College GameDay announces 2 locations for CFP first-round games
College GameDay will have multiple shows for the first round of the College Football Playoff as it expands in 2024.
ESPN’s flagship show will have a presence in both South Bend and Columbus this weekend for Indiana-Notre Dame and Tennessee-Ohio State. College GameDay will set up shop at Notre Dame on Friday, Dec. 20 and then again on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Ohio State.
ESPN announced that news on Wednesday afternoon:
We're ready for an electric first round of the CFP with DOUBLE the GameDay shows 🍿
📍 First stop: @IndianaFootball at @NDFootball | Dec. 20 at 3:30 PM ET
📍 Second stop: @Vol_Football at @OhioStateFB | Dec. 21 at 9 AM ETSEE YOU THERE 👏 pic.twitter.com/7oNXTrM1y1
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 11, 2024
The College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams gives College GameDay the opportunity to stage 2 shows next week. Previously, CFP semifinal games would have taken place on the same day.
Under the new format, there will be one first-round game on Friday night while the remaining three first-round matchups take place on Saturday.
GameDay will first highlight Indiana-Notre Dame with a show that begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday. This marks the first time GameDay will make the trip to South Bend since Sept. 23, 2023 for Notre Dame’s matchup against Ohio State.
On the other hand, GameDay has already been to Columbus once this season. The show originated from Ohio State for the Indiana game last month. This will be Ohio State’s 25th time to host GameDay on campus, which is the most of any school.