Nov. 17, 2010

ESPN College GameDay Official Website

EVANSTON, Ill. -- ESPN College GameDay will be coming to our city this Saturday morning, broadcasting live from outside Wrigley Field prior to the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic. The crew will be set up on the corner of Addison and Clark, with the iconic Wrigley Field marquee, which has been painted purple, serving as the backdrop.

The popular ESPN college football preview show, sponsored by the Home Depot, begins broadcasting at 8 a.m. CT on ESPNU Saturday morning, with Erin Andrews serving as the show's host. At 9 a.m. CT, the broadcast moves over to ESPN hosted by Kirk Fowler. Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard serve as analysts, breaking down the day's biggest college football games around the country. The show concludes with the hosts making their predictions, with Corso typically donning the mascot's headgear of of his pick for GameDay's featured game.

Part of what adds to GameDay's popularity is the atmosphere generated by fans serving as a backdrop to the show's festivites. The show is open to the public as fans are encouraged to participate by showing their school spirit and displaying creative signs.

Since 1993, College GameDay has taken its show on the road, traveling to the site of a different college football game each week. Saturday marks the second time Northwestern will serve as the host for College GameDay, the first coming on Nov. 11, 1995, when the then-fifth-ranked Wildcats hosted Iowa en route to the 1995 Big Ten Championship.

The show this Saturday from Wrigley Field will definitely have a Big Ten feel to it. In addition to the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic between Northwestern and Illinois, the show's three analysts all have Big Ten connections. Corso is a former head coach at Indiana, Herbstreit is a former Ohio State quarterback and Howard won the Heisman Trophy while playing at Michigan.

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