“College GameDay” will preview its third straight game between top 25 teams on Saturday when the crew heads to University Park, Pa., to showcase No. 10 Penn State’s “White Out” game vs. No. 22 Auburn.
Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Co. will set up outside Old Main on Penn State’s campus. This will be the teams’ first meeting since 2003, and first ever in the regular season. More importantly, both teams will look not only to remain undefeated on the season — both are 2-0 — but also to score a marquee nonconference victory in their respective College Football Playoff bids.
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Penn State has the best win of either team, heading into Camp Randall Stadium and beating then-No. 12 Wisconsin to open the season. The Nittany Lions won that game 16-10, but turned around and beat Ball State in a 44-13 snoozer. Auburn, meanwhile, has the nation’s highest-scoring offense through two games, putting up 60 and 62 points, respectively, against Akron and Alabama State.
It’s likely Saturday will mark both teams’ toughest game of the season to date. Auburn’s offense has run through its running backs, with Tank Bigsby (241 rushing yards) and Jarquez Hunter (257) both scoring two touchdowns on the ground. Bo Nix has been good as well, completing 29 of 39 passes for 383 yards and five scores. But how will that offense fair against a Penn State defense that has given up two touchdowns and allowed an average of 11.5 points per game?
Conversely, Sean Clifford (39 of 62 passing, 477 yards, two touchdowns) will face the nation’s top statistical scoring defense (five points per game). He’ll need more help from running back Noah Cain (117 yards, two touchdowns) and need to target more than just Jahan Dotson (10 receptions, 167 yards, two touchdowns) if he wants to lead Penn State to a home victory.
With that, here’s everything you need to know as “College GameDay” makes its way to University Park, Pa., to preview the game:
MORE: Watch Auburn at Penn State live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Where is ‘College GameDay’ location for Week 3?
- Location: University Park, Pa.
- Matchup: No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State
“GameDay” will make its ninth all-time appearance at University Park on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are 4-4 all time when hosting the ESPN program, including 4-3 in ranked matchups. They have a considerably worse record overall, going 8-14 in the 22 times they were part of the show’s featured matchup. That also includes a 6-12 record in ranked matchups. They are 0-1 all time against SEC opponents on the show, losing 24-3 to Alabama in 2010 in Tuscaloosa.
Auburn has a slightly better overall record, also in 22 appearances: 10-12. But they are 1-6 all time in true road games, every one of which was a ranked matchup. The Tigers’ only win came in 2004, when the No. 8-ranked Tigers beat No. 10 Tennessee 34-10 — part of a season in which the Tigers went undefeated. Auburn has never faced off against a Big Ten team on “GameDay.”
As for the teams’ series history, Penn State got on the board first when the No. 15 Nittany Lions demolished No. 16 Auburn 43-14 in the 1996 Outback Bowl. The Tigers returned the favor in 2003 when, ranked No. 19, they beat No. 10 Penn State 13-9 in the Capital One Bowl.
MORE: College Football Playoff Picture for Week 3: Alabama leads five tiers of contenders
‘College GameDay’ schedule on ESPN
- TV channel: ESPN
- Start time: 9 a.m. ET
Davis, Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack will preview Week 3 action live from University Park, Pa., starting at 9 a.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Only two ranked games are on the Week 4 schedule: No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 18 Wisconsin in Soldier Field (Chicago) and No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 20 Arkansas in AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas). Those games, both at neutral sites, are the likeliest locations for “GameDay” in Week 4.
| Week | Matchup | Location | Guest Picker | Corso’s Headgear | Outcome |
| 0 | Alcorn State vs. NCCU | Atlanta | Eddie George | Braves | NCCU 23, Alcorn State 14 |
| 1 | No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 3 Clemson | Charlotte, N.C. | Kane Brown | Bulldogs | Georgia 10, Clemson 3 |
| 2 | No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Iowa State | Ames, Iowa | Ashton Kutcher | Hawkeyes | Iowa 27, Iowa State 17 |
| 3 | No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State | University Park, Pa. | Saquon Barkley | Nittany Lions | TBD |
Who is the guest picker on ‘College GameDay’ for Week 3?
“GameDay” announced former Penn State running back and consensus All-American Saquon Barkley as its Week 3 picker: