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Oklahoma football: On this day in history, OU hosted its first ESPN ‘College GameDay’

By Chip Rouse

From left, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Bianca Belair, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit at the ESPN College GameDay stage outside of Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. The flagship ESPN college football pregame show returned for the tenth time to Knoxville as the No. 12 Vols hosted the No. 22 Gators.Kns Espn College Gameday
From left, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Bianca Belair, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit at the ESPN College GameDay stage outside of Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. The flagship ESPN college football pregame show returned for the tenth time to Knoxville as the No. 12 Vols hosted the No. 22 Gators.Kns Espn College Gameday /
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Oklahoma football has been a part of “ESPN College GameDay” numerous times over the last three decades, but the Sooners’ very first appearance was on this date 28 years ago.

OU was the host site of the live “College GameDay” program for the first time on Sept. 30, 1995. The Sooners had started the season 3-0 under new head coach Howard Schnellenberger and hosted No. 4 Colorado on that day.

Expectations for the Sooners were high heading into that game after their 3-0 start, but the visiting Buffaloes served up a dose of reality, doubling up the score on Oklahoma and handing the Sooners a humbling 38-17 spanking.

Oklahoma has been a host site for College GameDay in football eight different times and has been part of 39 College GameDay broadcasts overall. The Sooners are 26-13 overall the times they have been part of an ESPN College GameDay broadcast. Those 26 wins are the fourth most of any team appearing on College GameDay.

Ohio State has hosted College GameDay 21 times, the most of any school and also leads all schools with 54 total appearances. Oklahoma’s 39 appearances ranks fourth all-time behind Florida (43), Alabama (53) and Ohio State.

Alabama ranks second behind Ohio State as a host site with 16, and Florida and LSU have both hosted the GameDay crew 13 times each.

ESPN College GameDay debuted on television in 1987 with Tim Brando as host and Lee Corso and Beano Cook as commentators. In 1993, the program underwent a major transformation and began airing live broadcasts. Notre Dame was the host site for the first campus broadcast in 1993, with No. 2 Notre Dame hosting top-ranked Florida State.

Corso is the only member of the original College GameDay broadcast crew still involved with the program.

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