FanHouse GameDay

Home Depot remains the program's title sponsor (hooray, more free hard hats for the crowd), but the great, mostly Southern dining establishment that is Chick-Fil-A is changing the routine a bit.

The agreement [with ESPN] includes Chick-fil-A TV commercials during the show and a live shot of a Chick-fil-A fan interaction area. Event staff in "College GameDay" and Chick-fil-A co-branded uniforms will escort a crate carrying the mascot head for Corso's announcement.

Total cheese, but then so is the entire Lee Corso repertoire. This move should fit right in.

Chick-Fil-A now sponsors a bowl game (aptly named the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta) and will also sponsor the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff, an annual affair in Atlanta to begin the college football season. The normally secretive GameDay location dance is a wash as the article states GameDay will be in Atlanta for that game (August 30) during the first Saturday of college football this year.

ESPN College GameDay once did a feature on Arizona State's quarterbacks preparing with an expensive video game system that simulated game conditions. Penn State appears to be following in their path.

The idea is to give the Penn State quarterbacks more work on their playbook, which is loaded onto a Madden football game for use in the video game machine. [snip]

"While we're in there, so-called wasting time, playing PlayStation, we can actually learn something," starting quarterback Anthony Morelli said. "It will almost be like watching film. Changing plays on the fly, it's just a fun thing that's going to help us on the field." [snip]

"It's pretty much getting to the point where it's almost real. It's getting scary," he said. "They've got guys' accuracy, your arm strength. They're almost making it look exactly like you. Some guys even move like they really move. It's crazy. It's realistic."

If Morelli's scattershot arm is represented with a 50 or so accuracy rating, I'll believe it's truly "realistic". The funny thing is this is happening at Penn State where coach Joe Paterno has probably been left completely in the dark about this operation. He barely grasps (nor cares to grasp) the simplicity of text messaging. Imagine having to explain this to him ... yikes. Instead, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno is in charge of all the details.

(H/T: Larry Brown Sports)
Sorry, No Photos

There's new theme music for college football on ESPN and it has nothing to do with coming to your city. It is, however, weird:

50 Cent, Kelly Rowland and Perry Farrell and his group, Satellite Party, are adding to the list of music/sports-world promos. The trio recently remixed Satellite Party's "Only Love, Let's Celebrate" for the upcoming 2007 college football season on ESPN.

Add another to the pile of Great Moments In ESPN Executive Thinking:

[ESPN] had the idea to bring in someone who can rap and a female who can sing, and then put it together [as a remix]," Farrell told MTV News on Thursday.

Meh. As the title says, it can't be any worse than the Big 'N Rich cacaphony that's introed Gameday for the past couple years. Are they still using that? Does anyone know? And, if so, is there any way to stop it?

If you're interested, a youtube video of this song after the jump.

(Via the Wizard of Odds)

Upside: Hawaii. In November.

Hawaii.

Hawaii.

Downside: I'm unwilling to do the math at the moment but the show would have something like a 1 a.m. local start time. Nothing says poor execution like a visual TV show set in paradise but filmed in the pitch black of morning hours. Also, Herbie and crew might be a little sluggish working their way through the show and subsequent early-morning football. But nothing says you're living life like a 3-in-the-morning post-taping Mai Tai.

The Wariors Will Throw has circled the Nov. 23 game against Boise State. Somewhere, over the rainbow ... this will happen. But not in real life. GameDay has enough troubles making its way out west for those 6 a.m. starts, I can imagine the expenses, challenge of recreating the set and insurance issues for a trip across the Pacific Ocean into paradise weigh heavily against this. But we can dream, right?

(Via: In The Bleachers)

ESPN announced today that its iconic College GameDay program will mark its 2007 debut Sept. 1 in Blacksburg, Virginia in honor of the Virginia Tech massacre. The Hokies will host East Carolina in what should be a stirring night-time football setting at Lane Stadium.

In doing so, ESPN has chosen somber and sobriety over celebration.

"Virginia Tech is a special place, and the community is one of the most respectful and passionate we have visited," ESPN vice president Norby Williamson said. "Our coverage will be considerate of the emotional day facing the students, faculty, and people of Blacksburg and the country."

I understand why they're doing this and it's not all that serious of a complaint, but it's an awkward way to start the college football season. Virginia Tech will be an outstanding host and I get chills watching night games at Lane Stadium even without the backdrop of the massacre that happened on their campus this April.

Expect somber recollections of the day's events and its impact on the Virginia Tech football/athletics family as well as profiles and interviews if form holds.

There had been some debate about whether GameDay would choose this setting for the opener or head off to Berkeley for the Cal/Tennessee game or South Bend to see Notre Dame host Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech travels to LSU the following weekend and buzz had GameDay heading down to Baton Rouge to play up the Virginia Tech angle at that time.

Cal fans will be upset for a while as they were looking forward to a GameDay visit with Tennessee in town. In fact, they apparently got word that they were the likely hosts several weeks back and are certain to be a little stunned at today's announcement. That said, it's an appropriate if slightly unexpected move and hopefully ESPN handles the tragedy properly while still keeping the focus on college football and its long anticipated opening weekend.