What to Know About College GameDay's Coverage of Ohio State vs. Tennessee

As the eighth-seeded Buckeyes prepare to face ninth-seeded Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff, ESPN's renowned college football preview show will be on hand to start the festivities for fans. It's the 25th time in the show's history that it's come to Columbus, and the second time this season after Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Co. gave way to a 38-15 Ohio State win over Indiana in Week 13.

We're ready for an electric first round of the CFP with DOUBLE the GameDay shows

First stop: @IndianaFootball at @NDFootball | Dec. 20 at 3:30 PM ET
Second stop: @Vol_Football at @OhioStateFB | Dec. 21 at 9 AM ET

SEE YOU THERE pic.twitter.com/7oNXTrM1y1

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 11, 2024

The Buckeyes and Volunteers kick off at 8 p.m. Saturday on ABC and ESPN. College GameDay starts its show at 9 a.m. Here's everything you need to know to attend or watch:

Venue is St. John Arena

The GameDay crew will broadcast live from St. John Arena, taking up its usual spot on South Lawn at 410 Woody Hayes Drive. Only Jesse Owens Plaza will separate the set from Ohio Stadium. The show concludes at noon.

Guest Picker A.J. Hawk

Former Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, who won the Lombardi Award and was a unanimous All-American with the Buckeyes in 2005, will be the guest picker for GameDay on Saturday. Hawk played 11 seasons in the NFL and was a starter for 10 of them, winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2011. He's currently co-host of the Pat McAfee show with McAfee.

When to Arrive and How to Enter

• College GameDay will allow fans to enter “The Pit” immediately adjacent to the stage starting at 5 a.m., with the show's broadcast set to begin at 9 a.m. Entrance to The Pit, where fans are often seen displaying their signs on TV, is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• Attendees are subject to ESPN security policies and procedures. Bags of any kind, food or drinks, pens, pencils, markers, dry-erase boards and signs that are attached to sticks are not permitted.
• ESPN’s sign policy prohibits vulgar signs, advertisements for websites and political or religious signs. All signs will be inspected before the broadcast to ensure they adhere to ESPN's restrictions.

Ohio State and Tennessee's History on College GameDay

• Ohio State is the winningest program in College GameDay history with a 42-20 record in 62 appearances.
• This will be the first time College GameDay has attended an Ohio State vs. Tennessee game, as it's only the second time the Buckeyes and Volunteers have met in their storied history. Tennessee won the first meeting at the 1996 Citrus Bowl, played after the 1995 season, 20-14.
• The Buckeyes are 18-6 all-time when hosting College GameDay.
• In addition to its triumph over Indiana, Ohio State also had GameDay on hand for two road games, its loss at Oregon and its win at Penn State.

Other Festivities Around Campus

• A record five college football shows will be on campus during the leadup to the contest. Joining College GameDay is BTN Tailgate, SEC Nation, Pat McAfee's Field Pass and the Scott Van Pelt Show.
• Skull Session starts at 5:40 p.m. with doors opening to St. John Arena at 5 p.m. The Ohio State football team will arrive at Skull Session at approximately 6 p.m.
• Buckeye Game Day FanFest will begin in Remembrance Park near St. John Arena at 5 p.m., a free community pregame tailgate hosted by Ohio State. Vendors will be there with food, beverages and merchandise.
• The Ohio State team shop, located in the Schottenstein Center, opens at 4 p.m.