Ducks Digest

What Oregon Fans Should Know for ESPN's College GameDay For Indiana Game

Coming off a bye week, the No. 3 Oregon Ducks welcome the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers for their second ranked matchup of the season. With ESPN's College GameDay announcing their next show in Eugene, Oregon, there's plenty to catch up on before the early wake up.
Ally Osborne|
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning makes his entry during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning makes his entry during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oregon DucksIndiana HoosiersPenn State Nittany Lions

The No. 3 Oregon Ducks are flying high, but after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road with a bye week following, the team faces the equally rested and undefeated No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers in the Ducks' second ranked matchup of the season; and ESPN's College GameDay gets a piece of the action.

Choosing another Oregon game over the Red River Rivalry (Oklahoma at Texas) speaks volumes to the importance of this Big Ten Conference heavyweight battle, with the Ducks' conference boasting four of the top ten ranked teams (and the first and second ranked selections in the Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes).

So before the iconic college football show sets up shop for an early wake up and Kirk Herbstreit gives his dog, Peter, a walk around Autzen Stadium, there's a lot to catch up on for GameDay's next stop.

Fans cheer during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
Fans cheer during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Stakes of GameDay

With their 13th visit to the Emerald Valley, GameDay will once again set up on the Memorial Quad on the University of Oregon Campus, the same location GameDay broadcasted from in 2024 for Oregon's home 32-31 regular season takedown of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Approximately 2,000 people gathered for 2024's broadcast, with fans lining up as early as the day before.

During last year's visit, Oregon women's basketball coach Kelly Graves and volleyball coach Will Ulmer passed out doughnuts in the crowd.

GameDay co-host Pat McAfee danced to "Shout," The Duck arrived in a yellow sportscar wearing a knockoff designer tracksuit and shaved a fans' head in the back ground of the broadcast, and "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Kaitlin Olson was the celebrity guest picker; so expect just about anything during this upcoming broadcast.

The University announced that details for the broadcast, like when fans will be allowed to gather, will be released later in the week.

Signs during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.
Signs during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Herbstreit on the Red River Call

Another detail of last years' GameDay that could repeat itself is a quick exit by co-host Kirk Herbstreit. The football analyst left by convertible up the I-5 last October to make last years' Red River Rivalry, making for some unique GameDay shenanigans as he headed to the airport and livestreamed from the backseat of a convertible driving down the highway.

As Herbstreit is also listed for the call team on the Red River Rivalry at 12:30 p.m. PT so Herbstreit might need to exit the GameDay set early once again.

Crunching the Numbers

Oregon vs Indiana is the eighth top-ten ranked matchup in Autzen Stadium history. At home, the Ducks are 9-3 when GameDay comes to town, going 20-13 overall when the show features an Oregon game.

Praising the Oregon Before They Go

Having the most recent GameDay episode analyzing the Ducks so close to this next visit means there is a lot of previous coverage to pull from for a sneak peek into what the GameDay hosts will chat about when it comes to Oregon.

Though the entire panel, minus Desmond Howard, chose the Nittany Lions to win in their White Out defeat, the GameDay hosts lauded praise for Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who had a story air of his family life during the broadcast.

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"If you think of the old days, the tight end used to be a guy that put his hand in the dirt, by the tackle, and that's what he played. Now he does that, now he's off the ball moving around playing like a fullback and then half the time he's a wide receiver. So, Kenyon Sadiq can do all those things really well and he can run after the catch. So he is a tremendous weapon for Oregon's offense," GameDay co-host and former Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

"Let's talk about [Oregon offensive coordinator] Will Stein - does a creative job of trying to find ways to get the ball to skill players. Looks like a boot roll and everything to the right. Sadiq out slowly, a slow delay there, and look at all that space. They want to get their athletes some space. He's 255 pounds, 10 percent body fat, 41-inch vertical. They look to give him the football," Herbstreit said.

The Duck shaves a fans head during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon
The Duck shaves a fans head during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There's plenty of details about College GameDay as the broadcast looms closer. Oregon kicks off against the Indiana Hoosiers at 12:30p.m. PT.

Published | Modified
Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A reporter for Oregon Ducks on SI, Ally Osborne is a born and raised Oregonian. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace. Osborne continued her career in Bend, Oregon as a broadcast reporter in 2021 for Central Oregon Daily News while writing for Oregon Ducks on SI. Since then, Osborne is entering her third season reporting for the publication and is frequently the on-site reporter for home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. She is currently the host of lifestyle shows "Everyday Northwest" and "Tower Talk Live" for KOIN 6 News in Portland, Oregon. Osborne also works as a sports reporter for KOIN 6's "Game On" sports department. In her free time, Osborne is an avid graphic designer, making art commissions for athletes across her home state. Osborne's designs have even become tattoos for a few Duck athletes.

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