College Gameday Is Kicking Off The College Football Season In North Carolina
We are just 38 short (but seemingly long) days away from college football season. It’s the best time of the year. As an avid college football and particularly NC State Wolfpack fan, I attend every home game in Raleigh. That means a lot of early Saturday morning drives especially when it’s a noon or 3 pm game. But if we are blessed with a night game (there is nothing better than an 8 pm kickoff in Carter-Finley), or on an away game weekend, you’ll find me laying in bed watching College Gameday on a Saturday morning. It’s the best way to start a Saturday in the fall. The excitement the live show brings to college campuses around the country is unmatched. The signs are always epic. And the guest pickers are always entertaining.
College Gameday South Carolina v North Carolina
And announced today, ESPN’s College Gameday will be kicking off the season here in Charlotte North Carolina. The Duke’s Mayo Kickoff Game brings together a battle of the Carolinas between Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks and Mac Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels. While both of these teams have pretty high expectations for the season I’m a little surprised that this is the week one matchup ESPN chose. They came to Charlotte to kick off the season two years ago. But that was a battle between the future National Champion Georgia Bulldogs and at the time predicted contenders Clemson Tigers. Georgia would go on to win that game and all but one the rest of the season. Clemson would have a disappointing by recent standards 10-3 record.
So there was undoubtedly more at stake for that game. That being said UNC fans and the media have high expectations for quarterback Drake Maye. If you’re a UNC fan you don’t want my opinion on that. South Carolina has momentum after finishing the season 8-5 but getting big wins against Tennesee and Clemson led by quarterback Spencer Rattler. Shane Beamer has done a good job of turning around the program and hopes to build on that success in 2023. So fans will gather early at Romare Bearden Park on Saturday, September 2nd as ESPN’s College Gameday rolls into Charlotte North Carolina.
If LSU vs Florida State wasn’t being played on Sunday night, I’d bet GameDay would be there. That is, in my opinion, the biggest matchup of the opening weekend, with the most on the line. That being said, I do have an interest in the battle of the Carolinas. In fact, I have two reasons to pull for one team and against the other. My beloved Wolfpack will take the field on Thursday night. So will I be watching ESPN’s College GameDay from my bed or from Romare Bearden Park? That remains to be seen. But I can guarantee you I’ll be wearing garnet and black.
