The 13 Schools That Have Hosted ‘College GameDay’ The Most Times

It’s been close to 40 years since the first episode of College GameDay aired on ESPN, but the program didn’t begin to transform into the sensation it would eventually become until it left the network’s studio and began to travel to schools across the country for the first time in the mid-1990s.

Since then, countless students have gotten the chance to experience the virtually unrivaled atmosphere College GameDay creates when it descends upon a campus, but fans of certain programs have gotten to soak it in a bit more frequently than the rest.

These are the schools that have hosted College GameDay the highest number of times

Notre Dame was the first school to welcome College GameDay when the program headed to South Bend on November 13, 1993 for the clash with Florida State dubbed the “Game of the Century.”

It’s returned to South Bend on a number of occasions since then, but the Fighting Irish still have some work to do if they want to make it to the top of the current pack.

Before we dive in, I should note that I’m only counting installments of College GameDay that have been filmed on campus as opposed to games at neutral sites or those where the school in question was a member of the featured matchup.

T-10. Georgia 

Record As A Host: 8-2

There are currently four schools that have hosted College GameDay on exactly ten occasions, and I’ll simply list them in alphabetical order.

That means we’re kicking things off with Georgia, which lost during its debut in 1998 and befell the same fate when the program returned for the second time a decade later. However, they exorcised those demons in 2013 to kick off what is currently an eight-game winning streak.

T-10. Penn State: 10

Record As A Host: 5-5

As you can see, a visit from College GameDay has been the textbook definition of average for Penn State. The Nittany Lions beat Arizona when the show arrived for the first time in 1999, but it’s been a pretty hit-or-miss affair since then.

T-10. Texas: 10

Record As A Host: 5-5

Texas has endured the exact same fate as Penn State since welcoming College GameDay in 1999, and while the show was initially a pretty good luck charm, the Longhorns are in the midst of a four-game skid stretching back to their appearance in 2019.

T-10. USC: 10

Record As A Host: 7-3

It took longer than you might think for USC to get in on the College GameDay action, as the Trojans didn’t earn a visit until 2004. It was pretty good to them at first, but the team has lost three of the last four times it’s hosted.

T-8. Florida State: 11

Record As A Host: 7-4

College GameDay went down to Tallahassee for the first time in 1995, and the four losses the Seminoles have are sandwiched by the three wins they got at the onset and the four-game streak they’re currently riding (although they haven’t had the chance to extend it since 2014).

FSU would be a little higher up on this list if it had played the game against Georgia Tech that was scheduled for September 15, 2001, but it was canceled in the wake of the attacks on 9/11.

T-8: Tennessee: 11

Record As A Host: 6-5

Tennessee ushered in the 1995 season with its first College GameDay apperance and came away with a win. However, the Volunteers had posted a losing record before they began to redeem themselves in 2022 for the first of the three straight wins they’re currently sitting on.

T-6: Notre Dame: 12

Record As A Host: 7-5

As I mentioned above, Notre Dame was the host of the first-ever College GameDay and also the first school to welcome the show when it began to tour on a weekly basis in 1994. The Fighting Irish won the first and lost the second, and its been a pretty even back-and-forth since then.

T-6: Oregon: 12

Record As A Host: 9-3

Oregon also had to wait a little while to get in on the action, as College GameDay didn’t make it to Eugene until 2000. However, the Ducks have taken full advantage of the energy the show helps generate since then.

5. Florida: 13

Record As A Host: 9-4

Florida’s experience on College GameDay mirrors that of FSU. The Gators started with a four-game winning streak after appearing for the first time in 1995, lost the same number in a row, and are now on a five-game tear after their most recent victory in 2019.

4. LSU: 14

Record As A Host: 7-7

We’ve got yet another team that checks the “Average” box when College GameDay comes to town, as things have been a coin flip for LSU when the Tigers are good enough to lure the show to Baton Rouge.

3. Michigan: 15

Record As A Host: 11-4

Michigan lost to Notre Dame when it hosted College GameDay for the first time in 1994, but it bounced back with a six-game winning streak and has continued to prevail more often than not when the crew makes its way to Ann Arbor.

2. Alabama: 19

Record As A Host: 10-9

College GameDay headed down to Birmingham on multiple occasions in the 1990s to focus on some rivalry games involving Alabama, but it didn’t descend upon Tuscaloosa until the start of the season in 2001. As you can probably guess, the bulk of the trips that contribute to this total transpired after the Nick Saban Era began in 2007.

1. Ohio State: 26

Record As A Host: 19-6 

No school has welcomed College GameDay on more occasions than THE Ohio State University. The program headed to campus for the first time when the Buckeyes hosted Penn State in 1996, and they’ll be hosting it for the 26th time when they kick off the 2025 season against Texas.