Washington State Football: Will This Be The Year We See ‘College GameDay’ In Pullman?
By Nick Nordi
To Washington State fans, Cougar football Saturdays are special. Very special. Every Saturday that rolls around in the Palouse during the fall there is a different feeling going on in the town of Pullman. If you have ever been lucky enough to experience a Cougar Football Saturday, you know exactly what I am talking about.
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For years the Cougar faithful have been waiting to show the rest of the world what it is like in Pullman and have the College GameDay crew come to town on a fall Saturday. Could this be the year that we see Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Chris Fowler come to town?
The Cougars are very well-known on the College GameDay set as there have been at least one Cougar flag flying in the background of the set for almost 150 consecutive shows. If you have ever seen College GameDay then you have seen Ol’ Crimson waving proudly in the background. The flag has been a major part of the show and is very well-recognized by even the GameDay crew.
The Cougars play home games against Rutgers, Portland State, Oregon, California, Arizona, USC, and Washington this season and almost all of the games could be a game that could be on GameDay. Not just any game makes GameDay and it takes the biggest game of the weekend to be featured as the shows location.
Rutgers: In Seattle and not on the WSU campus means this game is more than likely out.
Portland State: This game doesn’t seem very appealing to be nationally televised by GameDay being that Portland State is not a big time opponent.
Oregon: This is the cougars best chance at having GameDay come to town. Now 4th ranked Oregon and a possible 3-0 vs 3-0 matchup would be very appealing for the ESPN to come to town. This would also be the 150th consecutive game that Ol’ Crimson would be flying. The 151st time it would be on the show.
Dec 21, 2013; Albuquerque, NM, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Connor Halliday (12) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Colorado State Rams during the Gildan New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
California: Cal has been struggling in recent years and looks to be in the rebuilding stages.
Arizona: This game will have a lot of hype coming in. After last years upset against the Arizona, the Wildcats will be looking to come into this game and get revenge on the Cougars. Both Arizona and WSU could come into this game with a few loses making it a little less appealing for the big audience.
USC: After the Cougs dismantled the Trojan offense and in many people’s opinions the game that started the fall of Troy, this game could be big as it is also ex-Washington head coach, Steve Sarkisian’s first visit to Pullman after the Cougs beat Washington in the Apple Cup in 2012.
Washington: This game is and always will be big. What’s better than a Cougar Football Saturday during rivalry week. As appealing as this game is to both Husky and Cougar fans there are possibly going to be better rivalry week games going on at the same time.
The Cougars are revamped and are looking to be a major contender in the PAC-12 in the coming years. Having GameDay come to newly renovated Martin Stadium and highlight an up and coming team like the Cougars it could mean big things for the future of Washington State.
So, as of right now it looks like the Oregon matchup could be the Cougars best chances of getting the GameDay crew to come to town. Games like Arizona and USC have appeal but certain things will need to go in the Cougars favor in order them to want to come to town. The Cougars control their destiny when it comes to if GameDay comes to town – keep winning and give ESPN a reason to come to the Palouse.
Go Cougs!