Everything we know about ESPN College GameDay in Pullman

As the buzz around the Inland Northwest continues with the arrival of ESPN’s College GameDay and Ol’ Crimson’s iconic first national appearance in Pullman, we have all the details covered ahead of the big day for Washington State Football. What: ESPN College GameDay serves as the official start of the college football weekend. Every Saturday morning the show airs from a college campus that features the biggest game of the week. The cast covers the weekend’s biggest games and provide multiple features on the two teams playing in the game at the host city. The show ends with Lee Corso making his pick of the featured game, which usually involves some kind of prop on his reveal of his prediction. When: ESPN’s coverage of College GameDay will run Saturday, Oct. 20 from 6-9 a.m. Washington State will host No. 12 Oregon later on at 4:30 p.m. at a sold-out Martin Stadium. Where:: The ESPN College GameDay will be set up at the corner of Stadium Way and Ferdinand’s Lane, across from the Cougar Pride statue. Who: The 10-time Emmy Award-winning show is hosted by Rece Davis, who is joined by analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, as well as contributors Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica, Jen Lada, Tom Rinaldi, Maria Taylor and Gene Wojciechowski. Why: While ESPN’s reason to bring GameDay to Pullman isn’t clearcut, there is lots of history and evidence that could have been factors in the decision. On paper, Pullman seemed long overdue. Historically, the Ol’ Crimson flag made 216 straight appearances on College GameDay, and No. 217 will be the first time it will stay home on the Palouse. The magnitude of the matchup adds some drama, pitting two Pac-12 North division rivals at 5-1 overall (2-1 conference) against each other. Add in the fact that WSU is ranked No. 25 entering this weekend, and the Cougar-Duck matchup is one of four pitting two ranked teams against each other. Another plus but with maybe not as much magnitude is the weather forecast, with a beautiful sunny day and high of 71 expected. How: Having been in Ann Arbor, Mich., last weekend for a matchup between Michigan and Wisconsin, the College GameDay truck packed up and made its first trek to Pullman, arriving Wednesday afternoon with thousands of rowdy Coug fans greeting them along the way. Thursday, crews began constructing the set while media personalities made the trip over to Pullman. More tidbits: • Washington State is the 70th different school to host College GameDay and Pullman is the 82nd different city to host GameDay. • This week is road show 354 and headgear pick 319. • If Lee Corso picks Washington State, it will be the 57th different mascot head he has donned at the end of the show. • Ol’ Crimson’s appearance Saturday will be the 30th at a Pac-12 school, having made trips to USC, Arizona State, Oregon, Arizona, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Utah and now Washington State. The Pac-12 will be tied with the Big-12 for third in GameDay visits at 30, while Big 10 (43) and the SEC (61) rank second and first, respectively. • Ol’ Crimson has traveled to 34 states, and this will be just the third time it has been on set in Washington, having gone to Apple Cup rival Washington in 2016 & 2013. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.