ESPN College GameDay

ESPN, Rece Davis, Pete Thamel
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Sep 4, 2025 • 1h 16min

Michigan vs Oklahoma: Top 25 Showdown Preview | Week 2 Picks

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel react to TCU’s rout of North Carolina in Bill Belichick’s debut. How far can the Horned Frogs go this season? We preview the Top 25 showdown in Norman between Michigan and Oklahoma. Rece Davis reveals his Top 10 rankings heading into Week 2, and the guys give their “6-Pack of Picks” from this week’s slate of games. All that and more on the College GameDay podcast. 00:00 - Welcome 00:45 - TCU Dominates UNC in Belichick Debut  11:48 - Michigan vs. Oklahoma Preview  24:04 - Week 2 Games to keep an eye on 25:35 - Game Preview: Illinois vs Duke  30:36 - Game Preview: USF vs Florida  33:44 - Game Preview: Iowa vs Iowa State  36:37 - Game Preview: Kansas vs Missouri  40:20 - Rece Davis's CFB Rankings  47:08 - Rece and Pete's 6 pack of picks  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Sep 1, 2025 • 1h 3min

Arch Stumbles, Alabama In Crisis?, LSU & Tulane Rise

Pete Thamel and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel take you behind the scenes of Lee Corso’s final College GameDay, then head to the sidelines for Ohio State–Texas and Arch Manning’s early struggles. From Alabama’s sudden vulnerability and LSU’s pressure-packed win to Tulane’s Katrina anniversary triumph and Mario Cristobal’s blueprint, the weekend delivered headline after headline.   0:00 - Welcome 4:06 - BTS of Lee Corso’s final College GameDay 6:59 - Ohio St vs Texas: Pete’s perspective from the sidelines 9:28 - What’s going on with Arch Manning? 23:28 - Open hunting season on Alabama after Florida St upset 28:30 - If not Kalen DeBoer at Alabama, then who? 34:58 - LSU handles pressure, beats Clemson 40:13 - Tulane beats Northwestern in NOLA on Hurricane Katrina anniversary 43:13 - Mario Cristobal’s winning blueprint against Notre Dame 48:01 - Now you know: Eyebrow raising college football headlines 53:40 - Nico’s rough UCLA start and other worthwhile games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 10min

Lee Corso’s Farewell & Week 1’s Biggest Showdowns

Rece Davis, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel open with College GameDay’s farewell to Lee Corso before breaking down a loaded Week 1: Arch Manning vs. Ohio State, LSU–Clemson’s QB duel, Notre Dame–Miami, and Bill Belichick’s UNC debut. The question is, which game makes the first big statement? 0:00 - Welcome 0:43 - Lee Corso Forever: College GameDay’s Farewell 4:54 - Arch’s Run Game To Decide Ohio State-Texas? 19:05 - QB Battle Headlines LSU-Clemson Showdown 25:16 - Notre Dame vs Miami: Irish Without QB Run Threat 37:30 - Week 1’s Biggest Story Is Belichick’s Debut 39:31 - Game Previews: Alabama vs FSU, Utah vs UCLA, TCU vs UNC 47:42 - Game Previews: Syracuse vs Tennessee, Auburn vs Baylor 57:20 - Game Previews: Georgia Tech vs Colorado, Utah St vs UTEP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Aug 25, 2025 • 49min

CFP Paths: Big Ten, SEC, ACC & Group of Five Early Season Predictions

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel open with a breakdown of Iowa State vs. Kansas State before shifting to the early storylines in the College Football Playoff race. They examine how Group of Five teams are positioning themselves, and what the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten paths to the postseason might look like. Finally, they turn to Week 1 matchups that could help set the tone for the season ahead.   0:00 - Welcome 3:55 - Key Thoughts: Iowa State vs Kansas State 12:05 - Who's In? Predicting the CFP Field 12:31 - Group of Five Race Heats Up: Navy, USF, Memphis… 18:49 - Big 12 Title & CFP Bid: Who Rises To The Top? 23:07 - Which Team Is The ACC Favorite? 23:44 - Who Take The SEC Crown? 25:27 - CFP Most Stacked Roster & Big Ten Favorite Is… 27:20 - Predictions: Seeding The Champs & At-Large Bids 34:06 - Who Snags The Final CFP Spot? 39:03 - Flaws In The 24- Or 28-Team CFP Proposal 44:15 - Week 1 Games To Look Forward To Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Aug 21, 2025 • 1h 10min

Big 12 & CFP Stakes in Week 0 + QB Drama at Notre Dame, Ohio State & Auburn

Rece Davis and ESPN senior writers Dan Wetzel and Ryan McGee break down Iowa State vs. Kansas State, a Week 0 showdown with Big 12 and CFP stakes on the line. They dive into the X-factors that could swing the game, make their picks, and then turn to quarterback drama across the country, from Notre Dame’s starter to Ohio State’s choice to Auburn’s wild three-man plan. Finally, the crew tackles Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal and the big question: was the punishment enough?   0:00 - Welcome 1:48 - Iowa St vs Kansas St: Dublin has pints ready 10:37 - Iowa St vs Kansas St: Big 12 conference & CFP stakes 21:01- Iowa St vs Kansas St: The X Factor 23:56 - Iowa St vs Kansas St: The guys make their picks! 28:18 - Notre Dame's starting QB, did they pick the right guy? 43:35 - Ohio State's starting QB is… 45:21 - Auburn is starting 3 QBs… Are they okay? 53:08 - Michigan fined in sign-stealing scandal, what should've happened… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Aug 18, 2025 • 1h 15min

