For the second time in three years, ESPN’s traveling pregame show is paying a visit to Bloomington.
ESPN announced Sunday that “College GameDay” would be held in advance of No. 5 Indiana football hosting Minnesota. In a rather weak slate of games, and despite a big SEC rivalry game, there is plenty at stake as the Hoosiers (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) host P.J. Fleck‘s physical Golden Gophers (5-2, 3-1). There is still a path to the Big Ten championship game and College Football Playoff for each team.
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The previous visit to IU came outside Memorial Stadium, an opportunity to blend the gameday atmosphere with GameDay. But it was also before the reintroduction of a mascot, Hoosier the Bison, who was created for moment’s like this: when former IU coach Lee Corso would pick a mascot’s headgear and wear it to cap the show. And while IU didn’t have the headgear then, it did recreate an iconic bus moment for Corso as part of a reunion with his 1979 Holiday Bowl team.
IU announced the set will be on campus at Showalter Fountain, which should give fans plenty of time for it to wrap up around noon and get over to Memorial Stadium for the 3:30 p.m. game. Who will be the guest picker alongside Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee? Here’s a look at a number of potential guests with IU ties (listed alphabetically).
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You may not even have known, but Clayton Anderson had his song “Indiana” played on TV broadcasts during the Indiana football run to the national championship. The native of Bedford is a proud IU fan and has opened a bar in downtown Indianapolis with a Nashville-style sign.
From deadpan reactions to helping lead the New York Knicks to a NBA championship, OG Anunoby has plenty of reasons to be celebrated. How about this champion celebrating with the reigning football champions on his former campus? It’ll be a tough time crunch, though. The Knicks play in Philadelphia on Friday night, but not again till Monday.
For the sake of promotion, Caitlin Clark makes the list. And her locale of greater Indianapolis as Indiana Fever superstar fits. And while Clark and Nike would surely love a chance to promote her Caitlin 1’s again, that just happened Oct. 3 for “College GameDay’s” visit to Ohio State at Iowa, which was the fourth most-watched show at 2.9 million per ESPN PR. Surely the Hawkeyes grad who also said she supports Notre Dame won’t be the guest picker, not at an adidas school. Or will the ratings dictate otherwise?
Some would say Corso riding into retirement wearing Brutus the Buckeye’s head was perfect. How about one more time with Hoosier the Bison, which was created specifically for brand recognition like this? I mean, come on.
Businessman, entrepreneur and former “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban has been around IU football. He’s a known supporter of fellow Pittsburgh native Curt Cignetti, and has proudly supported the program financially.
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It certainly feels like Tyrese Haliburton is becoming Indiana’s biggest supporter, the state that is. Could the superfan and Pacers star return from a late tip-off Friday night in Miami for ‘GameDay’ before the Pacers return to action Sunday evening? Would an unashamed Iowa State fan and Wisconsin native be welcome for that opportunity?
Before he made a name for himself as Jason Jordan in WWE, Nathan Everhart was a three-time NCAA championship qualifier for the Hoosiers wrestling team. He was 38-3 in his senior year and ranked No. 2 nationally, finishing with 89 career victories and runner-up in the Big Ten in 2010.
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Tried and true, John “Cougar” Mellencamp has had “Hurt So Good” play across Memorial Stadium and other stadiums, and the IU alum also played during the national championship celebration in January. Seems like an easy pick.
The world is a different place, private jets and all, but it would be difficult for Fernando Mendoza to make a pit stop in Bloomington ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the New York Jets. Similarly, his star receiver Omar Cooper Jr. would seem unlikely.
Which leads us to younger brother Max Mendoza, who wants to be a media personality and already aired on ESPN windows during the NFL preseason, the “Pat McAfee Show” at the ESPY’s and more. IU fans and the country fell in love with the Mendoza family story, so if the Heisman-winning quarterback can’t make it, why not have his brother realize a dream?
Have you seen “Glee,” or the news that there is a reboot coming? The initial series, written by one-time IU journalism major Ryan Murphy, aired on Fox but the reboot is going to Disney+ and Hulu, which are sisters to ESPN.
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The five-time IndyCar champion could be his sport’s greatest of all-time, and the native Spaniard has made Indianapolis home and fallen in love with American sports. That is largely because of IU football, and he has made several appearances on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” and drove out the Indy car against Ohio State.
Insider: Indiana football won over celebrity superfan who is a 5-time champion, starting new tradition
Screenwriter and film producer Angelo Pizzo was instrumental in popular sports films “Hoosiers” and “Rudy.” A 1971 IU grad, Pizzo is coming up on the 40th anniversary of “Hoosiers,” a fitting opportunity for extra promotion around the film and celebration, even if it is a basketball film on a football pregame show.
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A former IU quarterback who had a nine-year NFL career as a receiver won a Super Bowl in 2005 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s the wide receivers coach/assistant head coach with the Chicago Bears, though, who play Monday night in Seattle. So not an impossible opportunity.
How do you top Kyle Schwarber wearing an IU batting helmet? How about Jasper native Scott Rolen, who frequents the Bloomington area. The Baseball Hall of Fame selection was a seven-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner and won the 2006 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Yes, Sage Steele is one of IU’s trustees. She also left ESPN after settling a free-speech and retaliation lawsuit against ESPN and parent company Disney.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Who will be ESPN ‘College GameDay’ guest picker for IU football game vs Minnesota? Names to know
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