• James Franklin joins live for exclusive interview; plus special guests Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin and Diego Pavia
• Jelly Roll to serve as this week’s celebrity guest picker
• Featuring a live performance by country music stars Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from Athens, Ga. ahead of the Week 8 top-10 SEC showdown between No. 5 Ole Miss and No. 9 Georgia. The premier college football pregame show will originate from Myers Quad on Georgia’s campus 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN, ESPNU and Disney+.

Saturday’s visit will mark the 11^th time the Bulldogs have hosted GameDay, with the team sporting an 8-2 record when the show is in Athens. Ole Miss is making its sixth ever appearance in a matchup in which GameDay is onsite.

Host Rece Davis is at the helm for his 11^th season, joined at the desk 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 for the 2025 college football season.

Show Highlights & Guests

• Former Penn State head coach James Franklin joins the set live in Athens for an exclusive interview, his first since being relieved of his head coaching duties on October 12. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart also joins the set live ahead of his team’s crucial SEC showdown against Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., ABC) and opposing head coach Lane Kiffin joins remotely from the Rebels’ morning walkthrough at the team hotel. Plus, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia chats with the cast during pregame warmups before the No. 17 Commodores face No. 10 LSU (Noon, ABC).
• Award-winning, GRAMMY® nominated singer-songwriter Jelly Roll (Jason DeFord) will join the GameDay crew as this week’s celebrity guest picker.

• Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest – Back for its third season, the fan-favorite Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest will offer an exclusive competition during the live show. 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. McAfee has given out more than $3 million of his own money in prizes and charity donations across his time on the show. Full details, including official rules, can be found here.
• Special Performance – Country music superstars Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs are set to perform live from Myers Quad during Saturday’s show. Fans are encouraged to stick around after the show ends for an additional two-song performance from Zimmerman.
• Coach’s Film Room – Nick Saban, the seven-time National Champion and legendary college football head coach, takes fans inside his film room to break down USC’s defense ahead of the Trojans’ Top 25 clash with Notre Dame.

The show and offerings are free for fans and early arrival is suggested for these exclusive offers. For onsite information, please visit College GameDay’s Hub HERE.

Features:

• USC vs. Notre Dame – It’s one of the most storied rivalries in all of college football, and the latest chapter may serve as a de facto College Football Playoff elimination game. With that as the backdrop, we look back at some of the more memorable moments between the Trojans and the Irish, including 20 years ago when the initial “Tush Push” was born in the form of a “Bush Push” which saw USC running back, Reggie Bush, assisting his quarterback, Matt Leinart, across the goal line for a game winning touchdown in South Bend. Ryan McGee
• Oz the Mentalist – Few people walk into Athens, Ga. and leave the Georgia Bulldogs shocked and bewildered, but no one else is Oz Pearlman. The mentalist was welcomed between the hedges to take his turn with Coach Kirby Smart and the Dawgs in a series of stunts that will leave you with your jaw on the floor.

ESPN’s Expansive Digital Coverage
Back for their fourth season together, Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr., co-host ESPN’s social and digital pre-pregame show, Countdown to GameDay Presented by Dr Pepper. Countdown kicks off college football Saturdays with fun, fresh insights into the full weekend slate of games. The show is available across ESPN on YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:20 a.m. weekly.

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