saturday, setting up at Boise State University ahead of the No. 24 Broncos’ pivotal matchup against the Oregon State Beavers. The three-hour live pregame show airs Saturday, Nov. 14, at 9 a.m. ET from DeChevrieux Field on ESPN, ESPNU, Disney+ and the ESPN App.
College GameDay last visited Boise in 2010 when the then-No. 3 Broncos also hosted Oregon State. With a win over the Beavers, Boise State clinches a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game, setting the Broncos up for a potential College Football Playoff bid. Oregon State and Boise State feature all three major FBS statistical leaders — Braden Atkinson (passing, 3,169 yards), Dylan Riley (rushing, 1,241 yards) and Jesse Legree (receiving, 1,209 yards).
Ian Johnson — who famously proposed to his now-wife following Boise State’s iconic 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma — comes home to his alma mater as this week’s celebrity guest picker. The announcement was made on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.
Rece Davis returns as host and is joined at the desk by analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. College football insider Pete Thamel, college football analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the College GameDay cast for the 2026 college football season.
College GameDay averaged 2.9M viewers from Notre Dame last week— the most-watched Week 10 episode ever and the fifth-most-watched episode in the show’s history, with seven of the top 10 regular-season episodes ever coming from this season.
Show guests and highlights:
- Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson joins the desk live.
- Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert speaks ahead of No. 13 Wake Forest’s key ACC matchup against SMU.
- This week’s GameDay Film Room with Nick Saban features South Carolina, whose recent success has been driven by improved offensive line play and LaNorris Sellers’ ability to make plays both with his feet and his arm.
Features:
- “Coach Whitt and ‘The Gauntlet’”: Rusty Whitt was an up-and-coming strength coach at Sam Houston State when the terrorist attacks of 9/11 changed his life forever. He joined the Army and trained Green Berets. After six years of service, he returned to college football, developing an offseason program called “The Gauntlet.” Now he’s using what he learned in Iraq to create unity and resilience among the Florida Gators. Jen Lada reports.
- “Star power”: When Boise State hosts Oregon State on Saturday, two of the most dynamic players in college football will be on the blue turf showcasing their talents. Beavers freshman WR Jesse Legree tops the FBS in receiving yards, while Broncos running back Dylan Riley leads the FBS in rushing.
- “Broncos forever”: Twenty years ago this January, a virtual unknown and unheralded football program shocked the world by knocking off the perennial-power Oklahoma Sooners at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. But it wasn’t just that Boise State took down Goliath — it was how they did it, and how they’ve carried the torch ever since. Ryan McGee reports.
- “Veterans Day”: In honor of all living and deceased men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, players and coaches from around the country share their gratitude for the service and sacrifice of veterans.
Pat McAfee’s ‘Kicking is Easy’ delivered by The Home Depot
The fan-favorite segment returns for its fourth season on College GameDay. Fans who arrive early will have the chance to be selected from the on-site pit to attempt a 33-yard field goal. Throughout his time on the show, Pat McAfee and the contest have awarded more than $16 million in prizes and charitable donations. Full details, including official rules, are available here.
Countdown to GameDay
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 an additional co-host, reporting live from the College GameDaysite each week. The show is available every Saturday at 8:20 a.m. ET across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App.
ESPN College GameDay Scavenger Hunt comes to Boise State
The ESPN College GameDay Scavenger Hunt continues at Boise State University, giving students and fans an interactive way to engage with the show throughout the week leading up to Saturday’s live broadcast. While registration is now open, the contest starts on Wednesday, November 11 and runs through Friday, November 13 at 3:30 p.m. MT via a dedicated digital microsite, with three challenges that include snapping photos of campus landmarks and answering trivia about ESPN College GameDay for a chance to win.
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 College GameDay merchandise.
ESPN collaborated with experiential agency Assembli on the interactive digital and on-site fan experience, and with Flowcode connecting the initiative inside the new College Football ESPN Fan House.
First 50 in line score prize packs
Fans who show up early for College GameDay at Boise State University could score more than bragging rights. ESPN will reward the first 50 fans in line for Saturday’s live broadcast with an exclusive College GameDay prize pack — including a windbreaker, disposable camera, Jimmy John’s chips and gift card, sunglasses and more. Prize packs will be distributed ahead of the 7 a.m. MT broadcast.