Anyone who has tuned into ‘ESPN’s College GameDay’ on a regular basis over the years knows that one of the many places that stands out apart from the rest in terms of an electric atmosphere is Eugene, Oregon.
‘College GameDay’ has been to Eugene 11 times before, and it’s been established as one of the top locations in the show’s history, with the likes of Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit claiming on record that it is their favorite place to take the show.
This weekend, ahead of the No. 3 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes showdown, ‘GameDay’ will be in Eugene once again. But the show host, Rece Davis, says that the fans in Eugene have lost their claim as the best location on the West Coast since the show was here last in 2022.
Last week in Berkley ahead of the game between the California Golden Bears and Miami Hurricanes, Davis claims that the Cal students took the cake and now hold the crown as Best of the West.
“We always say we can have a great show without a great crowd, but we don’t want to,” Davis said on Friday. “It’s that we can have a better one if the crowd becomes another member, another character in the show. And I don’t know that in my 10 years of doing this, that anybody has done it better than Cal last week.”
It was the first time that Cal ever hosted ‘GameDay,’ and the fans showed up in force with some of the best signs that we’ve ever seen on the show.
Davis knows that saying that acts as a challenge for Oregon to reclaim the top spot, but for him, even the Washington school still stands ahead of the Ducks.
“If Oregon wants to take that as a challenge, go ahead,” Davis continued. “Because I’ve always said, even though my favorite show of all time is Washington State — because of the 15-year crusade to get the show there — in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast, Washington has been phenomenal. I’ll sing a few bars of “Bow Down to Washington,” unless you want to bow down to Washington, and unless you want to acquiesce on the West Coast that the whole damn world is Bear Territory, Oregon needs to reclaim its place tomorrow morning.”
Challenge accepted.
The show starts at 6 a.m. local time on the West Coast, and while it will still be dark and cold outside when cameras start rolling, students are sure to show out in the Memorial Quad on campus hours before the program gets rolling, well-lubricated and ready to get loud.
There will be no Lee Corso on the show, unfortunately, but that’s no excuse for Duck fans not to do what they do best and reclaim the ‘College GameDay’ fanbase award on the West Coast. With the first-ever top-five matchup in Autzen Stadium on deck, anything less than that would be disappointing.
“As far as the crowds, I’ve always said that Oregon, by and large, has been the standard bearer on the West Coast,” Davis said. “Cal might have taken the title last week. Now Oregon gets a chance to answer. So let’s see what they’ve got.”
Take a nap now, students. You’re needed in the morning.
