College GameDay is a cornerstone of ESPN’s lineup. It has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, it has shaped aspects of ESPN and sports television as a whole and it took 26 years since the show started going on location for a rival network to even think about trying to compete with it.
The show has been so successful that some of its former cast members have been given opportunities to spread their wings in other places. Chris “The Bear” Fallica, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi are now at Fox while Maria Taylor is at NBC. Transitions on the show haven’t had too much effect on its power in the sports world because the core of Coach Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard have stayed intact. But when the telecast added former NFL punter and internet sensation Pat McAfee to the fold, the ire of many college football fans was palpable.
One of McAfee’s best traits, the energy he brings to a broadcast, seemed to actually work against him for the first time in his broadcasting career. In a 2023 survey, The Athletic asked college football fans how they felt about McAfee on the show and 48.9 percent expressed that they didn’t like him. One of the biggest reasons readers complained about was overexposure. One reader told the publication that he was being “over-utilized” which could make the emphasis of his analysis less noteworthy.
To make matters worse, Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff beat College GameDay ratings-wise during Ohio State-Michigan week, arguably the biggest college football week of the year besides playoff season (if you exclude ESPNU). And even today, the show continues to inch closer and closer to overtaking the ESPN staple as the biggest college football pregame show in the country. Fox has cemented its place as head honcho of the Big Ten’s media rights, using it to its full advantage. So far this season, three of the five BNK locations have been on Big Ten campuses and four games have involved a Big Ten school.
Despite all of the noise though, last year’s episodes encompassed the second most-watched season for GameDay since 2011. This year’s ratings continue to set even more records. Week 1’s edition from Texas A&M was the third most-watched regular season episode of all time. The week before in Dublin, Ireland saw the show garner its most-watched Week 0 episode ever. Beyond the numbers though, sentiment about the show seems to have turned the tide among college football fans. The articles, social media posts, message boards, and Reddit conversations about College GameDay’s decline seem to have quieted down.
Bringing on a football stalwart like Nick Saban has brought the show some gravitas. The seven-time national champion hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind about Ohio State’s roster, Florida and Florida State’s struggles on the football field, and even the transfer portal among other things.
He brings a more authoritative voice to the panel simply because he was the figure most recently involved with the game. He also balances fans who aren’t always ready for McAfee’s antics. A viral video showing McAfee and Saban as Lil Jon’s “Snap Yo Fingers” was being blasted on loudspeakers is the perfect summarization of their relationship. It shows why their chemistry on television works so well. They bring different energy out of each other and already have experience working together as Saban was a weekly guest on McAfee’s show while coaching at Alabama. Personalities that are too much alike and don’t complement each other don’t work on television, audiences get bored very quickly.
It also helps that McAfee isn’t being “over-utilized.” The only other place viewers can find him is his daily ESPN broadcast. McAfee himself has lamented about wanting to avoid being the guest of other sports podcasts due to audiences seeing too much of him. Scarcity can actually be a broadcaster’s best friend. As weird as it sounds, the more viewers have to look for you, the more likely your point of view will be sought out. Being on too many shows at once can lead to fan apathy.
Saban is also doing his part to bring more X’s and O’s to the show. Herbstreit and Howard have always done an awesome job of breaking down keys to look at during any given game. But hearing the thoughts of a coach who has been in these situations and successful in recent memory makes the analysis much more compelling to listen to. The mystique of Saban also helps matters as well. It was a rarity to get a glimpse of his personality as Alabama’s coach. But the guys at GameDay have helped him loosen up to the point he’s exclaimed his joy on-air about being part of the crew. Did we ever think we would see the staunch and always-serious Saban be fed steak by McAfee on national television?
Rece Davis is the glue that holds College GameDay together while Herbstreit, Corso, and Howard serve as the core who we couldn’t imagine not waking up to on Saturday mornings. Saban and McAfee are the foundation that keeps the show standing and helps to keep it relevant in today’s social media age. Their takes, their chemistry, and their balance are what will keep the show relatable to college football and sports fans alike.
