ESPN College GameDay is going back to the Big Ten in Week 9.
Iowa State was desperately pleading — literally — for ESPN to bring their traveling pregame show to Ames for the first time ever. Though the Cyclones' home game against TCU would've been a worthy pick, the network couldn't pass on an elite top-five showdown between Ohio State and Penn State in Columbus.
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"Ready for round 2, Buckeyes?" GameDay tweeted on Sunday morning.
For the second time this season, College GameDay is going to Ohio State.
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Location: Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio
Compare Ohio State and Penn State
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History
Ohio State becomes the first team to host Gameday twice in one season since 2013, when Alabama hosted twice in three weeks. And, following last week's home appearance vs. Michigan, Penn State is the first team featured in back-to-back regular-season shows since Florida in 2012.
This is the 17th time Ohio State has hosted the show, the most among all teams, and the fifth time they've hosted Penn State for GameDay, also the most of any matchup. The Buckeyes are 26-13 all-time on GameDay (most recently losing to Oklahoma in Week 2), while the Nittany Lions are just 7-10 (most recently beating Michigan in Week 8).
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Guest Picker Prediction
Santonio Holmes was the first-ever guest picker in Columbus (September 2009). ESPN has also invited Derek Poundstone, Archie Griffin, Orlando Pace and Eddie George to the set when visiting Ohio State.
Which might they welcome in Week 9? Here are some options.
Jack Nicklaus
The Golden Bear has been mentioned as a possible guest picker multiple times, most recently in Week 2, when ESPN opted for Eddie George instead.
Nicklaus, a Columbus native and Ohio State alum, would be a perfect pick.
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A.J. Hawk, Troy Smith or Antoine Winfield
If ESPN wants another prominent football alum, they could pick one of several players, among them Antoine Winfield, Troy Smith or A.J. Hawk.
All three players were All-Americans at Ohio State and all three are household names for non-Buckeye fans too, thus ensuring mass appeal.
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Dick LeBeau
A fourth former player, Dick LeBeau, would also be a phenomenal choice. LeBeau is an Ohio native who played cornerback and running back for Woody Hayes in the 1950s.
He's spent 16 years of his near-five-decade-long coaching career in the state (Cincinnati Bengals) and is on bye with the Tennessee Titans this week.
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NEXT: Stanford Holds Key to Pac-12 Playoff Hopes
