Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and the rest of the ESPN College GameDay crew could become frequent fliers to Oklahoma in 2025.
The latest AP Top 25 heading into Week 3 made it where every SEC opponent on the No. 13 Sooners' conference slate is now ranked, meaning, other than two lackluster nonconference matchups, OU will have the spotlight nearly every week for the rest of the college football season.
All of No. 13 Oklahoma's SEC opponents are ranked this week
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 8, 2025
Sept 20 vs. No. 24 Auburn
Oct 11 vs. No. 7 Texas (Dallas)
Oct 18 at No. 11 S Carolina
Oct 25 vs. No. 17 Ole Miss
Nov 1 at No. 15 Tennessee
Nov 15 at No. 19 Alabama
Nov 22 vs. No. 25 Missouri
Nov 29 vs. No. 3 LSU
Sooners' loaded schedule should attract Pat McAfee and crew back to Norman
College GameDay was just in Norman for Week 2, when the Sooners beat Michigan 24-13 in a top-20 clash between two blue bloods. That's the only marquee nonconference game on OU's schedule, but the SEC slate is nothing but big-time matchups that could attract College GameDay back to Oklahoma.
Vibes are boomin’ 💢@CollegeGameDay | @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/cuacQogVY3
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 6, 2025
Most likely, College GameDay will be in Dallas again on Oct. 11 for the Red River Rivalry that could be between two top-10 teams. That trip to the Cotton Bowl could have the GameDay crew highlighting one of OU's games at least three times this season, if not even more.
Even before the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners hosting No. 24 Auburn for Jackson Arnold's return on Sept. 20 is worth the hype of GameDay. However, ESPN probably won't return to the same campus so soon and may have to give the Big 12 some love that week for Texas Tech vs. Utah.
The Red River Rivalry starts a streak of six ranked opponents in a row for the Sooners. If OU beats Texas, the next week could be another top-10 matchup, or even top-5, against South Carolina in Columbia. Tennessee plays at Alabama that week and Ole Miss goes to Georgia, but Columbia still seems like ESPN's top option.
At some point, though, a campus will get to host GameDay thanks to the Sooners being in town.
Depending on how the season shakes out, there are plenty of weeks ESPN could choose to set up College GameDay in Norman again, but if the limit is twice in one season, ESPN may wait until the final week of the regular season when the Sooners host No. 3 LSU.
There's a lot of football to be played by then, but there's potential for that game to be between two College Football Playoff contenders with Heisman Trophy frontrunners at quarterback. Even if OU and LSU slip up at some point, the next best options that week are Clemson at South Carolina or Ohio State at Michigan. Both are historical rivalries, but likely won't have the same national implications as what will be going on in Norman.
College GameDay hasn't visited the same campus twice in the same season since 2022, when the show made two stops at both Texas and Tennessee. The show also went to Clemson twice in 2013 and Ohio State in 2002.
College GameDay has never visited the same campus more than two times in the same season, but the Sooners could force ESPN to make history.
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