Sports
College GameDay to Celebrate Lee Corso’s Final Season Kickoff in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio – ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will launch the 2025 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 30. The show will air live from Ohio State University ahead of the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes’ rematch against the Texas Longhorns in a College Football Playoff Semifinal.
The three-hour program, starting at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNU, marks the beginning of GameDay’s 39th season, spotlighting what has become a cherished tradition of college football Saturdays.
Lee Corso, the legendary broadcaster known for his famous headgear picks, will make his final appearance on the show. Corso, who turns 90 in August, has been with College GameDay since its inception in 1987. He made his first headgear pick by wearing the head of Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye mascot.
Throughout Corso’s illustrious career, he made a remarkable 430 headgear picks, including a record 45 selections favoring the Buckeyes. Special programming will honor Corso during this Week 1 event, alongside previews of the upcoming season and kickoff day action.
The show will originate from outside St. John Arena on Ohio State’s campus before moving inside the iconic Ohio Stadium, where Corso will make his final pick in front of a crowd of 100,000 fans.
This visit will mark the 26th time that College GameDay will host from Ohio State, extending its record for most visits by any program. This will also be the first occasion since 2014 that the reigning National Champions are featured on the season’s opening GameDay broadcast.
Ohio State boasts a 45-21 record with GameDay appearances and is 19-6 when hosting the show. The upcoming matchup against Texas will be their fifth meeting on the program, with the series tied 2-2.
Last season, College GameDay captured an average of 2.2 million viewers and received its 10th Sports Emmy for best weekly studio show. Further details regarding Road Show destinations, talent, and guest appearances will be announced as the start of college football season approaches.
