ESPN College GameDay

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel open with College GameDay’s farewell to Lee Corso before breaking down a loaded Week 1: Arch Manning vs. Ohio State, LSU–Clemson’s QB duel, Notre Dame–Miami, and Bill Belichick’s UNC debut. The question is, which game makes the first big statement?

0:00 - Welcome

0:43 - Lee Corso Forever: College GameDay’s Farewell

4:54 - Arch’s Run Game To Decide Ohio State-Texas?

19:05 - QB Battle Headlines LSU-Clemson Showdown

25:16 - Notre Dame vs Miami: Irish Without QB Run Threat

37:30 - Week 1’s Biggest Story Is Belichick’s Debut

39:31 - Game Previews: Alabama vs FSU, Utah vs UCLA, TCU vs UNC

47:42 - Game Previews: Syracuse vs Tennessee, Auburn vs Baylor

57:20 - Game Previews: Georgia Tech vs Colorado, Utah St vs UTEP

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel open with a breakdown of Iowa State vs. Kansas State before shifting to the early storylines in the College Football Playoff race. They examine how Group of Five teams are positioning themselves, and what the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten paths to the postseason might look like. Finally, they turn to Week 1 matchups that could help set the tone for the season ahead.

0:00 - Welcome

3:55 - Key Thoughts: Iowa State vs Kansas State

12:05 - Who's In? Predicting the CFP Field

12:31 - Group of Five Race Heats Up: Navy, USF, Memphis…

18:49 - Big 12 Title & CFP Bid: Who Rises To The Top?

23:07 - Which Team Is The ACC Favorite?

23:44 - Who Take The SEC Crown?

25:27 - CFP Most Stacked Roster & Big Ten Favorite Is…

27:20 - Predictions: Seeding The Champs & At-Large Bids

34:06 - Who Snags The Final CFP Spot?

39:03 - Flaws In The 24- Or 28-Team CFP Proposal

44:15 - Week 1 Games To Look Forward To

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Rece Davis and ESPN senior writers Dan Wetzel and Ryan McGee break down Iowa State vs. Kansas State, a Week 0 showdown with Big 12 and CFP stakes on the line. They dive into the X-factors that could swing the game, make their picks, and then turn to quarterback drama across the country, from Notre Dame’s starter to Ohio State’s choice to Auburn’s wild three-man plan. Finally, the crew tackles Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal and the big question: was the punishment enough?

0:00 - Welcome

1:48 - Iowa St vs Kansas St: Dublin has pints ready

10:37 - Iowa St vs Kansas St: Big 12 conference & CFP stakes

21:01- Iowa St vs Kansas St: The X Factor

23:56 - Iowa St vs Kansas St: The guys make their picks!

28:18 - Notre Dame's starting QB, did they pick the right guy?

43:35 - Ohio State's starting QB is…

45:21 - Auburn is starting 3 QBs… Are they okay?

53:08 - Michigan fined in sign-stealing scandal, what should've happened…

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Rece Davis, ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel, and former Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson dive into what to expect from the ACC this season. Can Clemson claim the conference crown, has Carson Beck won over the Miami locker room, do you dare doubt Louisville, and is Georgia Tech ready to slay giants once again? Add in SMU’s tougher schedule, Bill Belichick’s arrival at North Carolina, and a pack of sleepers, and you've got one unpredictable season ahead.

0:00 - Welcome

1:43 - Clemson has the tools, can they win a title?

6:43 - Miami locker room all in on Carson Beck?

11:50 - SMU’s tougher 2025-26 schedule

15:16 - Dare to bet against Louisville?

17:53 - Georgia Tech to keep slaying ranked teams?

20:46 - Belichick to bring a title to North Carolina?

26:47 - ACC sleepers that could crash the title game

31:52 - ACC check-in: Duke, Florida St, NC State

43:24 - ACC check-in: Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Virginia

58:48 - ACC preview: Total wild card teams

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Rece Davis and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel dive into the wide-open Big 12 chase. From heavyweight contenders to sneaky upstarts, they spotlight two teams poised to set the early tone, explore how Utah and Texas Tech could crash the Big 12 title game, and examine how the league’s middle tier could shake things up.

0:00 - Welcome

5:25 - Who are the Big 12 title contenders?

10:56 - Two Big 12 teams to watch at the top of the season

19:01 - Utah and Texas Tech to make the playoff?

23:35 - Big 12 mid-pack teams making moves

39:04 - Picks for Big 12 title run, champ, and CFP bid

42:04 - Big 12 teams fighting to get out of the cellar

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Rece Davis and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel take a wide-angle look at the SEC, opening with title contenders before zeroing in on a jam-packed CFP bubble. They break down which playoff hopefuls are worth the hype and which ones could be headed for a letdown. Plus, they tackle the big question: just how many SEC teams can realistically make the playoff cut?

