By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina will appear on the football version of ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the third time when the show will air from Charlotte before the Tar Heels’ Sept. 2 season-opener against South Carolina.
It will be the Tar Heels’ first appearance on the show since Sept. 4, 2010, before they lost 30–24 to LSU in their season opener in Atlanta. “GameDay” came to Chapel Hill on Nov. 8, 1997, before Florida State’s 20–3 win in UNC’s only loss of an 11–1 season, Coach Mack Brown’s last of his first stint at Carolina.
“With GameDay coming to our South Carolina game, how exciting is that? They pick the best game of the week in college football,” Brown said. “There’s 130-something teams that they have to look at each week to see where that fits.”
This comes after UNC announced that season tickets are sold out.
“So excited about season tickets being sold out, GameDay coming to South Carolina,” Brown said. “Can’t wait; see you on September 2.”
The three-hour show will start at 9 a.m. and be staged at Romare Bearden Park in Uptown Charlotte, just down the street from the Charlotte Panthers’ stadium, where the Tar Heels will meet the Gamecocks at 7:30 p.m. in a game that will air on ABC.
“GameDay” has originated from Charlotte three times previously, twice for ACC championship games: in 2017 (Clemson vs. Miami) and 2020 (Clemson vs. Notre Dame). The program also came to Charlotte for the 2021 season opener between Clemson and Georgia.
“GameDay” broadcast from an ACC location twice last season: at Pittsburgh on Sept. 1 for the season opener against West Virginia and Oct. 1 in Clemson before the Tigers’ game with N.C. State.
It will be 440th episode and the first for a South Carolina-North Carolina game.
The Gamecocks’ last “GameDay” appearance was in 2014.
Rece Davis is the show’s host. He’ll be joined by analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, with college football insider Pete Thamel and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims.
In addition, ESPN will have a social media and digital pre-pregame show, “Countdown to GameDay,” ahead of “GameDay” in Charlotte, with hosts Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. The show is available across Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App at 8:30 a.m.
The first “College GameDay” of the season will be a two-hour preview show at 10 a.m. from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn., on Aug. 26.
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UNC schedule
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Score/ time | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| August | ||
| 29 | Noon, ESPN | vs.TCU in Dublin, Ireland |
| September | ||
| 12 | Noon, ACCN | vs. ETSU |
| 19 | Noon, ESPN | at Clemson |
| October | ||
| 3 | TBA | vs. Notre Dame |
| 10 | TBA | at Pittsburgh |
| 17 | TBA | at Duke |
| 24 | TBA | vs. Syracuse |
| 31 | TBA | vs. Miami |
| November | ||
| 7 | TBA | at UConn |
| 14 | TBA | vs. Louisville |
| 21 | TBA | at Virginia |
| 28 | TBA | vs. N.C. State |
| December | ||
| 5 | noon, ABC | ACC championship game in Charlotte |
Photo via @UNCFootball
