ESPN’s “College GameDay” is heading to Columbus, Ohio for the first show of the season – and the last of Lee Corso’s career.
Corso, 90, has been covering college football for ESPN since 1987. The first on-site “College GameDay” show happened in 1993, when No. 2 Notre Dame hosted No. 1 Florida State in South Bend. Three years later, Corso made his first mascot headgear pick, putting a Brutus Buckeye mascot head on to a roaring Ohio State crowd in October of 1996.
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The legendary ESPN college football analyst has racked up a lot of notable statistics over the years, during his nearly 40 years on the college football pregame show:
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He’s visited more than 70 campuses
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He’s picked 69 different teams
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Close to 400 total headgear picks
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 1: Lee Corso of ESPN College GameDay speaks on set before the Rose Bowl between Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/.)Ric Tapia/.
Corso’s favorite “GameDay” location
While Corso will be in Columbus, Ohio for his final show, his favorite “GameDay” location is actually out West. The longtime ESPN college football analyst named Oregon his favorite destination.
“My favorite is Oregon. The Ducks,” said Corso in an interview in 2018. “My favorite mascot is the Duck. He’s really funny. I enjoy being with the Duck when I go out there. The show is on at 6 a.m. pacific in the morning. That means they are there all night. The students are there waiting for the show. They are tremendous fans. They have a great football program. Great atmosphere.”
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Corso added of Autzen Stadium: “That’s my favorite place, for me personally, to see a ballgame.”
The longtime college football analyst had several reasons for choosing Oregon over places like Ohio State or Alabama:
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Oregon’s mascot, the Duck, is his favorite in all of college sports
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Oregon is on West Coast time, which means that the show will begin at 6 a.m. This means that the students, who fill up the “GameDay” crowd, are typically up all night, drinking in anticipation.
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Autzen Stadium is his favorite stadium in all of college football
What’s the worst ‘GameDay’ location?
Longtime ESPN host Rece Davis explained in a Reddit AMA that his least favorite “GameDay” location is not a campus, but rather, a neutral-site location.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” will sometimes head to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, or Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game. Davis believes that the neutral site “GameDay” locations are too dead.
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While neutral site locations can sometimes be good, that’s the exception, not the rule.
“I don’t think I have a ‘least’ favorite on campus, but the neutral site shows are often trying. Can be flat. Crowds are typically so-so,” Davis wrote to Reddit users. “But Charlotte before Georgia-Clemson this year was crazy good. But it was the exception. Every place we go has its own charm. We try to capture and appreciate that.”
Davis has said that his “favorite” destination is Washington State.
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“Aside from Washington State, which was just more than a large crowd, it was the consummation of a 15 year quest, but my favorite memory would be my first one,” Davis said. “Having my family there for it, felt like an important moment in my career. I was already very happy with where my career was and proud of what we’d done, close to the people I worked with. But the power of GameDay and its place in the landscape of college football is huge. Not something to be taken as a step in a career. It’s a moment. “While my job is something I do, not who I am, it is very important to me. My family makes sacrifices for me to do this. So beginning my tenure as host will always be a favorite memory. And my alma mater was in the game. Seemed fitting.”
ESPN’s “College GameDay” will get going at 9 a.m. E.T. this weekend, ahead of the game between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
