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Will College GameDay Feature Michigan or Michigan State in 2017?

By Zac Snyder

Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; ESPN College Gameday hosts from left Desmond Howard and Rece Davis and Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit discuss the days matchups on their set outside Ohio Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State won the game 30-27 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; ESPN College Gameday hosts from left Desmond Howard and Rece Davis and Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit discuss the days matchups on their set outside Ohio Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State won the game 30-27 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan and Michigan State could find themselves on ESPN’s College GameDay at some point in 2017, but they weren’t included in one writer’s predictions.

Nothing says a big game in college football like College GameDay being on site for their weekly broadcast. It not only adds to the atmosphere but also increases the public consciousness about the game because of the sights, sounds and extra attention the game gets on air.

Nicholas Allen took up the task of predicting where College GameDay will be each week this season for FanSided.com. While a game involving Michigan or Michigan State wasn’t included in his picks, there are a few possibilities he mentioned as contenders depending on how the season plays out.

The season opener between Michigan and Florida will be one of the marquee matchups on Labor Day weekend but ESPN has already announced that GameDay will be in Atlanta where Alabama will play Florida State. In addition to being a matchup between traditional southern powerhouses, the game has the added draw of being in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

With Labor Day weekend off the table, the first shot for a state of Michigan appearance comes in week four with Michigan State hosting Notre Dame in prime time on September 23. As Allen notes, this matchup will have to see both teams bounce back from the seasons they had a year ago, but could be attractive if that happens since it’s a matchup of traditional rivals:

"Also, while both programs struggled last season, the Notre Dame-Michigan State game is always a GameDay candidate, and if both programs start hot, it’s a possibility as well."

Washington at Colorado ultimately got the nod for week four.

The next possibility comes in week six when Michigan hosts Michigan State. Working against Ann Arbor being the site is that LSU-Florida is the same week and, at least in these predictions, GameDay hadn’t yet been on campus at an SEC school. Is there a chance Michigan State-Michigan is a bigger matchup than LSU-Florida by the time week six arrives? Sure, but that doesn’t figure to be the case from where we sit today.

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Michigan could make an appearance, albeit not as the home team, in week nine when the Wolverines are scheduled to play at Penn State. Allen goes so far as to say Michigan-Penn State should be the leader, but that the game could miss out when the bigger picture is considered:

"Like Week 7, options are abound for the Oct. 21 edition of College GameDay. The early leader is Michigan-Penn State in State College — always a wonderful place to host GameDay. However, looking ahead to Oct. 28, the ESPN crew may opt to wait to feature the Nittany Lions, since Penn State travels to Ohio State the following week."

Michigan State gets another shot in week 11 when they play at Ohio State. Again, that’s highly dependent on a better season from the Spartans than they had last year and how that game factors into the race for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game:

"A few other options include a rebuilding Michigan State squad playing Ohio State in Columbus, and if the Spartans bounce back after a dreadful 2016 season, there’s the potential the game could play a key role in the Big Ten East race."

Too many variables in play to make that a good prediction right now – particularly to give it the nod ahead of Florida State-Clemson.

A week later, Michigan could be involved in the GameDay rotation when they play at Wisconsin. That matchup is just one of several intriguing options, although Allen goes outside the box and picks Montana at Montana State. GameDay has had some great shows featuring FCS North Dakota State and could look to expand on that with one of the best rivalries at that level with the matchup in Montana.

The last week of the regular season will come down to which rivalry has the most meaning to conference and College Football Playoff races. That could be Ohio State-Michigan, as it was in 2016, but Allen went with the Iron Bowl:

"This one comes down to which of the major rivalries has the most at stake in terms of playoff implications. Columbus, Ohio hosted GameDay last season when No. 3 Michigan traveled for its clash against No. 2 Ohio State, and if the Buckeyes are ranked in the top three again, there’s a good chance the show will head to Ann Arbor.However, Michigan lost a ton of talent from its 2016 roster and could be in a rebuilding mode in 2017, which opens the door for the Iron Bowl."

It feels like Michigan isn’t being given enough benefit of the doubt when it comes to replacing the talent they’ve lost while Auburn gets more credit than they deserve. But hey, speculation and predictions are just for fun and not worth getting worked up over.

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Do you think Michigan or Michigan State will end up on College GameDay when it’s all said and done? Would you be disappointed if neither makes an appearance in the 2017 season? Let us know by leaving a comment below or find us on Twitter or Facebook.

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