ESPN’s College Gameday will be coming to Harrisonburg this week for James Madison University’s (JMU)home football game against Appalachian State University. Gameday, which is ESPN’s pregame college football show, has been airing since 1987. Each week of the college football season the show travels to a different college campus, showcasing that college, its football team, and the city the team plays in. Gameday is hosted by Rece Davis and features analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Pat McAfee. The show announced it would be coming to Harrisonburg via their X account on November 11, 2023. Gamdeay will air at 9 am Saturday, and will also feature a guest performance by the Jonas Brothers and Bailey Zimmerman.
This is the third time that Gameday will be in Harrisonburg, the first time since 2017. JMU is 1-1 when Gameday is held on its campus. In 2015, the first time the school was featured on Gameday, JMU lost in a high scoring affair against Richmond University 59-49. In 2017, JMU beat Villanova University 30-8.
One of Gameday’s most famous traditions is Lee Corso’s headgear pick. At whichever college Gameday is at, Corso will have the head of each of the school’s mascots. Corso will then choose which team he believes will win by putting on the head of that team’s mascot. Corso has picked JMU both times Gameday has been at JMU. According to Cole’s Gameday Blog, a website that tracks college football picks and predictions, Corso is 9-1 in his headgear picks this season, coming into Harrisonburg on a four-week pick streak.
JMU comes into the game at 10-0, and are one of seven unbeaten Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in the country in its second season of FBS play. Despite this, JMU will not be eligible for postseason play due to a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rule that teams must wait two years after moving to the FBS level to be bowl eligible. Earlier this week JMU made a plea to the NCAA to reduce the time of this rule from two years to one. If the NCAA changes these rules, JMU will not only immediately become bowl eligible, but will also have a chance to play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game.
ESPN will arrive in Harrisonburg on Wednesday. On Friday, the Pat McAfee show will air live from JMU’s quad, along with College Football Live. According to the JMU Athletics website, fans will be able to spectate from JMU’s quad, with events starting as early as 7:00 am. Gameday is scheduled to start at 9 am, with the Jonas Brothers and Bailey Zimmerman concert scheduled for 11 am. Finally, the game is scheduled for kickoff at 2 pm. More information, along with the schedule for this weekend’s Gameday, can be found at this link: https://jmusports.com/news/2023/11/13/football-what-to-know-for-espns-college-gameday-at-jmu-2023.aspx
