Here’s Why College Gameday Is in New York City

ESPN Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit are headed to New York City.

So, you make your coffee, find your favorite chair and turn on College Gameday only to find the show in…Times Square? No, it has nothing to do with the massive Georgetown-Columbia matchup. Gameday’s New York City location (between 43rd and 44th street in Times Square) has little to do with the Week 4 college football slate.

ESPN made the decision to bring Gameday to NYC for the first time, in large part, because of the number of college football fans located in New York City. Given the size and scope of the city, it should be no surprise that thousands of college football fans pack area bars to watch their favorite teams play.

For example, The Ainsworth is one of the bars that serves as the Alabama headquarters on Saturdays. Iron Bar hosts Buckeyes fans during Ohio State games.

Gameday producer Lee Fitting elaborated on the decision to choose New York City over a traditional college campus.

“New York City is a melting pot of college football fans and the heartbeat of America,” Fitting noted in a press release. “Thousands of alumni gather in the city each fall Saturday to root on their school and we are bringing College GameDay to New York for them! We want every alumni base and college football fan near and far to join us in Times Square to provide the celebratory, festive atmosphere that is synonymous with the show.”

The Week 4 slate offered ESPN the perfect excuse to do something different. There were only a few options to consider including Stillwater for TCU-Oklahoma State or Athens for the Mississippi State-Georgia game.

Each season, Gameday likes to go to a unique locale. In past years, they have gone to places like Fargo and James Madison. The biggest question is how ESPN will choose to end the show.

In normal circumstances, Lee Corso picks the winner of the game happening at the Gameday location by putting on the mascot’s headgear. Corso could end up picking the winner of one of the marquee games, or choose to keep it local by picking one of the New York City school’s games.