College GameDay viewers are used to Pat McAfee trying physical stunts, but with the college football road show traveling to Iowa, this time it was the turn of reporter Jess Sims.
If there’s anyone who knows about strength and physical fitness, it’s Sims. In addition to her role on ESPN on GameDay and as a college basketball sideline reporter, she is a famed Peloton workout instructor. But she may have met her match with an old-fashioned test of strength in the fields of the Hawkeye state — a hay bale.
GameDay welcomed a hay bale throwing champion to teach Sims some of the tools of the trade in launching a hay bale over a bar. After she learned the technique, the first attempt didn’t go quite well. It probably didn’t help that the on-set crew of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, and Pat McAfee were armchair quarterbacking her technique throughout the segment.
Finally, after psyching herself up (and having the bar being lowered just a smidge), Jess Sims completed the hay bale toss successfully to the cheers of the crowd.
“Now I’m pissed” 😅@jess_sims had to lock in for the hay bale toss 😤😂 pic.twitter.com/cum1TmKu89
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 3, 2026
With the apparent ease of Pat McAfee’s field goal kicking contest, maybe it’s time to consider regional feats of strength depending on the College GameDay location each week as more of a challenge to earn the grand prize.
The kicking contest actually didn’t produce a successful kick this week. However, former Iowa legend and Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark threw a ball through the uprights to win an Iowa student $150,000 and also a $150,000 charity donation.
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