ESPN's College GameDay Week 2 Location announced: Where's the action?
ESPN College GameDay Week 2 location has been announced. The event will take place in Tuscaloosa. Here is the announcement on Twitter:
ESPN College GameDay is coming to Alabama Crimson Tide fans. This announcement was made ahead of the scheduled matchup between the mighty Crimson Tide and the Texas Longhorns, which will be among the biggest games of the early season so far. The game is scheduled for September 9, Saturday.
Who is hosting ESPN College GameDay Week 2?
ESPN College GameDay Week 2 at Tuscaloosa will be headlined by host Rece Davis, alongside analysts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and Pat McAffee. The program will go live from the famous Denny Chimes. Furthermore, SEC Nation will start from Wade Hall starting at 10 A.M. to noon on the SEC Network (reports AL.com).
Aside from the above names, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims, CFB insider Pete Thamel, and newcomer 'Stanford Steve' Coughlin will also be rounding up the crew. It will be the 17th overall trip to Tuscaloosa for ESPN College GameDay and also the 55th appearance on the show for the Crimson Tide. Alabama is the current favorite to win the contest, but they have a chip on this shoulder this college football season. A lot of other people are picking Texas as well.
Alabama vs. Texas: Tale of the tape
Last year, Alabama was able to sneak in a victory thanks to the efforts of Heisman winner Bryce Young. The Crimson Tide won 20-19, in a game where Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers suffered a shoulder injury.
But since Young is no longer in Tuscaloosa, coach Nick Saban needs to find a definitive replacement for him. For QB1, 'Bama has a choice to make between Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, and Tyler Buchner.
For now, Texas has Quinn Ewers hopefully fit to play the full game. According to numerous picks by Sports Illustrated, Ewers' performance and health will be key to whether the Longhorns get the upset or not. Either way, no one is expecting a blowout when these two teams go head-to-head next week.
Another interesting thing about this matchup is that this will be the last time that the two teams will have a non-conference battle, as Texas is set to join the SEC shortly before the start of the 2024 college football season.