Clemson, Miami, UNC & the ACC Teams You Can’t Ignore

Rece Davis, ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel, and former Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson dive into what to expect from the ACC this season. Can Clemson claim the conference crown, has Carson Beck won over the Miami locker room, do you dare doubt Louisville, and is Georgia Tech ready to slay giants once again? Add in SMU’s tougher schedule, Bill Belichick’s arrival at North Carolina, and a pack of sleepers, and you've got one unpredictable season ahead.   0:00 - Welcome 1:43 - Clemson has the tools, can they win a title? 6:43 - Miami locker room all in on Carson Beck? 11:50 - SMU’s tougher 2025-26 schedule 15:16 - Dare to bet against Louisville? 17:53 - Georgia Tech to keep slaying ranked teams? 20:46 - Belichick to bring a title to North Carolina? 26:47 - ACC sleepers that could crash the title game 31:52 - ACC check-in: Duke, Florida St, NC State 43:24 - ACC check-in: Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Virginia 58:48 - ACC preview: Total wild card teams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Aug 13, 2025 • 52min

Wide-Open Big 12: Who’s Grabbing the Title Game Crown?

Rece Davis and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel dive into the wide-open Big 12 chase. From heavyweight contenders to sneaky upstarts, they spotlight two teams poised to set the early tone, explore how Utah and Texas Tech could crash the Big 12 title game, and examine how the league’s middle tier could shake things up.   0:00 - Welcome 5:25 - Who are the Big 12 title contenders? 10:56 - Two Big 12 teams to watch at the top of the season 19:01 - Utah and Texas Tech to make the playoff? 23:35 - Big 12 mid-pack teams making moves 39:04 - Picks for Big 12 title run, champ, and CFP bid 42:04 - Big 12 teams fighting to get out of the cellar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Aug 6, 2025 • 52min

SEC Playoff Pressure: Who’s Built for the Spotlight?

Rece Davis and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel take a wide-angle look at the SEC, opening with title contenders before zeroing in on a jam-packed CFP bubble. They break down which playoff hopefuls are worth the hype and which ones could be headed for a letdown. Plus, they tackle the big question: just how many SEC teams can realistically make the playoff cut?   0:00 - Welcome 1:27 - Bring on the preseason data deep dives 3:54 - The SEC is stacked with CFP bubble teams 9:39 - SEC frontrunners with big questions looming 19:46 - SEC playoff hopefuls: Who to buy/bail on? 29:49 - How many SEC teams will make the playoff? 31:36 - Other SEC teams worth your attention 42:36 - SEC championship: Who's built to win? 43:52 - Who's got a better ride than Gunner Stockton? 46:43 - Who's got the best car on GameDay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jul 30, 2025 • 1h 13min

Big Ten Contenders, Sleepers & Questions Heading Into the Season

Rece Davis and ESPN senior writer Dan Wetzel dive into the Big Ten title chase, asking the question: Can Penn State finally go the distance? As Ohio State navigates a high-stakes quarterback battle and Oregon reloads under Dan Lanning, Illinois is looking to reverse its luck in one-possession games. Meanwhile, sleeper teams like Nebraska, USC, and Iowa are quietly making noise… setting the stage for a season full of surprises.   00:00 - Welcome 1:53 - The Big Ten true title contenders are… 5:57 - Is Penn St a lock to win the Natty? 9:06 - Which QB will lead the Ohio St Buckeyes? 14:17 - Has Ohio St gone too far vs Michigan? 22:10 - Oregon reloaded with the right players? 28:05 - One-possession games to break Illinois’ way? 30:20 - Big Ten sleepers: Nebraska and Michigan 38:59 - Big Ten sleepers: USC and Indiana 49:05 - Big Ten sleeper: Iowa 54:10 - Who’s still figuring it out in the Big Ten? 1:03:19 - What you need to know about the college sports executive order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jul 24, 2025 • 1h 9min

What You Need to Know About This Season’s QB Races

Rece Davis and Pete Thamel kick things off with a trivia question: how many true freshman QBs have ever led their teams to 10+ wins? That sparks a deep dive into this season’s most compelling quarterback battles… from Ohio State’s high-stakes decision to Notre Dame’s brutal schedule to the uncertainty swirling at Alabama and Colorado. But as teams weigh their options under center, one bigger question hangs over it all: is the 12-team playoff the final answer… or just the next chapter in college football’s evolution?   0:00 - Intro 2:21 - Trivia: Name true freshmen QBs who've won 10+ games 6:28 - Trivia: Name redshirt freshmen QBs who've won 10+ games 17:34 - QB races: Who's ready to break away this fall 22:13 - Ohio State QB: Who starts vs Texas and Michigan? 34:04 - Notre Dame's future QB faces tough schedule 45:00 - QB battles at… Colorado, Alabama, Oregon 53:59 - Which teams will ride one QB? Which ones will rotate? 56:49 - Will the college football playoff stay at 12 teams? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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