They also love going to Eugene for Oregon. It’s down a little now that they joined the B1G but they would still go.
Week 2 Games
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they pick the matchups they feel will bring the most viewers to their TARGET AUDIENCE. the pacific time zone is pretty much ignored due to its 7am-10am slot
it what they think matters to their viewers in the east and central time zones . the Mountain time zone doesnt have enuf people to matter
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
But also I’d argue their target audience is not national, either … it’s SEC fans. If a game is a “can’t miss” like OSU/Michigan or Indiana last year when they were a crazy story while undefeated, they’ll go to Big Ten country. But all else equal? They’ll go to a Tennessee/Florida over an OSU/PSU ten times out of ten, as they know it’s the SEC that drives their financial interest.
They went to OSU/PSU the last two years and went every year from 2017-2020. They haven't gone to Tennessee/Florida since 2022 and before then they hadn't gone to the game since 2016.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
It was a random example of comparable brands that might play on a hypothetical single weekend, lol. My point is they’ll favor the SEC if all else is equal because they have a vested interest. You seriously disagree with that?
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Looking at last year, college gameday appeared at 22 games. Of those 22:
12 featured an SEC team.
11 featured a B1G team.
2 featured an ACC team.
(It adds up to more than 22 because some game weeks featured both a B1G and SEC team like Ohio State vs Texas in the playoffs).
Pretty evenly split between the B1G and SEC.
If that were the case, why don't they go to ACC or Big XII matchups more often than B1G matchups?
Would like GA Tech to beat Clemson if possible.
I'm sure this is true, but I also think it's probably rare that "all else is equal" that often. Usually it's pretty obvious what the best College Gameday location is and they tend to go with the obvious. Yes, ESPN has a vested interest in the SEC and they make that obvious with their editorial content. But ESPN also has a vested interest in the College Gameday brand, and they want to protect that as well.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Because those aren't equal scenarios, IMO. The SEC bias isn't insidious, it is BECAUSE of eyeballs and their financial interest. They aren't being blindly loyal and they aren't out to get the Big Ten ... it's more that they would actually be stupid to have two equally lucrative games to choose from and NOT to pick the SEC one over the Big Ten one. If the Big Ten one is simply the better ratings choice, they will obviously pick it.
However, that differs A LOT from how Gameday functioned in the classic era people are having trouble letting go of, if you ask me. ESPN used to have TV rights to Big Ten games ... they were truly picking the most exciting location for Gameday every single week; there was less tying ESPN specifically to the SEC, and the only difference between the SEC and ACC/Big XII in this scenario is that the SEC games are just better ratings opportunities on paper, too.
I feel many of us are talking past each other, though. I am not disputing that ESPN will take Gameday to a Big Ten location if it's the best option out there; they have literally done that on multiple occasions, including just last season. What I'm saying is that we aren't going to win any "coin flip" scenarios with games from conferences where ESPN is a LITERAL investor, haha. Let's pick our USC (Week 5) and OSU (Week 7) home games as examples. These would currently be the most attractive opportunities for College Gameday those weeks:
WEEK 5
#4 Oregon at #2 Penn State
#19 Alabama at #6 Georgia
#3 LSU at #17 Ole Miss
#24 Auburn at #16 Texas A&M
USC at #9 Illinois
#1 Ohio State at Washington
#8 Notre Dame at Arkansas
WEEK 7
#1 Ohio State at #9 Illinois
#13 Oklahoma vs. #7 Texas (Dallas, TX)
#11 South Carolina at #3 LSU
#6 Georgia at #24 Auburn
#19 Alabama at #25 Missouri
#22 Indiana at #4 Oregon
If we are undefeated going into those home games (especially the OSU one), we would obviously have a great case for getting CGD to Champaign. However, wouldn't Alabama/Georgia, LSU/Ole Miss, Auburn/Texas A&M, Georgia/Auburn, South Carolina/LSU and especially Texas/Oklahoma also have great cases? My only argument here is that a Big Ten matchup has to be head-and-shoulders better for ESPN for them to head there, because they will NOT be broadcasting the game, period ... the Big Ten game will be on FOX, CBS or NBC, no matter what. So could they want to go to Oregon/PSU or OSU/Illinois?? Of course! Those are exciting games. But will ESPN want to go set their stage up next to Big Noon Kickoff for a game they won't broadcast instead of go to a super-hyped Red River Rivalry Game that is going to be on their premier channel, ABC? I think they'd have to be so convinced that OSU/Illinois is a can't miss stop, otherwise why wouldn't they go promote the conference they have literally, unambiguously backed financially?
Oh for god's sake. The ESPN bias argument is SO overblown. They went to a game Week 1 that was not aired by their network. I'm sure if someone looks over the past few years, there are multiple examples of them going to the best game that week, even if it's not a game that their network is airing.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
There are, and no one denied that. I literally did look and posted just that for last year. All I've literally ever said is that if two options are seen as equally attractive for Big Noon Kickoff or College Gameday, FOX will generally choose a Big Ten game and ESPN will generally choose an SEC game for their national broadcasts. LITERALLY nobody is saying ESPN would pass up a location for Gameday just because it's in the Big Ten ... you're trying to simplify this down so much and attacking a strawman of a counterargument, but it's not a conspiracy theory to think networks will do what's in their own financial interest, lol. If ESPN determines a Big Ten game will be a bigger ratings boost than an SEC game, THAT is in their financial interest ... if they determine it's about equal between a Big Ten game and an SEC game, going to the SEC location is in their financial interest. And that is the tie-breaker I have been talking about ... and I'm bewildered this is a controversial take.
If you don't think FOX's financial interest is tied up in promoting a disproportionate number of Big Ten games and ESPN's financial interest is tied up in promoting a disproportionate number of SEC games ... I don't know what to tell you other than I think you are seriously wrong. The more I read your post and then my post that you responded to, I don't even think you read anything I wrote.
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Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
For week 5, it will almost be a no-brainer that they will go to Happy Valley (even competing against the B1G Noon crew). Bama/Georgia definitely has allure, but I think they will try to go for the premier matchup there. Bama losing in Week 1 definitely puts a damper on the Bama/Georgia matchup.
Week 7, if Illini and Ohio State are both still ranked in top 10, it will get very interesting. The neutral site game in Dallas is always a great draw for the broadcast, but the SC @ LSU game also has some major allure. I think it will ultimately come down to where the teams are ranked. But if the current rankings hold, I believe that the likelihood would be:
1) South Carolina @ LSU
2) Oklahoma vs Texas
3) Ohio State @ the Beloved
Sad reality is that the Illini's premier matchups over the past years have always been one-upped by other premier matchups. Now if the Illini and Ohio State are both ranked in the top 5 when they face each other, then we might see a huge push to go to Champaign, but it is hard to see Game Day ever coming to Champaign the same day the B1G Noon crew is doing their thing (which would be a near certainty to take place in Champaign if the current trajectory holds). We simply do not have the physical draw the way Penn State/Ohio State/Michigan do in the tailgating scene to host two separate shows (at least at this point in time).
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