ESPN's "College GameDay" is staying away from the Power Four conference schools in Week 11 of the 2026 college football season.
Host Rece Davis, Alabama football legend Nick Saban and fellow analysts Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit will be in Idaho for a Pac-12 showdown between coach Spencer Danielson's Boise State Broncos and the Oregon State Beavers at Albertsons Stadium.
Boise State (8-1) is No. 18 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Oregon State (5-4) is unranked. The Beavers are led by first-year coach JaMarcus Shephard, who was Alabama's wide receivers coach under Kalen DeBoer from 2024-25.
It's only the second time in school history Boise State has hosted GameDay, whose last visit
was Sept. 25, 2010, when the Broncos hosted the Beavers. It marks the first time GameDay has visited a Group of Six location since November 2023 when ESPN's crew was in Harrisonburg, Virginia, for James Madison vs. Appalachian State.
The Broncos are the highest-ranked Group of Six team and have won eight straight games since a season-opening 34-27 loss to the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. Oregon State reeled off five straight wins but is coming off double-digit losses to Fresno State and Texas State in back-to-back weeks.
Kickoff for Oregon State-Boise State is 4 p.m. MT/5 p.m. CT The game can be seen on USA Network.
"College GameDay" on ESPN begins at 8 a.m. CT each week.
'College GameDay' shows love to Group of Six but snubs top-25 Power Four matchups
ESPN certainly had no shortage of ranked vs. ranked matchups to choose from in Week 11, including one in the SEC. Texas (7-2, No. 6 CFP) visits LSU (6-3, No. 21 CFP) in prime time at Tiger Stadium. Lane Kiffin needs a win to have any hope of reaching the College Football Playoff in his first season as LSU's coach.
Even with two losses, Texas owns four wins against ranked opponents, though the Horns would like to avoid a third loss that would put their playoff fate in the hands of the committee for a second straight year. LSU hosted GameDay in Week 1 for its season opener against the Clemson Tigers.
The Big Ten features a high-stakes matchup between Southern California (7-2, No. 18, CFP) and Indiana (8-1, No. 9 CFP). Given GameDay's reluctance to visit the same campus twice in a regular season, particularly in the span of a month, ESPN's decision to avoid Bloomington is understandable here. The Hoosiers just hosted GameDay on Oct. 31.
In the Big 12, Utah (9-0, No. 2 CFP) faces No. 21 Arizona (7-2, No. 23 CFP) for a prime-time matchup in Tucson. The Utes are off to their best start since 2008 when they went on to finish 13-0, capping a perfect season with an upset win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Arizona hasn't hosted GameDay since 2015.
While Boise State-Oregon State isn't the flashiest option on the Week 11 schedule, the Broncos are the top contender for the automatic playoff berth awarded to a Group of Six team.
GameDay is almost always in a no-win situation when it comes to choosing its weekly destinations. But given the criticism ESPN has faced from some fans for not visiting G6 programs more often, coupled with Boise State's status as a true playoff contender for the second time in three years, this feels like a safe change of pace for the GameDay crew.
Alabama football schedule 2026
Unusual TV channel, time for Alabama football at Vanderbilt in Week 11
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) November 10, 2026
📸 Matt Bush, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect https://t.co/KkO1drx94f pic.twitter.com/ELqNiurU2f
Alabama (7-2, 5-2 SEC) faces the Vanderbilt Commodores (4-5, 1-5) at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville in Week 11 of the 2026 college football season is 11:45 a.m. CT. The game can be seen on SEC Network. Matt Schumacker and Aaron Murray will have the call of the game. Taylor Davis will report from the sidelines.
Alabama football schedule 2026
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (L, 20-17)
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers (L, 26-10)
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies (W, 31-20)
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers (W, 31-13)
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 7-2, 5-2 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: 'College GameDay' announces Week 11 location, choosing unusual setting
