ESPN announces College GameDay location for Week 9

ESPN and College GameDay will hit the road next weekend to take in college football's most consequential game, this time from SEC country.

Pat McAfee and the College GameDay gang return to SEC country as ESPN's flagship college football show hits the road in Week 9. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College football’s most consequential game could be played in SEC country this coming weekend, and ESPN’s College GameDay will be on the scene to take it all in.

ESPN has announced that its flagship college football program will be live in Nashville as insurgent SEC contender Vanderbilt is set to host Missouri in Week 9 action on Saturday.

ROAD TRIPPING TO NASHVILLE 🤠

See you soon for @MizzouFootball vs. @VandyFootball 👋 pic.twitter.com/7AvYSfOInh

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 19, 2025

Battle of rising stars in the SEC title race

Vanderbilt and Missouri both have the same plan next weekend: avoid a second loss in SEC competition and use the occasion to continue building their respective resumes for the selection committee come College Football Playoff time.

It marks another test against a ranked opponent for Vanderbilt, coming off a marquee victory against LSU last weekend, but also with that loss against SEC contender Alabama a couple weeks ago, leaving less margin for error going forward.

Missouri’s only blemish also came against the Crimson Tide, leaving this up-and-comer in the same position to make a statement against a ranked SEC opponent.

High-scoring offenses

Vanderbilt is playing some of its best football as a program ever, coming off a massive victory over LSU to improve to 6-1 overall with a 2-1 mark in SEC competition, and is currently ranked eighth in the country in scoring, with over 41 points per game, led by dual-threat star quarterback Diego Pavia.

Missouri isn’t far behind, led by quarterback Beau Pribula and tailback Ahmad Hardy, placing 12th in FBS with 39 points per game, and 7th in the country by averaging almost 245 rushing yards against opponents.

Playoff implications

What happens in this game could go some distance in influencing what happens in the College Football Playoff selection committee room, especially taken together with whatever these teams will do in the future.

Both are slated to play against at least two more opponents that are currently ranked, for Missouri in crucial dates against Texas A&M and Oklahoma, and for Vanderbilt in matchups against Texas and Tennessee later on.

Who is favored?

Like last week, the Commodores have opened up as narrow favorites at home.

Vanderbilt is an early 2.5 point favorite against Missouri, according to the current game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook.

That’s the same number the books gave Vandy this time last week in their matchup against LSU, and they were proven right on that score.

This week, the ‘Dores are getting -152 moneyline odds to win outright, while Mizzou is listed at +126.

FanDuel lists the total at 51.5 points (Over -115, Under -105) in the matchup.

College GameDay locations in 2025

College GameDay was on site for last weekend’s battle between Georgia and Ole Miss from Athens, a signature victory for the Bulldogs in a clash between SEC contenders.

Week 8: Athens, Ga... Georgia def. Ole Miss, 43-35

Week 7: Eugene, Ore... Indiana def. Oregon, 30-20

Week 6: Tuscaloosa, Ala... Alabama def. Vanderbilt, 30-14

Week 5: State College, Pa... Oregon def. Penn State, 30-24

Week 4: Miami, Fla... Miami def. Florida, 26-7

Week 3: Knoxville, Tenn... Georgia def. Tennessee, 44-41

Week 2: Norman, Okla... Oklahoma def. Michigan, 24-12

Week 1: Columbus, Ohio... Ohio State def. Texas, 14-7