Tomorrow promises to be, at least on paper, the single best Saturday of the entire college football regular season.
Enormous matchups fill the docket, including Texas-Oklahoma, LSU-Ole Miss, and Penn State-USC, just to name a few.
However, the biggest matchup of the day will take place out west in Eugene as the No. 3 ranked Oregon Ducks welcome in the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in what promises to be an epic showdown.
As expected, ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast live in Eugene ahead of the Big Ten clash. (It’s still hard getting used to Oregon being in the Big Ten, huh?)
Speaking of GameDay, they made the controversial decision to name actress Kaitlin Olson as their celebrity guest picker for tomorrow’s highly-anticipated show.
Olson, a Portland native and University of Oregon alum, graduated in 1997 with a degree in Theatre Arts before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.
She’s best known for her long-running role as Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds on the hit FX series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” which has been on air since 2005.
This will mark the 12th time College GameDay has come to Eugene, but the first since 2022.
Historically, the Ducks have fared well when GameDay visits, boasting an 8-3 record. Their most recent success came in 2022 when they defeated No. 9 UCLA 45-30, with New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu serving as the guest picker.
(Speaking of Ionescu, she and the New York Liberty had one of the worst collapses you’ll ever see in your life in last night’s WNBA Finals game.)
Though College GameDay often features notable Oregon figures, this year’s show will not see the return of past guest pickers like Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who made an appearance in 2009 when Oregon crushed USC 47-20.
While Knight has largely stepped back from the public eye, fans can expect the famous Oregon Duck mascot to make a non-guest picker appearance during the show.
After missing last week’s GameDay in California, Lee Corso is expected to once again be absent from the show. As of now, there’s no official word on his status, but he wasn’t named in ESPN’s press release, which is an indication that he won’t be making the trip.
However, the usual cast of characters will be in attendance, including host Rece Davis and analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, and rookie Nick Saban.
The team will also include college football insider Pete “The Authority” Thamel, along with reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims. Sports betting guru “Stanford” Steve Coughlin will also be on hand to provide analysis.
College GameDay has a history of notable celebrity guest pickers, and Oregon’s have often made a splash.
However, many fans have been left disappointed with the selection of Olson.
As always, GameDay will kick-off at 9am EST (6am PST). Regardless of Olson, tomorrow’s show figures to be one of the best of the entire season.
What are your thoughts on the selection of Olson? … What celebrity with Oregon-ties would you have preferred?
As for the actual game, what is your prediction? … Will Ohio State spoil the party in Eugene???