ESPN College GameDay

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel talk to David Pollack on the way to football practice about the most "disturbing" thing he saw rewatching Clemson, when it will be safe to start Cade Klubnick, other teams copying Notre Dame’s defensive game plan against Ohio State, which games they’re eyeing on Saturday and an Anthony Richardson encore. Then, Rece and Pete discuss the latest on Michigan’s belabored quarterback point, West Virginia in need of a sign of progress, Oregon State rolling Boise State, bad Mike Leach impressions, Baylor-BYU, N.C. State not perpetuating its own stereotype, and Rece’s Saturday that will span from Austin to Palo Alto. 

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel discuss how LSU-Florida State perfectly encapsulated the sport, Iowa relying on safeties to beat South Dakota State, Rece’s reoccurring dream that he can’t get to the GameDay set, Appalachian State’s botched two-point conversion, Stetson Bennett’s stellar performance, which Pac-12 loses were disqualifying for the College Football Playoff, why Georgia should be No. 1, the evolving Buckeyes, Oregon State thumping Boise State and a brand new Arizona team winning in Week 1. Plus, who was the real MVP while the GameDay crew was in Columbus?

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Rece Davis, Pete Thamel and Bill Connelly start the show discussing Rece eating Italian food with his hands, Connecticut pizza, the latest on conferences jockeying for TV contracts, the importance of the late TV windows and the odds we see an expanded playoff in the near future. Then, the Race for the Ribeye revs up in week one as the guys pick Illinois-Indiana, Georgia-Oregon, Cincinnati-Arkansas, Utah-Florida and Notre Dame-Ohio State. 

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Pete Thamel and Rece Davis discuss Sam Pittman’s interesting analogy for Cincinnati, what to expect from the post-playoff Bearcats, if Florida and Arkansas could both lose their home openers, and Rece piloting the Stetson Bennett VI bandwagon. Then, David Pollack drops by and the guys get into Georgia’s wide receiver room, if Ladd McConkey is related to Phil McConkey, David’s first Friday night lights experience on the sidelines, Pete’s portal pet peeve and Jim Harbaugh attempting to split the baby. Later, Rece and Pete pick the Thursday night games.

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel discuss Nebraska finding a new way to lose, the curse of Bo Pelini, Michigan’s interesting plan to quell any quarterback drama, the time a West Virginia fan sent Mark May $500 in pennies, Rece’s trade value, an offseason of robust hype for Tennessee, lobbying for free cookies, what to expect from Wake Forest with Mitch Griffith, and Auburn and Texas A&M name their starting quarterbacks.

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel look ahead to Week 0 and day dream about their ideal game-watching setups. Then, Bill Connelly joins the show to picks games with steaks on the line. The guys discuss their philosophies for picking games, tight games in Hawaii favoring Hawaii, an unfavorable outlook for Vanderbilt, Illinois’ defense, and if Nebraska will shed its unlucky streak or Pat Fitzgerald will celebrate a win with a Guinness. Plus, Rece’s Big Ten West champion, too much UConn talk and who’s been to Ireland.

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel kick off the inaugural episode of the College GameDay podcast by talking about Nick Saban’s contract extension through 2030 and what they remember from Alabama’s coaching search from 2007. Then David Pollack stops by to discuss Rich Rodriguez battling spies, Rece’s AP Top 25 ballot, if Utah can start the season strong, Texas A&M’s talent level, USC being a test case for the new era of the sport, if Rece is ignoring the Group of Five, the learning curve for Marcus Freeman, what would induce more conference realignment in the short term and more.

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Join ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis and Senior Writer Pete Thamel, as well as many of GameDay’s key analysts and contributors, as they discuss and debate the biggest stories and break down the biggest games in college football, while also leaning into the key basketball moments and storylines as well. With episodes Mondays/Wednesday/Fridays in the fall, and a year-round weekly presence this is the place to be for the college sports fan.

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