ESPN College Gameday is at UCF for Week 12.
College Gameday is making its first-ever appearance at UCF this week. Why is the ESPN show in Orlando for Week 12? Each year, College Gameday prides itself on going to a brand new location that is unique. In past years, they have been to North Dakota State and Western Michigan for first-ever trips. The ESPN show already made its first appearance at Washington State earlier this season.
UCF was helped by the lack of marquee games on the college football Week 12 slate. The only other major game the Knights were competing against was Notre Dame-Syracuse at Yankee Stadium. Ultimately, Gameday decided to head to Orlando to visit the campus of the team with the longest winning streak in the country.
No. 11 UCF will also get the ABC primetime spot against No. 24 Cincinnati in a showcase of two of the top teams from the American Athletic Conference.
Kirk Herbstreit at UCF Will Make for Quality Television
Gameday felt like the combination of all these factors made it the right time for a trip to Orlando. Coordinating producer Drew Gallagher explained the thought process for Gameday at UCF.
“Once we get off the air at B.C. [Boston College], now you’re dealing with a completely blank canvas again, and what are you going to start doing content-wise for UCF?” Gallagher told the Orlando Sentinel. “From our standpoint of producers, that’s where our biggest challenges are: How are we going to make the three hours on the air at UCF from 9 to 12 unique?…Any time we go to a location for the first time, I think there’s an extra bit of energy and curiosity on our part. And then factor that in with the crowd, who has never seen GameDay before or never been a part of this experience. And if they’re a little bit more energized, that gets our guys going more and it kinds of feeds off itself.”
UCF and College Gameday has had an interesting relationship given some of the skepticism people like ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit have expressed over UCF’s national championship campaign. Earlier this week, Herbstreit noted that he is not trying to diminish what UCF has accomplished, but may not see eye to eye with Knights fans.
“I would expect nothing less than thousands of those fathead pictures,” Herbstreit explained to Orlando Sentinel. “I find the energy (of UCF fans) is what college football is all about. I think it’s smart of them to be loyal and support their team. Anybody who gets in the way of not believing in what they believe in, you’re gonna get it and I understand that…This is college football. It’s a subjective world we live in. It creates a lot of excitement and a lot of energy and a lot of anger and hostility, and I totally get it. I don’t blame UCF fans for being upset that people aren’t giving them a chance (to make the playoff semifinals). If UCF fans weren’t that way, I’d be even more concerned. I’m looking forward to coming down there and feeling the energy they will provide.”