Guest Analysts Nick Saban and James Franklin to Join Set in Pasadena, Calif.

In a season that began August 31, 2013, with an unprecedented four hours of wall-to-wall college football discussion and analysis, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot visited 13 states and 13 schools in 15 weeks. The program expanded to three hours on ESPN (9 a.m. – noon ET), hosted 18 guest pickers and welcomed three new analysts. All of it made for yet another memorable year for college football’s longest-running and most-celebrated pre-game show.

Heading into ESPN’s telecasts of the BCS Bowls beginning January 1 and concluding January 6 with a BCS Megacast of the VIZIO BCS National Championship, College GameDay and ESPN’s college football studio shows will serve up a robust roster of hosts, analysts and reporters to bring fans all the news and analysis they’ll need of college football’s grand finale. But first, a look back at the season:

In 2013, GameDay WAS …

· Filled with new faces. From the strong words of college football rabble-rouser Paul Finebaum to the insights of quarterback guru George Whitfield and the golden stats nuggets provided bylong-time GameDay researcher Chris “The Bear” Fallica , the show lacked none for variety.

· From new places. GameDay ticked off three new states visited with shows from North Dakota State, University of Washington and site of the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. The NDSU show open was one for all time.

· Welcoming. ESPN Front Row went behind the scenes for a look at what makes GameDay, GameDay, and how its veteran stable of reporters finds features each week.

· Stirring. Some of the best GameDay features included:

o Tom Rinaldi’s update on Jake Olson, the boy who lost his eyesight to cancer, but continues to touch us all with his courage;

o Gene Wojciechowski’s poignant sit-down with Baylor coach Art Briles;

o Scott Van Pelt’s humorous look at Clemson for his ongoing Bald Man on Campus series.

· Insightful. Samantha Ponder took to the set interviewing head coaches of each weekend’s biggest games.

· A tutorial in how to keep the title of Best Dressed GameDay Analyst by the show’s most decorated former player Desmond Howard. Though nothing can ever top his 2012 linen season opener, 2013 was a strong year for his pocket square game.

· Unforgettable, thanks to

o Rinaldi donning the mythical “jorts” of so much college football fan ridicule after a side-splitting look at the History of GameDay Signs.

o Lee Corso dressing as Oklahoma State’s Pistol Pete, deafening the set with his use of prop firearms.

o This shirtless, rowdy guy photobombing David Pollack.

o This adorable bulldog pup asleep on the GameDay desk despite Kirk Herbstreit’s best efforts to keep him awake.

o The Northwestern University swim team’s inspired entrance from Lake Michigan to the GameDay compound to deliver this impressive message.

· Where a golf pro and a country music star posted higher game pick percentages than any other guest pickers or GameDay analysts for the year. Bubba Watson went 10-0 and country music star, Jake Owen, 9-0.

· A ratings success. GameDay averaged 1,830,000 viewers for its three-hour span for a 10 percent increase over the same 9 a.m. to noon ET time period on ESPN in 2012.

In 2014, GameDay WILL BE…

· Everywhere. College GameDay will be at four BCS Bowls including the national championship with an array of analysts and reporters to cover all the players, teams, coaches and news of college football’s season finale. In addition, Alabama coach Nick Saban will join the GameDay set as a guest analyst on Monday, Jan. 6, in Pasadena, Calif., and Vanderbilt coach James Franklin also will join the set earlier in the day as a guest analyst for SportsCenter and College Football Live.

· Comprehensive. Chris Fowler will lead ESPN’s presence from Pasadena, Calif., with hosts Rece Davis, John Saunders and Joe Tessitore. College GameDay analysts Corso, Herbstreit, Howard, and Pollack will be joined by Brian Griese, Jesse Palmer, Todd McShay, Lou Holtz, and Mark May. Reporter Heather Cox will cover Florida State while Tom Rinaldi reports from Auburn’s camp. Also contributing will be Gene Wojciechowski, Scott Van Pelt, Paul Finebaum, Samantha Ponder and George Whitfield.

Complete Coverage

Studio coverage will include SportsCenter, College Football Daily, College Football Live and College GameDay Built By The Home Depot beginning Wednesday, Jan. 1 from the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO followed the next day with live coverage from the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and then, the Discover Orange Bowl on Friday, Jan. 3. Monday, Jan. 6, beginning at 9 a.m., ESPN and ESPNU will combine for six hours of live coverage leading into the VIZIO BCS National Championship at 8 p.m. The complete schedules:

College GameDay BCS Schedule

Date Time (ET) Analysts (Location) Network Wed, Jan 1 10 a.m. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard & Todd McShay (Pasadena, Calif.) ESPN Thu, Jan 2 7 p.m. Rece Davis, Lou Holtz & Mark May (New Orleans, La.) ESPN Fri, Jan 3 7-8 p.m. John Saunders, Danny Kanell & Jesse Palmer (Miami Gardens, Fla.) ESPN Mon, Jan 6 6-8 p.m. Fowler, Herbstreit, Corso, Howard, Pollack & Nick Saban (Pasadena, Calif.) ESPN

ESPN’s BCS Bowls Studio Coverage