- College football’s premier pregame show heads to Berkeley for the first time ahead of the Golden Bears’ first home ACC game featuring No. 8 Miami
- Week 6 Special Guests: Head coaches Justin Wilcox (Cal) and Mario Cristobal (Miami) join on set along with Cal Olympians; former Cal football legend Marshawn Lynch joins as the Week 6 guest picker
- Fans arriving early will have the chance to win prizes including Xbox consoles, and the chance to enter to be picked for Pat McAfee’s kicking contest for the opportunity to win $75,000 of Pat’s money
ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot travels west to Berkeley, Calif., for its Week 6 visit and first-ever road trip to the home of the California Golden Bears. The premier college football pregame show will be live from Memorial Glade on Cal’s campus from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN & ESPNU ahead of Cal’s first home ACC clash as they play host to No. 8 Miami.
College GameDay’s visit to Berkeley marks the show’s 105th different city visited as Cal adds to the illustrious history of the pregame show as the 82nd different school to host GameDay. Only six power-four conference schools have yet to host GameDay – Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, SMU, Syracuse and Virginia.
Cal has made three previous appearances on College GameDay while Miami will be making its 25th appearance on the show, and first under head coach Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes have gone 15-9 in their previous appearances.
Host Rece Davis is at the helm for his 10th season, joined at the desk this week by GameDay analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. College football insider Pete Thamel, college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the GameDay cast.
College GameDay continues its record start on pace for its best season ever. The show’s Week 5 return to Tuscaloosa saw 2.3 million average viewers with a peak of 3.0 million viewers in the final hour – up 38% over 2023’s Week 5 show. It finished as the best September episode since 2010 and second best all-time.
Fans arriving early will have the chance to win prizes including Xbox consoles that will be given away before the start of the show.
Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Returning for its second season, GameDay will offer an exclusive contest during the live show, Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest. Fans who arrive early will have a chance to be chosen from the ‘pit’ onsite with the opportunity to attempt a 33-yard field goal. If the contestant successfully completes the kick, he/she will be awarded $75,000 from McAfee. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.
Courtesy of Cal, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will also receive free doughnuts, pastries and coffee.
The show and offerings are free for fans and early arrival is encouraged for these exclusive offers.
For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.
Show Highlights & Guests
- Coaches and Players – Cal head coach Justin Wilcox and Miami head coach Mario Cristobal will both be live on set during the Week 6 show, while Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III will join the show from the Tigers’ pregame warmup ahead of their showdown with Texas A&M. Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano gives GameDay inside access to his Friday night team speech.
- Coach’s Film Room – Saban takes fans inside his film room to break down Michigan’s defense ahead of their National Championship rematch with Washington.
- Special guests – Jess Sims will be joined by athletes from Cal’s contingent of 59 Olympians who participated in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris and amassed a collective 23 medals across nine different sports – the second-most medals accrued by any school in the country.
- Guest picker – Former Cal legendary running back Marshawn Lynch returns to the Golden State to join College GameDay as the Week 6 guest picker. “Beast Mode” earned first-team All-American honors and became the Cal Bears’ second all-time career rusher before playing 12 seasons in the NFL as a first-round Draft pick. Lynch helped the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title and was a first-team All-Pro, selected as five-time Pro Bowler and two-time rushing touchdown leader amongst other accolades.
Additional guests will be announced ahead of Saturday’s show on ESPN PR’s Twitter and College GameDay’s Twitter.
Features:
- Big Dawg Legacy – For three generations, the Woods family has worn their passion for Georgia football on their sleeves—or rather, on their heads. This season, Michael Woods is honoring his late brother, Trent, by carrying on their family’s “Big Dawg” tradition by painting a Bulldog on his head. Jen Lada reports.
- Welcome to Miami – Cam Ward’s improbable journey to the University of Miami began with one scholarship offer out of high school from Incarnate Word, an FCS school. From there, he set out to prove to the world what he always believed – that he was the best quarterback in the country. Andrea Adelson reports.
- The Band Is on The Field – “The most amazing, sensational, dramatic…exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football!” Those were the words used by game announcer Joe Starkey on the day it happened – November 20, 1982. Over four decades later, Starkey’s description of the last-second miracle play that included five laterals, a cannon, a trombone and the bitter rivalry between the Cal Bears and Stanford Cardinal, still holds true.
- September Surprises – From unexpected undefeated teams to sudden departures and overnight sensations and a Pac-2 resurrection, it was a September to remember in college football. Ryan McGee reports.
- Instant Classic – After a big win or a tough loss, how do coaches motivate their teams to respond? Georgia and Alabama’s Week 5 showdown lived up to the hype as one of the most anticipated tilts of the season. A look back at one of the most memorable games in their storied rivalry and a look ahead to what’s next.
ESPN’s Expansive Digital Coverage
ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper, hits the road for Week 6 with hosts Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. live from Cal. The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. ET weekly.
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