ESPN College GameDay is going outside the box in Week 4.
After visiting four college campuses to open the 2017 season to showcase potential playoff teams, the premier pregame show in sports is not headed to a school this weekend.
Instead of going to Stillwater, Okla., for TCU vs. Oklahoma State or Boulder, Colo., for Washington vs. Colorado or another city with a big-time matchup, GameDay is going to a city that's home to zero FBS teams.
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Location: Times Square – New York City
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History
As a result of the unconventional location, this week's history section is bare.
This is the first time College GameDay will broadcast from New York City and only the second time from the state of New York. They visited West Point in 2003 for South Florida vs. Army.
It will also be the first time they are not broadcasting from (or near) the site of a game. The nearest FBS program, Rutgers, 40 miles away in New Jersey, is on the road (Nebraska).
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Guest Picker Predictions
While yours truly did not include Rick Pitino in last week's guest picker predictions for Clemson vs. Louisville, it was hardly surprising to see ESPN invite the coaching legend to the set. It was, however, shocking to see the 64-year-old wear a skin-tight Lamar Jackson jersey.
Who knows what ESPN will do this week. They could tap one of a million different celebrities or sports figures to make picks.
Here are three entertainment-related guesses pulled from a hat:
Dylan O'Brien
Predictions for Michael Keaton failed in both Week 2 and Week 3, so let's try for his American Assassin co-star, Dylan O'Brien.
O'Brien was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey before moving to California as a teenager. The 26-year-old best known for Deepwater Horizon, The Maze Runner and Teen Wolf is not quite a mass-appealing household name but he'd be a sensible pick.
Anne Hathaway
GameDay hasn't had a woman as guest picker since Laila Ali in Louisville last September. Might they opt for someone like Anna Hathaway, another NYC native?
Her next film, Ocean's Eight, isn't due until 2018 but she's already popular enough to warrant selection.
Robert De Niro
Also a NYC native, Robert De Niro was born in Manhattan and remains an immensely popular and well-known star.
The biggest deterrent?
"I’m not a big football person at all," he said in 2013 of his role in Silver Linings Playbook.
