ESPN ‘College GameDay’ considers indoors setup options at Clemson because of hurricane
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ESPN is considering indoor locations for this weekend’s “College GameDay” broadcast from Clemson’s campus amid Hurricane Ian weather concerns, a representative told The Greenville News.
It’s another contingency plan leading into No. 5 Clemson football’s Saturday night home game against No. 10 N.C. State at Memorial Stadium, which is still on “as of this point,” the school said Tuesday.
“Depending on the weather, we’re looking at alternative locations indoor on campus,” Julie McKay, an ESPN spokesperson, told The Greenville News on Tuesday. “We’re closely monitoring the storm, but are planning for a normal ‘GameDay’ experience. Public safety is always our primary concern so if anything changes, we will be prepared to adjust accordingly.”
“College GameDay” is currently scheduled to broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Bowman Field. That large, grassy area on central campus has been the program’s traditional broadcast spot when it visits Clemson.
But Clemson’s expected to see heavy rainfall on Friday and into the weekend. There’s a 100% chance of rain in Clemson on Friday night and 80% chance on Saturday morning, according to Weather.com.
Prominent indoor athletic facilities at Clemson include Littlejohn Coliseum, which houses the school’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, seats around 9,000 people and sits across from Memorial Stadium.
This year’s iteration of “College GameDay” features host Rece Davis and analysts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Pat McAfee and David Pollack making picks for each Saturday’s biggest games, with Corso donning the headgear of his winning pick for the host school’s game.
Clemson’s hosting “College GameDay” for the first time since Oct. 10, 2020, when the then-No. 1 Tigers beat then-No. 7 Miami 42-17 during the COVID-19 season. That year’s broadcast followed an alternative, reduced format.
Saturday’s broadcast will be Clemson’s 30th overall appearance and eighth home appearance on “College GameDay,” per the school. It’s also the 13th straight season Clemson’s played in at least one College GameDay-featured contest.
The Tigers are 18-11 all-time in “College GameDay” featured games and 14-4 since 2016. They’re also 6-1 when hosting GameDay on campus.
Clemson NC State football game, weather
Who: No. 10 N.C. State (4-0, 0-0 ACC) at No. 5 Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson
TV: ABC
Line: Clemson by 6.5
Forecast: 80% chance of rain Saturday night