0:00 - Welcome

1:27 - Bring on the preseason data deep dives

3:54 - The SEC is stacked with CFP bubble teams

9:39 - SEC frontrunners with big questions looming

19:46 - SEC playoff hopefuls: Who to buy/bail on?

29:49 - How many SEC teams will make the playoff?

31:36 - Other SEC teams worth your attention

42:36 - SEC championship: Who's built to win?

43:52 - Who's got a better ride than Gunner Stockton?

46:43 - Who's got the best car on GameDay

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Rece Davis and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel dive into the Big Ten title chase, asking the question: Can Penn State finally go the distance? As Ohio State navigates a high-stakes quarterback battle and Oregon reloads under Dan Lanning, Illinois is looking to reverse its luck in one-possession games. Meanwhile, sleeper teams like Nebraska, USC, and Iowa are quietly making noise… setting the stage for a season full of surprises.

00:00 - Welcome

1:53 - The Big Ten true title contenders are…

5:57 - Is Penn St a lock to win the Natty?

9:06 - Which QB will lead the Ohio St Buckeyes?

14:17 - Has Ohio St gone too far vs Michigan?

22:10 - Oregon reloaded with the right players?

28:05 - One-possession games to break Illinois’ way?

30:20 - Big Ten sleepers: Nebraska and Michigan

38:59 - Big Ten sleepers: USC and Indiana

49:05 - Big Ten sleeper: Iowa

54:10 - Who’s still figuring it out in the Big Ten?

1:03:19 - What you need to know about the college sports executive order

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel kick things off with a trivia question: how many true freshman QBs have ever led their teams to 10+ wins? That sparks a deep dive into this season’s most compelling quarterback battles… from Ohio State’s high-stakes decision to Notre Dame’s brutal schedule to the uncertainty swirling at Alabama and Colorado. But as teams weigh their options under center, one bigger question hangs over it all: is the 12-team playoff the final answer… or just the next chapter in college football’s evolution?

0:00 - Intro

2:21 - Trivia: Name true freshmen QBs who've won 10+ games

6:28 - Trivia: Name redshirt freshmen QBs who've won 10+ games

17:34 - QB races: Who's ready to break away this fall

22:13 - Ohio State QB: Who starts vs Texas and Michigan?

34:04 - Notre Dame's future QB faces tough schedule

45:00 - QB battles at… Colorado, Alabama, Oregon

53:59 - Which teams will ride one QB? Which ones will rotate?

56:49 - Will the college football playoff stay at 12 teams?

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Rece Davis and Pete Thamel break down this year’s SEC Media Days, where the spotlight was bright, but the drama was dull compared to the heat of the 1990s. The real fireworks may be coming in Week 1. With heavyweight matchups like Texas–Ohio State and LSU–Clemson on deck, the guys predict how the headlines might read when the dust settles. Plus, ESPN’s Bill Connelly drops by to share insights from 'Forward Progress', a new must-read guide for every college football fan.

1:00 - SEC media days: Big stage, no heat

3:26 - SEC media days in the 1990s: Plenty of unfiltered feuds

13:02 - Is Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons an SEC game-changer?

19:26 - Is the SEC the deepest conference?

24:29 - Forecasting big outcomes for Week 1

31:36 - Texas vs Ohio State: Potential headlines

37:31 - Alabama vs Florida State: Potential headlines

38:31 - LSU vs Clemson: Potential headlines

42:26 - Steve Sarkisian: What you might not know

43:49 - Kenny Dillingham: What you might not know

46:05 - The go-to college football guide: Forward Progress

50:09 - CFP or the regular season: What's better?

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Pete Thamel and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel dig into the latest from Big 12 Media Days, where one of the biggest headlines is the conference’s decision to scrap its preseason poll. Why did they do it? In response, the guys put together a poll of their own, predicting who will rise, fall, and crash the conference title race. Then they turn to Texas Tech’s aggressive offseason spending: will the Red Raiders’ high-stakes strategy pay off, and is this the new blueprint for building a contender?

1:15 - Why did the Big 12 cancel its preseason poll?

3:47 - Utah and Arizona State to win the Big 12?

6:54 - Big 12 sleepers: Cincinnati and Iowa State

10:09 - Oklahoma State and Arizona to finish last in Big 12?

13:45 - Texas Tech big money roster moves

27:11 - Colorado QB battle: Who will lead the Buffs?

31:41 - UCF Scott Frost: Nebraska was not the right job

40:13 - Is Hugh Freeze playing too much golf?

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