All eyes will be on Knoxville this weekend when ESPN's "College GameDay" comes to town Sept. 26 for No. 13 Tennessee's SEC opener against No. 1 Texas, and speculation is running wild over who will be the show's guest picker.
Turns out, "College GameDay" follows a fairly predictable pattern when selecting a celebrity guest, though ESPN has thrown fans some curveballs in the past.
Timothee Chalamet, for example, appeared as the guest picker for the 2024 SEC Championship Game, despite the actor being from New York City and not having an affiliation with either school. But if Longhorns loyalist Matthew McConaughey is on your short list of options, you can comfortably cross him off.
The show normally chooses people who have a clear affiliation with
the host school rather than the visitors, though Charles Barkley came to Knoxville in 2004 to serve as the show's first celebrity guest picker for a game between his alma mater of Auburn and Tennessee, according to Vols Wire.
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Barkley has appeared on the show six times, proving "College GameDay" doesn't shy away from repeat guests.
That means Peyton Manning is a possibility after appearing in Knoxville as the guest picker in 2022. And selecting "The Sheriff" would make for must-see TV, forcing the former Tennessee quarterback to choose between his alma mater and Texas, where his nephew Arch Manning is the starting quarterback.
While "College GameDay" often likes to spotlight former college athletes, current professional athletes and alumni of the host school, ESPN also goes for celebrities who are big fans of the team. Standup comedian Nate Bargatze, a longtime supporter of Vanderbilt, served as the guest picker in his hometown of Nashville last year as the Commodores hosted the Missouri Tigers.
Fellow comedian Theo Von, who is from Louisiana but has a home in Nashville, also appeared as the guest picker at Vanderbilt last season before the Commodores took on the Alabama Crimson Tide. While Von frequents games at FirstBank Stadium, he did find himself on the field at Neyland Stadium in 2022 and used the opportunity to dump a Gatorade cooler on coach Josh Heupel after Tennessee defeated Florida.
Von also visited Knoxville two years later to help with a Hurricane Helene relief drive organized by his friend and Knoxville native Morgan Wallen, who has become a popular candidate for "College GameDay" after releasing a limited-edition camo shirt highlighting the Tennessee-Texas matchup.
Maybe "College Gameday" will bring out Rick Barnes, who coached 17 seasons at Texas before taking over Tennessee's program in 2015. And with the history of repeat guests, including four appearances by comedian Keegan Michael Key, Bianca Belair, Candace Parker and Kenny Chesney are still on the table.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: ESPN picker pattern suggests possible 'GameDay' guest for Tennessee-Texas
