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'College GameDay' Announces Destination for Week 9

Where is Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and the rest of the ESPN crew heading next weekend?

Tom Dierberger

Pat McAfee takes a cell phone video of former Alabama coach Nick Saban during the Week 6 episode of "College GameDay" in Tuscaloosa.
Pat McAfee takes a cell phone video of former Alabama coach Nick Saban during the Week 6 episode of "College GameDay" in Tuscaloosa. / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, the very good boy Peter Herbstreit and the rest of ESPN's College GameDay cast traveled to Athens, Ga., on Saturday to set the stage for the Week 8 clash between No. 5 Ole Miss and No. 9 Georgia.

It ended up being one of the best games of the year. Behind a stellar performance from Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton—289 passing yards and four touchdowns—the Bulldogs rolled to a 43–35 victory over Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels.

After another full day of college football, it's time to ask the big question: Where will College GameDay head next week?

Glancing at the Week 9 slate, there are a few intriguing contenders to host the weekly show. As Sports Illustrated's Dan Lyons predicted earlier this week, the matchup between No. 10 LSU and No. 4 Texas A&M had GameDay written all over it, but the Tigers lost 31–24 to No. 17 Vanderbilt on Saturday. No. 14 Oklahoma hosts No. 5 Ole Miss in another contest with Playoff implications, but College GameDay already traveled to Norman this year. Elsewhere in college football, Iowa State-BYU and Utah-Colorado have to be in the mix as well.

Although those games should be a ton of fun to watch, they didn't make the cut.

ESPN 'College GameDay' Week 9 destination

For the first time since 2008, College GameDay is heading to Nashville, setting the stage for the highly anticipated matchup between No. 17 Vanderbilt and No. 16 Missouri. The Commodores, now 6–1, are a legitimate contender for the College Football Playoff with ranked wins over South Carolina and LSU. The only blemish on Missouri's record (6–1) is a tight 27–24 loss to No. 8 Alabama last week. The Tigers rebounded Saturday with a 23–17 double overtime win on the road against Auburn.

A win over Missouri next weekend, and Vanderbilt fans can start seriously dreaming of the Playoff.

The last time College GameDay journeyed to Nashville, the No. 19 Commodores defeated No. 13 Auburn 14–13 on Oct. 4, 2008. That win improved Vanderbilt to 5–0 on the season—although the Commodores went on to drop six of their last eight games and slumped to 7–6 and a Music City Bowl appearance.

Every College GameDay destination of the 2025 season

Week

Date

City

Home Team

Road Team

Host Game Score

1

Aug. 30

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

Texas

14–7 Ohio State

2

Sept. 6

Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma

Michigan

24–13 Oklahoma

3

Sept. 13

Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee

Georgia

44–41 Georgia (OT)

4

Sept. 20

Coral Gables, Fla.

Miami

Florida

26–7 Miami

5

Sept. 27

University Park, Pa.

Penn State

Oregon

30–24 Oregon (OT)

6

Oct. 4

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama

Vanderbilt

30–14 Alabama

7

Oct. 11

Eugene, Ore.

Oregon

Indiana

30–20 Indiana

8

Oct.18

Athens, Ga.

Georgia

Ole Miss

43–35 Georgia

9

Oct. 25

Nashville, Tenn.

Vanderbilt

Missouri

TBD

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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