Entering the 2019 season, ESPN’s College Gameday had been to all but 11 “Power 5” schools. After this week’s announcement that Gameday would be traveling to Ames, Iowa for the Iowa State-Iowa game, that list got a bit smaller.
Maryland is one of the 10 “Power 5” schools remaining who have never hosted Gameday, and after a hot start to the season, this could be the year. The Terps only have four more chances of hosting Gameday in 2019, so let’s look at each one and see if Gameday could come to College Park that week.
September 27 vs. Penn State
0% chance: Had this game not been flexed to Friday night by the Big Ten, there would be a great possibility that this game would bring Lee Corso and crew to College Park. The only other marquee matchups that week are Washington State-Utah and USC-Washington. However, with the Nittany Lions coming to town on a Friday, this game is automatically invalid in Gameday discussions.
October 19 vs. Indiana
Very slim chance: Both the Terps and Hoosiers are 2-0 to start the season, but don’t expect Gameday to be too intrigued. Indiana plays both Ohio State and Michigan State before visiting the Terps, meaning the chances of them coming into the game ranked are very low. Even if the Hoosiers were to win one of those games, Gameday probably has Michigan and Penn State’s matchup penciled in that weekend.
November 2 vs. Michigan
Decent chance: As of now, the only other matchups between ranked teams that weekend are Utah-Washington and the Georgia-Florida rivalry game. Gameday went to Jacksonville for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party last year, so they might not want to have a repeat visit. This clears the opportunity for Maryland and Michigan to be the marquee matchup of the weekend. The game will also feature a compelling storyline, as Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis spurned his former Alabama colleague Mike Locksley this offseason, leaving his role as Maryland offensive coordinator after holding the position for about three hours.
November 23 vs. Nebraska
Slim chance: Nebraska entered the season as the darlings of college football and were the trendy pick to win the Big Ten West. After just two games, Nebraska is no longer ranked nor favored to make the Big Ten Championship. With the Huskers facing a tough schedule before this game, coupled with Ohio State playing Penn State and Texas A&M playing Georgia that weekend, don’t expect Kirk Herbstreit to be in College Park that weekend.
