ESPN’s “College GameDay” is starting the 2026-27 college football season in style.
The three-hour pregame show announced on Tuesday, May 12 that it will open up the upcoming season in Baton Rouge for Lane Kiffin’s first home game at Tiger Stadium with Clemson finishing a home-and-home with LSU.
The Sept. 5th meeting between LSU and Clemson not only features two premier programs ranked in USA TODAY Sports’ too-early top-25 rankings, but it will also serve as a milestone mark for the show, as it will be the 500th edition of the show on the road.
Both LSU and Clemson opened up last season in Death Valley with the Tigers coming out with the top-10 ranked win. Garrett Nussmeier threw for 230 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Trey’Dez Green to seal the win.
📢 @CollegeGameDay announces the first 2 stops of its 40th season!
🏈 Sept. 5 – @ClemsonFB at @LSUfootball (500th show on the road!)
🏈 Sept. 12 – @OhioStateFB at @TexasFootballMore: https://t.co/yPCmt3jqlxpic.twitter.com/ceDKY4ZELA
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 12, 2026
Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and Co. will then stay in the SEC circuit with a Week 2 visit to Darrell K Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin for Ohio State vs. Texas, which is expected to be a projected top-three matchup. “College GameDay” was in Columbus for last year’s Week 1 meeting that the Buckeyes stole with a 14-7 defensive win.
The Week 2 meeting will feature two of the top quarterback-wide receiver duos in the country: Arch Manning and Auburn transfer Cam Coleman, and Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the top-ranked team in the country in USA TODAY’s too-early top 25 rankings, while the Longhorns are the nation’s third-ranked team and the SEC’s top-ranked team.
It will be the third straight season that “College GameDay” will feature the Buckeyes-Longhorns matchup, as it was at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the 2025 College Football Playoff Cotton Bowl semifinal for when Jack Sawyer sealed the win for Ryan Day’s program with a 83-yard scoop-and-score touchdown.
“College GameDay” has not released travel sites for Week 3 and beyond.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘College GameDay’ unveils first two shows: Clemson-LSU, Ohio State-Texas
