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Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman shake hands after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ESPN Makes Boring Decision with College GameDay's Next Destination

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 8:02 PM ET

Notre Dame has two losses and seemingly must win out to have a shot at the Playoff, while USC still has a trip to Oregon to make, and can’t afford a second loss ahead of.

The two meet this week at Notre Dame Stadium in a game that means a ton for the College Football Playoff outlook.

It’s not the biggest game in the rivalry for both teams ever by a long shot, but it matters in a big way for both for the first time in a long time, as again, perhaps it’s for the last time.

That’s why it’s a shame that College GameDay won’t be on Notre Dame’s campus for it, opting instead to travel to a location it was at just a few short weeks ago.

Notre Dame hosts USC for what could be the final time Saturday, in a game that serves as a quasi-College Football Playoff elimination contest.

ESPN Announces College GameDay Destination for Week 8

Week 8 is full of compelling matchups that have a lot of say regarding which teams will make the College Football Playoff, but ESPN has decided to go the boring route. It was announced Sunday that it will be headed to Georgia as the Bulldogs take on Ole Miss, as both have SEC championship and CFP aspirations still very much alive.

WEEK 8: ATHENS

We're headed south for @OleMissFB at @GeorgiaFootball with a special live performance from @baileyzimmerman and @lukecombs pic.twitter.com/ghDVc30n6f
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 12, 2025

If it feels like College GameDay was just in Athens, that's because it was. Literally just three weeks ago, GameDay went to Georgia as the Bulldogs played host to Alabama, in a game the Crimson Tide wound up winning.

This marks the third time in the last four weeks that College GameDay is headed to an SEC location, and the second time it's headed to Georgia. I doubt I'm alone in feeling this but the fatigue for College GameDay continuously selling the SEC propoganda is exhausting.

Plenty of Other Options for Week 8

It would have been sweet to have GameDay at Notre Dame for what might be the last meeting between the Irish and USC, but the fact of the matter is that there are several other compelling games that could have been chosen.

Vanderbilt hosting LSU is a pair of one-loss teams in a game that serves as a quasi-College Football Playoff elimination game. Yeah, it's the SEC again, but at least its in a location that isn't visited often.

BYU and Utah play in Provo with chances at a potential Big 12 championship and a possible College Football Playoff berth on the line.

Heck, Georgia Tech and Duke is quietly a big game as the Yellow Jackets remain undefeated.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway

What has made college football great forever is how each region is embraced. Each season that passes, a little bit more is taken away. ESPN has a chance to continue to sell programs that aren't located in the Southeast Conference, but instead will recycle its an SEC site it was just at.

I get that the game is the biggest in terms of it being the highest-ranked matchup of teams this week, but it has turned into a cookie-cutter show that seemingly goes to the same places every week, most of the time in SEC towns.

Notre Dame and USC would have been something special, with it being the likely last game of the rivalry and 20th anniversary of the Bush Push game, but instead we'll get sold the SEC propaganda for nearly three full hours Saturday morning.

I should say, those who choose to watch will get served that, anyway.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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