UGA Season Opener Attracts ESPN’s “GameDay”

Sep 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; A general view of the set of ESPN College Gameday before the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines at Cowboys Stadium. From left Desmond Howard , Chris Fowler , Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past several years, the standard by which “big games” are measured in college football has changed. Specifically, the presence of ESPN’s College GameDay on a university campus brings immediate credibility to that Saturday’s match-up, and it was announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Georgia Bulldogs will have that increased audience at least once during the 2013 campaign.

ESPN’s Edward Aschoff announced that GameDay’s season opening show will be broadcast live from the Clemson/Georgia game in Death Valley on August 31st. In addition, the normally 3-hour show will be stretched to 4 hours as a part of the opening festivities, and the game will be broadcast live in the #1 ESPN/ABC timeslot of 8:00 pm on ABC for a national television audience.

Whether Georgia will have the ability to knock off Clemson on the road is a separate issue (and certainly one that is up for debate), but the level of scrutiny surrounding the match-up seems to be rising on a daily basis. Along with Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (taking place in the Georgia Dome), the ACC/SEC face-offs will own college football’s opening day, but the “primetime” focus of the Clemson/Georgia game is yet another reminder of the spotlight for the Bulldogs.

The countdown rages on at 24 days (as of this writing) until kick-off. Stay tuned.