Tuscaloosa hosted ESPN’s “College GameDay” in anticipation of the afternoon game between the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday.
“College GameDay” puts a focus on the student fans in attendance, so it has become tradition to dress up and craft clever signs to be seen on TV. This requires creativity and also patience to camp out and get a good spot in the pit.
The first 100 fans who showed up were eligible for the infamous field goal challenge. The initial prize of $100,000 was upped all the way to $500,000, and while the randomly chosen contestant, Gabby Mathis, a senior majoring in chemical engineering, missed the kick, she was rewarded $300,000 through Herbstreit’s consolation throw.
“The people in the front front, they got here at like eight last night,” said George Mavros, a freshman majoring in criminology and criminal justice, who started camping out at 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
With a setup of snacks, blankets, chairs and many other goodies, Mavros and his friends were ready for a long night before seeing their beloved show. Chants of “Dixieland Delight” broke out as the large groups of students sat and waited for the night to pass.
This year has been former Alabama head coach Nick Saban’s second as an analyst on “College GameDay” and his second year appearing on the show in Tuscaloosa. Crimson Tide fans were not shy in expressing their love for Saban, be it through loud chants or intricately crafted signs. Some wrote “SABAN FOR PRESIDENT” or even “SABAN IS SEXY.”
“I’m excited to see Nick Saban, of course,” said Jake Radcliffe, a freshman majoring in mathematics, on Friday night. “We bought signs and markers, I got camping chairs, got a blanket, we got a bunch of energy drinks. I’m not gonna sleep tonight.”
Alongside Saban was the typical crew of Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard. Kalen DeBoer, Terry Saban and Bill Belichick made appearances as well.
At every “College GameDay,” the show brings out a surprise guest to be the “guest picker” as each analyst makes their guesses for the day’s games. The surprise guest this weekend was comedian Theo Von. His inclusion would typically seem inconspicuous, but his ties to Vanderbilt upset some fans who hoped for more of a crowd-pleasing guest.
“I love Theo Von, but I do, unfortunately, think he’s gonna pick Vanderbilt to win, but it’s okay,” said Aidan Messerschmitt, a freshman majoring in finance.
Theo Von did pick Vanderbilt to win, but not without his fair share of humor and praise for Alabama. The long awaited gameday picks ultimately favored Alabama four to one.
“Being a part of the entire body of people there was just really cool,” said Eli Wilks, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering, who arrived at 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Wilks was given a wristband to be placed in the front row.
“Seeing all the famous people, being like four feet from Nick Saban, who’s like an idol to me, is pretty cool,” Wilks said.
