ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot goes to ‘The Game’ to spotlight No. 1 Ohio State at No. 18 Michigan in Ann Arbor

• Michigan great and Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to serve as celebrity guest picker
• Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day join the show from Michigan Stadium
• Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the chance to enter Pat McAfee’s Kicking Contest

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot returns to Ann Arbor for The Game between top-ranked Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan. The trip marks the 17th time the premier college football pregame show has originated from Ann Arbor – the third most of any school all time. College GameDay will be live from Ferry Field on Michigan’s campus from 9 a.m. – noon ET on ESPN, ESPNU and Disney+. The show will also be available to all fans via the ESPN App,

Host Rece Davis is at the helm for his 11th season, joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Kirk Herbstreit – former Ohio State quarterback and captain, Michigan legend and Heisman Trophy winner 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

• Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will each join the show live upon their arrival to Michigan Stadium.
• Michigan great, Heisman Trophy runner-up and current Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson makes his return to Ann Arbor as the Week 14 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 $5 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.
• Coach’s Film Room – Nick Saban, the seven-time National Champion and legendary college football head coach, goes inside the film room to break down Virginia QB Chandler Morris and the secrets to how he has led the Cavaliers into CFP contention.
• All-Access – With SMU and Virginia looking to clinch their spots in the ACC Football Championship, go all access inside their preparations with head coaches – Rhett Lashlee and Tony Elliott – wired for sound.

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:

• Buckeye Best on Best: Top-ranked Ohio State has two of the nation’s best players on opposite sides of the ball in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. The two Buckeye standouts discuss who’s won the most battles behind the scenes in practice and how their relentless competitiveness drives each other to success. Jen Lada
• Nothing But a Number: What would it look like if your fear of regret was greater than your fear of failure? It might resemble 58-year-old Tom Cillo, a 6-foot, 227-pound former powerlifting champion whose dream of playing college football was derailed by alcohol and drug addiction in his teens and 20s. Now, nearly four decades later, he’s battling father time and offensive tackles as a freshman defensive lineman at Division III Lycoming College in Pennsylvania. What started as a crazy idea and a phone call has become one of the most inspiring stories in college football. Marty Smith
• Rivalry Weekend – Thankfulness to Thanklessness: Thursday, we gathered with family and friends to give thanks. Then, we woke up Friday morning and began two days of thanklessness…thanks to a sport so powerful that the same hands we held as we blessed the turkey, we now use to point fingers at those same family and friends to call them a turkey…because they root for the wrong school. That’s the gift of college football and Rivalry Weekend. Loving and loathing, all at once, leftover turkey leg in hand. Ryan McGee

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.

All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans within the ESPN App. Designed to give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, the ESPN App provides a unique viewing experience that includes integrated game stats, multiview options, a synchronized two-screen feature, a vertical video feature called Verts and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as ESPN BET information, ESPN Fantasy sports, commerce, and more. These new features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.

By: Amanda Brooks