No Wazzu Flags In Berkeley
The eight big schools that haven't hosted College GameDay
Here’s a fun fact I saw the other day.
There are only eight Power Five Conference football programs that haven’t had ESPN’s College GameDay show make a visit: Cal, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Virginia.
Should we dig a little deeper and see why?
To be honest, it’s not a tricky proposition. These schools all have pretty poor football programs. They’re a combined 174-391 over the past five seasons and only one of the eight – Virginia – has more wins than losses during that period.
If you had to pick one reason why College GameDay hasn’t made it to these eight campuses, a winning record is the crucial one. There’s no sense taking a huge mobile broadcast production, with hundreds of staff and high-paid talent to a place where the football team sucks.
You also need a setting that screams college football - a place that ESPN can build a proper set around - and a relatively large, passionate fanbase willing to stand around, yell and wave sometimes creative, sometimes crude signs. Most of the schools on the list can’t deliver this.
Breaking It Down
Cal: The Golden Bears are 26-28 over the past five seasons and have the best attendance (43,000) of the eight teams on this list. So what’s kept ESPN away? More than likely an apathetic, cynical – even potentially angry – student body that isn’t going to buy into the usual sign-waving hijinks…and even if they did, the messages would probably be along the lines of ‘Say No to Big Oil.’
Duke: Obviously known as a basketball school, the Blue Devils’ football program has been in a bit of a tailspin and has a 25-36 record over the past five seasons. My sister is a Duke season ticket holder and I’ve seen her social media posts, so I know there’s an active alumni and student presence at the games, but the Wallace Wade Wackos (I just made that up) aren’t in the same league as the Cameron Crazies.
Illinois: The program has been pretty dire, 19-38 over the past five years, so that’s probably enough of an explanation when analysing the Illini’s absence from GameDay. Also, Illinois fans don’t turn out in numbers or get as nuts (think Wisconsin’s ‘Jump Around,’ or Penn State’s Whiteout) as their fellow Big Ten members.
Kansas: One of the worst Power 5 teams in the country, with a paltry 9-48 record over the past five seasons. Even though Lawrence is a hip college town, it’s going to take more than than funky restaurants and craft breweries to convince the powers that be in Bristol to rock chalk Jayhawk during football season.
Maryland: You’d think the power of Under Armour might have drawn the cameras to College Park at one point, but with a 21-33 record over the past five years, there isn’t much to get excited about. Although the 39,000 average isn’t the worst figure on this list, it’s the second-worst in the Big Ten. I’m also not sure how crazed the Terrapin fanbase is.
Rutgers: A hard sell with its combination of a poor program (15-43 over the past five years), non-fanatical student body and no real tradition. Attendance isn’t as bad as you might think (40,000 average) but like others on the list, it would take something pretty special to get the Worldwide Leader to North Jersey.
Syracuse: Weather is always a factor, especially when you consider Syracuse has been below average (25-35 over the past five years) on the field. They also play in a relatively unattractive domed stadium, so there’s not much of a backdrop to build a collegiate-inspired set around.
Virginia: The only team on the list with a winning record over the past five seasons (34-28), it’s difficult to say why ESPN has skipped over the Cavaliers. Average attendance is 42,000, second only to Cal on this list and while you may think Charlottesville is a little off the beaten path, that hasn’t stopped ESPN from going to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Is the fanbase too preppy? I mean I can’t see frat guys in coats and ties rocking along to ‘Enter Sandman.’