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ESPN host Lee Corso famously dons the mascot of his prediction for College GameDay at the end of each show. Might he do that at Rutgers next week?

(Photo courtesy of RobertHendricks.net)

Lost in the shuffle of Thursday's happenings, was this interesting Tweet from ESPN's College GameDay host, Chris Fowler.

It seems that college football's premier Saturday pregame show is going to step outside of the box for its Week 4 broadcast on September 21.

Which begs the question ... might they come to Rutgers?

As Fowler said, the site for next Saturday's show will not be a "traditional hotspot." So that would immediately put next weekend's Rutgers-Arkansas tilt in play, one might assume. Rutgers has never hosted the show -- in fact, a Big East (now American Athletic) Conference school hasn't hosted the show since West Virginia in 2011 -- which could put it in the running. (Though Lee Corso famously donned the Scarlet Knight head for a College GameDay commercial in 2007.)

Plus, there's the added bonus of having the Arkansas game televised on the ESPN family of networks (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU), which could make it an easy tie-in. There's also the close proximity to the network's Bristol, Conn. headquarters, which could make the quick transport and construction of the set easier.

It's a slow weekend for games nationally, as well, with few desirable matchups to pique the public's interest.

The games with the biggest drawing power? Tennessee at Florida and Michigan State at Notre Dame. Both of which work in the favor of Rutgers-Arkansas, because the SEC is hosting this coming Saturday (Alabama at Texas A&M) and Notre Dame was involved in last Saturday's site (Notre Dame at Michigan). And while SEC fatigue might go against the Rutgers-Arkansas game, remember this: The Razorbacks have only been featured on College GameDay twice — hosting in 2006 and as part of the 2011 Sugar Bowl in the 2010 season.

But does going off the grid, mean Rutgers or somewhere else?

It's entirely possible that ESPN could choose a FCS school, considering the successes those teams have had in the first two weeks against FBS schools. But even some of the matchups featuring top-ranked FCS schools next weekend are weak. No. 1-ranked North Dakota State hosts Delaware State, No. 2 Eastern Washington is on bye and No. 3 Montana State is on the road at Stephen F. Austin. (Plus, ESPN runs the risk of one of those teams losing this weekend and ruining any potential subplots of going to the site.)

According to an ESPN spokesperson, the host site is decided upon by a small group of people at the network, who monitor possible venues a few weeks out. Sites are added or taken off as storylines and the season develops or if something becomes so compelling that it can't be ignored. Schools don't invite ESPN and are only notified once the network decides to host the show there.

Or ESPN could take the game to a FCS site where records aren't part of the reason for going and end up at an Ivy League school. Don't laugh: College GameDay went to Philadelphia in 2002 for the Penn-Harvard game and Corso wore a Ben Franklin costume for much of the program. That was the first time the show had gone to a FCS (then 1-AA) school, with the second time being in 2008 for the Florida A&M-Hampton game. ESPN went to Division III for the first time in 2007, for the Williams-Amherst game.

It has never gone to a Division II game, but again, going there next weekend would likely be incumbent on records and results.

That leaves only a few possibilities left. Is one of those Rutgers-Arkansas next week?

Maybe.

We'll find out on Saturday morning when ESPN's College GameDay goes live from College Station, Texas.

***

So, if it's staying in the Division I ranks, where might it go? Here are our best bets:

##UPDATE, 12:27 p.m.: Fowler has tweeted that BYU-Utah is not in the running, as is Idaho-Washington State##

Arkansas at Rutgers

3:30 p.m.

ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Yes, it might: First-time site in Piscataway and a game with nationally-recognizable teams.

No, it won't: SEC fatigue. An SEC team has been involved in the site game 15 of the last 43 regular-season shows.

Likelihood: 45%

Houston vs. Rice

3 p.m.

FSN Network

Yes, it might: Bayou Bucket Classic is an understated, cross-city rivalry in college football.

No, it won't: Not enough sizzle. Plus, the game is on a regional Fox channel.

Likelihood: 30%

Michigan at Connecticut

TBA

ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU

Yes, it might: Super-easy for ESPN. Rentschler Field is 30 minutes from Bristol, Conn.

No, it won't: UConn is down this year and Michigan was on the show a week ago.

Likelihood: 20%

Columbia at Fordham

1 p.m.

No TV

Yes, it might: Just about as outside-of-the-box as you can get. Plus, the show's never been to New York City.

No, it won't: College GameDay set would look much cooler on Columbia's campus, than Fordham's.

Likelihood: 15%