ESPN College GameDay Coming to Orlando for UM-UF Game

College football’s 150th season will be the sport’s most extensive across ESPN, as the network turns Week 0 (Saturday, Aug. 24) into a signature day to start the season and ramps up its multifaceted College Football 150 storytelling experience through an all-day extravaganza celebrating the best the sport has to offer.

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot begins its road shows a week earlier than years past, as the 11-time Sports Emmy Award winning program will televise from Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort for the first time (9 a.m.- noon ET). The Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff between Samford and Youngstown State (3 p.m.) from the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., will be the first college football game on ESPN during the sesquicentennial season and leads into the season’s first CFB150 Showcase Game of the Week: Miami vs. Florida in The Camping World Kickoff. 

Magic Kingdom Becomes 85th Site to Host College GameDay

College GameDay‘s 26th season of road shows begins at its 85th location, as the pregame show televises atop the elevated Main Street Train Station, with iconic Main Street, U.S.A. and Cinderella Castle as the backdrop. Throughout the show, various segments and reports will be conducted from around the park.

The season debut of College GameDay will originate just 22 miles from the Hurricanes-Gators matchup at Camping World Stadium and play a significant role in the College Football 150 initiative, airing an exclusive excerpt from the Football is US: The College Game documentary set to air that night, as well as feature several My Story vignettes.

Rece Davis will host, reuniting the cast of characters: Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Maria Taylor. This past spring, Herbstreit was honored with the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst across all sports – his third such award for his work on the show (2010, 2011) – and Davis was nominated in the Outstanding Studio Host category.

College GameDay Fan Guide

Q: Can fans attend College GameDay at Magic Kingdom Park?
A: Guests visiting Magic Kingdom Park on Aug. 24 may catch a glimpse of the live broadcast as it takes place at the elevated train station on Main Street, U.S.A. Valid theme park admission is required. There will be no special access for just College GameDay viewing.
 
Q: Can I bring a sign or other prop to College GameDay at Magic Kingdom Park?
A: Walt Disney World Resort Property Rules prohibit flags, banners, signs, horns, whistles, large megaphones and artificial noise makers. For the complete set of rules, visit DisneyWorld.com/parkrules.
 
Q: Will there be access to the ESPN commentators and/or College GameDay set?
A: No designated access to ESPN commentators or College GameDay set is planned at this time.

New This Season: CFB150 Showcase Game of the Week

The Camping World Kickoff between Miami and Florida (7 p.m.) from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., marks the debut of the network’s CFB150 Showcase Game of the Week. Throughout the season, ESPN will designate one game per week under this banner, with the selected game set to feature historical elements throughout the telecast. For the Hurricanes-Gators, special productions will include:

• The Tease: Leading into the game, the trailer will feature a look back at one of the sport’s great in-state rivalries, which dates back to 1938.
   
• Flashbacks: Throughout the game, relevant historical memories between the two teams will be highlighted.

ESPN will commemorate the first game of its College Football 150 season with three special Marvel covers — two historical games between the two rivals and one for this year’s matchup. The covers will launch the sixth season of the ESPN College Football and Marvel partnership and continue to pay homage to original Marvel covers from The Incredible Hulk and The Mighty Thor.

• 1983: Florida defeated Miami 28-3 to open the season, jump-starting a 9-2-1 season.  For the Hurricanes, it was their only loss in a year which concluded with their first national championship.
   
• 2000: Miami topped Florida 37-20 in the 2001 Sugar Bowl, capping an 11-1 campaign.

This season’s matchup is the 56th meeting between the two teams and just the third since 2004.

Miami-Florida Airs on ESPN; Alternative Viewing Options on ACC Network, SEC Network, and ESPN3

ESPN will air Miami-Florida’s traditional telecast, with Chris Fowler and Herbstreit in the booth and Taylor on the sidelines. Fowler and Herbstreit begin their 24th season working together and sixth calling games. The duo welcomes back Taylor, who is in her third season with the crew.  The trio will regularly call ABC’s Saturday Night Football games during the regular season and conclude their year with the College Football Playoff.
The ACC Network, SEC Network and ESPN3 will offer alternative telecasts of Hurricanes-Gators:

• ACC Network: Current ACC analysts and former Miami head coach Mark Richt and  linebacker Jon Beason will be in the Bristol studios with Mark Packer and Wes Durham, hosts of the network’s daily morning show Packer and Durham, reacting to the live game action. Former Hurricane first team All-American and current ESPN college football analyst Jonathan Vilma will contribute from the sidelines of Camping World Stadium.
• SEC Network: SEC Now host Dari Nowkhah and current analysts and former Florida greats Chris Doering and Danny Wuerffel, along with Gene Chizik, will react to the game, live from the Charlotte studios. The group will be joined by featured guests throughout the game including Tim Tebow live from the sidelines.
• ESPN3: Command Center and SkyCam viewing options will be available to stream.