STWF Sports | Dec. 10, 2025 – ESPN’s College GameDay has made plenty of history over its decades-long run, but the show will take on a new challenge as the opening round of the College Football Playoff kicks off. For the first time this season, GameDay will stage two live shows in two days, visiting two playoff campuses as the sport embarks on its new, expanded postseason format.
The crew—Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, and Kirk Herbstreit—will open the weekend on Friday, December 19, in Norman, Oklahoma, ahead of the SEC rematch between No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma. It’s a high-stakes showdown with revenge on the line; the Crimson Tide lost to the Sooners 23–21 just one month ago at Memorial Stadium.
Then comes the quick turnaround. Less than 24 hours later, on Saturday, December 20, GameDay will set up shop in College Station, Texas, for the evening clash between No. 10 Miami and No. 7 Texas A&M. It marks the first time this season—and one of the few times ever—that the iconic pregame show will leap from one major campus to another on consecutive days.
Predictably, Fans Are Crying “SEC Bias”
As soon as ESPN announced its destinations, social media lit up with familiar accusations.
“Shocker! Then they will say, ‘Look at the ratings! The SEC deserved 6 more spots,’” one fan posted on X.
“Your network is biased and corrupt,” another added.
A third chimed in: “ESPN is 1000 percent showing their true colors.”
The outrage, however, overlooks an important reality: three of the four first-round CFP games are hosted by SEC schools. The only one that isn’t will be played at Oregon, thousands of miles away in the Pacific Northwest. With the selection limited to on-campus playoff sites, the choices for GameDay were hardly abundant.
Even setting geography aside, the two sites ESPN selected are arguably the two most compelling matchups of the weekend.
The Other Games Offer Less Drama
While No. 6 Ole Miss hosting No. 11 Tulane has its appeal, few fans expected GameDay to make a return trip to Oxford after the Rebels crushed Tulane 45–10 in September. A rematch that lopsided in the regular season rarely moves the needle nationally.
And the nightcap between No. 12 James Madison and No. 5 Oregon? Oddsmakers have the Ducks as a massive 20.5-point favorite. ESPN has always favored competitive games over blowout projections, particularly when scheduling a marquee broadcast.
Given the realities of the bracket, the two SEC venues—Norman and College Station—were the only destinations capable of delivering the atmosphere, ratings, and matchup intrigue associated with the GameDay brand.
In other words: ESPN didn’t lean into SEC bias. The SEC leaned into the playoff.
A Historic Weekend—and a Exhausting One—Lies Ahead
The expanded College Football Playoff has already reshaped the sport, and GameDay’s two-show weekend serves as another sign of a new era. Playoff games unfolding on campus, rather than in neutral bowls, will create electric environments—and ESPN is jumping in headfirst.
For the crew, it means long flights, long nights, and even longer cups of coffee.
Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban will go from a raucous Friday night in Norman to a Saturday evening rivalry atmosphere in College Station. It’s a grind, yes, but it’s also a showcase of what the new CFP format promises: big games, big brands, and big weekends.
The opening round of the College Football Playoff is here—and so is GameDay, twice over, ready to usher in a postseason unlike any the sport has ever seen.
