IOWA CITY, Iowa — For the first time this season, ESPN’s “College GameDay” is heading to Big Ten country. The pregame show announced Sunday that it will broadcast live from Iowa City on Saturday for the top-25 matchup between Iowa and Ohio State.
The trip marks the show’s first visit to Iowa’s campus in two decades and just its third trip to Iowa City ever. Ohio State was the visiting opponent on both previous visits — in 1996 and 2006 — and the Buckeyes won both games.
GameDay had spent the first four weeks of the season at SEC sites, most recently in Knoxville for Texas-Tennessee. It teased Iowa as the Week 5 destination during Saturday’s broadcast, contingent on the Hawkeyes winning their Week 4 game — which they did, dramatically.
Iowa (4-0) walked off Michigan in Ann Arbor when Hank Brown connected with Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown as time expired. It was Iowa’s first ranked road victory in Big Ten play since 2015.
Ohio State (3-1) rolled past Illinois 42-19 on Saturday to open conference play, with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith tying the school record with four touchdown catches. Kickoff Saturday at Kinnick Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, with the winner seizing early control of the Big Ten race.