ESPN College GameDay snubs Oklahoma-Tennessee for North Dakota State

The fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners have the complete recipe for a big Saturday night football game in early September.

They’ve got a 7 p.m. kick-off time. Their game will be nationally televised on ABC. And they’ve got a rare out-of-conference home game against an SEC opponent.

Seems like ESPN College Gameday would be a lock for the sold out game in Norman, Oklahoma, right?

Well, you’d be wrong.

ESPN announced tonight they’d be heading back to the home of the North Dakota State Bison. You read that, right. The NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON.

The GameDay crew went to Fargo, North Dakota last season. And they’re going back. Why, you ask? Well, I can’t really explain it.

ESPN passed up the opportunity to go to Norman, Oklahoma, featuring a regular season Big 12-SEC clash. The Sooners are one of the hottest teams in the country and the Tennessee Vols are trying to climb back up the hill.

Maybe GameDay felt they go to Norman enough. Maybe they’re saving a trip to the University of Oklahoma for later in the season *cough*Baylor*cough*.

Regardless, ESPN probably chose North Dakota State, because they are the “Alabama” of the FCS ranks. They’ve got a great fan base. And it brings exposure to a program that’s been a thorn in the side to FBS teams for years.

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• Oklahoma football: Sooner ‘D’ grading well, but real test begins with Big 12 play
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• Oklahoma football: Sooners’ stock rising fast in ESPN prospective rankings

It’s a good story, don’t get me wrong. NDSU’s a rowdy bunch, and they win on a consistent basis. They make the road trips to far away places, but why this weekend?

NDSU is facing a school named “Incarnate Word.” From what I read, NDSU is expected to win by a large margin. So I guess my question is, why not wait to go to Fargo later in the year? You know, when #21 South Carolina isn’t hosting #6 Georgia and #4 Oklahoma isn’t taking the initiative to schedule a big name program like Tennessee in the middle of September.

It’s a tough break for the Oklahoma Sooner fans who were probably expecting GameDay to return to campus. However, congrats to the Bison and soak in the GameDay fun.

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