College GameDay Predictions, Schedule, & Locations For 2025

Over 38 years, ESPN’s College GameDay has grown from a little-known in-studio cable TV show into a multimedia behemoth that routinely attracts more than two million viewers each week.

Which college football games will Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, and the rest of the GameDay crew visit in 2025? And what will their game predictions be once they’re there?

Here’s the complete guide.

Which College GameDay Analyst Had the Most Accurate Predictions In 2024?

Believe it or not, it was Lee Corso who had the most accurate predictions during the combined final segments of the show.

Coach Corso appeared less frequently on the panel than his colleagues, but his picks ultimately went 79-39 in 2024 – a 66.9% clip. 

That slightly beat out Kirk Herbstreit, whose game predictions finished 91-48 (65.5%).

Pat McAfee was the least accurate predictor, finishing 87-65 (57.2%). 

That’s probably not surprising to regular viewers of College GameDay, since the crowd-pleasing McAfee isn’t always trying to make an accurate game prediction, anyway. 

College GameDay Predictions

Betting On College GameDay Games & Predictions

I field a lot of random online sports betting questions when I talk to college football bettors. One that I get from time to time is whether or not there’s a playable angle involving the panel predictions.

The most common form of this question usually centers around fading specific predictions. For instance, every seasoned GameDay watcher knows to beware the game where everyone picks the same team to win in a clean sweep across the board. Even the panelists acknowledge and joke about the danger of these moments.

College Gameday panel picks Ole Miss over Kentucky. Still waiting on Ben’s selection.

Time to shock the world. pic.twitter.com/HC4hzPNZFm

— KSR (@KSRonX) September 28, 2024

So, what would happen if you actually bet the other side of these games? I did a crazy amount of research from the 2024 season of College GameDay to discover the answer to this. 

As it turns out, this is much better as a TV jinx than an actual betting strategy. If you bet one unit on the opposing moneyline for every 2024 College GameDay consensus pick, you’d finish conference championship week down about five units.

I also checked to see if there was any value in fading a College GameDay prediction consensus in the point spread market. No dice there, either. Opposing team spread bets were 22-29 ATS with nine outright upsets. 

I’ll continue to keep tabs on this trend in 2025 and beyond. But assuming the 2024 season is statistically representative of the larger GameDay betting trends, one of the best strategies available to bettors is actually to tail the show’s consensus picks. 

At 29-22, or roughly 57%, this is a moderately profitable sports betting return. 

College GameDay Schedule 2025 (Confirmed)

College GameDay Locations: Schedule Predictions for 2025

College GameDay Week 2 Prediction

• Michigan at Oklahoma

When projecting a new season’s worth of College GameDay locations, it’s always important to remember the No. 1 guideline: ESPN prefers branding and television audience size over substance.

Neither of these teams is likely to be top conference contenders this year, though I do think there’s a great opening to bet on the Sooners’ win total. (For more on that, check in on my college football win totals analysis piece.)

Personally, I think the most interesting game is likely to be Baylor at SMU. But with two classic college football brands playing a nonconference game, expect the show to open up Week 2 in Norman.

College GameDay Week 3 Prediction

• Texas A&M at Notre Dame

Notre Dame was last year’s national runner-up, and the Irish will benefit from a structural change to the playoff process this year that makes them eligible for a first-round bye. 

That’s all great B-block fodder for a mid-September game against an SEC school, with conference play still mostly on the horizon throughout the sport.

College GameDay Week 4 Prediction

• Florida at Miami FL

College GameDay will surely be eyeing North Carolina’s trip to UCF here, since new head coach Bill Belichick should be a shot in the arm for media networks and the UNC athletic department. 

Ultimately, though, there are better spots to feature the former Patriots coach on GameDay.

Instead, Davis and the boys will likely head down to Miami, where this matchup is worth it for the Heisman Trophy odds graphics alone. Transplant Carson Beck will go up against his former conference when the rival Gators come to town, while Florida’s DJ Lagway will be looking to add a pelt to his mantle. The quarterback battle should be high-level. 

College GameDay Week 5 Prediction

• Oregon at Penn State

With Penn State’s game against the Buckeyes coming in Columbus this year, its Week 5 game against the reigning Big 10 champions will be Penn State’s best chance to host GameDay in 2025. 

College GameDay Week 6 Prediction

• Clemson at UNC

Here we have the most likely GameDay trip to UNC. And by this point in the season, fans should have a pretty good idea about whether the Tar Heels are any good. 

The beautiful thing about Belichick’s new job, though, is that fans are likely to watch even if it’s a train wreck. 

Either way, there will be more than enough Patriots B-Roll and Clemson highlights to fill three hours. Can I lay odds right now on whether or not the show gives us special guest picker Tom Brady?

College GameDay Week 7 Prediction

• Arizona State at Utah

This should be a pretty good week of SEC football, but I think a trip out west is just as likely. Arizona State isn’t suddenly going to suck in 2025, and Utah should be back to its usual Kyle Whittingham standard with some healthy quarterback play. 

That’ll make for a high-stakes midseason game in an up-for-grabs conference. The conference realignment content will write itself.

College GameDay Week 8 Prediction

• SMU at Clemson

An ACC championship game rematch at Clemson is a great option in Week 8, especially since it’s widely expected that the Mustangs and Tigers will be back on top of the conference again this year. 

The winner of this game should have an inside track back to this year’s title game. 

College GameDay Week 9 Prediction

• Alabama at South Carolina 

South Carolina is a trendy playoff pick in the SEC this year after a promising 2024 campaign. Expect a home game against Kalen DeBoer’s Year 2 Alabama squad to serve as the measuring stick game. 

College GameDay Week 10 Prediction

• Penn State at Ohio State

The Buckeyes might be the reigning national champions, but there are plenty of bettors who think Penn State is in a better position for playoff success this year. This Week 10 showdown will be an obvious College GameDay magnet and will likely confer a playoff bid to the winner. 

College GameDay Week 11 Prediction

• LSU at Alabama 

Don’t overthink it. Unless one team sucks, you know College GameDay won’t be able to help itself when LSU plays Alabama.

College GameDay Week 12 Prediction

• Texas at Georgia

A late-season SEC championship rematch could propel one of these top 10 teams into title positioning. 

Much more likely, though: The loser might just fall out of the frame for Atlanta … and maybe more. 

College GameDay Week 13 Prediction

• USC at Oregon

It’s been nearly 10 years since USC has been involved in a College GameDay production. Could this year’s Cupcake Week schedule finally provide the opening for the Trojans to return?

College GameDay Week 14 Prediction

• Alabama at Auburn

Auburn’s intriguing positioning in the college football futures market – the SEC market, in particular – tells me that there’s a better-than-average chance the Tigers might be good this year.

If that’s the case, expect the Iron Bowl – not Ohio State vs. Michigan – to be the most compelling high-stakes rivalry game at the end of November.