How Coastal Carolina kept ESPN College GameDay from moving on to another location
Coastal Carolina nearly lost the national spotlight that will come Saturday morning with the ESPN College GameDay show broadcasting from the campus.
GameDay host Rece Davis said Friday that ESPN was monitoring how CCU was going to replace Liberty on Thursday when the Flames were forced to back out of their game with CCU because of coronavirus issues within their football program.
But Coastal’s scrambling and willingness to host undefeated BYU on short notice – coupled with the No. 13 Cougars’ willingness to take the game and travel on short notice – kept ESPN from changing locations.
“I was very impressed by Coastal’s willingness to make this happen, to be able to keep GameDay here because in all candor we would have moved if there hadn’t been a game, or if there had been some game that really didn’t meet the level you would want for College GameDay to be there,” Davis said during a Zoom interview with reporters. “So we likely would have moved the show.”
So No. 18 CCU will still be the epicenter of college football on Saturday with the three-hour GameDay broadcast in the morning followed by one of just two matchups this week of top 25 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, along with No. 12 Indiana at No. 16 Wisconsin.
“It’s a program-defining type of experience because that’s something that, especially at the G5 level, you don’t get very often,” Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell said. “For us to be able to be the first Sun Belt team to do that and host it, and to have them here on our campus especially in this type of year and with the season we’re having, it’s a special time and I know one that our players and our fans and just really the whole community is excited about to be able to bring that type of attention on our university and what we’re doing, not only in the football program but overall and the way we’re growing.”
CCU worked with the Sun Belt Conference to find an opponent.
“There weren’t a lot of opportunities out there, and we did look at both non-conference and even looked at some conference scenarios, but in the end the easiest path really was this game, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that BYU didn’t have a game scheduled,” Coastal director of athletics Matt Hogue said.
“I’m impressed for Coastal to be willing to take on a big-time challenger and not worry about risking their undefeated season and realizing the upside rather than the potential down side, and BYU wanting to do something to put itself in better position in the [CFP] committee’s eyes,” Davis said. “ . . . They can get into a New Year’s Six bowl and that’s a big deal, so I think it’s a really cool thing and I was impressed with both sides making it happen.”
A limited number of fans are being allowed near the College GameDay set behind the bleachers to the side of the Marrio & Josh Norman Field House. They had to apply through CCU athletics by noon Friday for a first-come, first-served selection process to be part of a show that has won the Sports Emmy for best weekly studio show eight times in the past 12 years.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit bummed though, not having fans because I think it would be an absolute show,” GameDay analyst David Pollack said. “I think it would be awesome and I think it would be something on TV that would always leave a lasting moment, like a North Dakota State, like a James Madison. So that part stinks. . . . To me it’s always fun to go and give schools love that are a little off the beaten path that people don’t talk about as much.”
It’s evident Coastal will benefit from the exposure, since many of Pollack’s acquaintances aren’t familiar with the school.
“I have friends that follow the sport that are like, ‘You’re going where? What, where?’ ” Pollack said. “And I was like, ‘Coastal Carolina.’ They’re like, ‘Are they good?’ I was like, ‘Yeah they’re good, dude, why don’t you pay attention to college football.’ ”
Pollack has picked against the Chants in every instance when their game has been among those the GameDay crew picks a winner for, and he’s not changing that this week.
“I’m not picking you regardless,” he said. “It’s a joke at this point, by the way, it’s not that you won’t win, it’s literally that I picked against you at the beginning of the season and I loved hearing from your fans, and I’m like I’m picking against you every week no matter what. But I do think this week is the first week you’re outmanned and outgunned.”
Pollack appreciates a lot of things about the CCU program this season, including their sometimes wild locker-room celebrations after wins, senior center Sam Thompson, who is 5-foot-9 and 290 pounds, and the offensive system.
“There’s not better thing than watching these celebrations you guys do with the WWE stuff and all this stuff, so enjoy the ride,” Pollack said. “How do you not love an offensive lineman that’s 5-9 and 300 pounds that’s running your unit? Like, what part of that is not freaking awesome.
“. . . I think this system will catch on in all of college football and you’ll see this system run all over the place. I love the way it’s basically a merge of the triple option and new school passing concepts and passing. It’s phenomenal, man.”
CCU is allowing approximately 4,000 spectators for the game, as it has for all home games this season. CCU director of athletics Matt Hogue said Thursday that the school was considering allowing a limited number of spectators in a socially-distanced setting in the baseball stadium to watch the game on a big screen, but Assistant AD for Media Relations Kevin Davis said Friday it will not happen “due to logistical requests from ESPN College GameDay and the TV crew.”
“I’m excited to be here to celebrate a program that has made its mark and continues to be on the rise, but we also have a story line that carries some significance nationally, too,” Rece Davis said. “No disrespect intended toward Liberty. The original plan would have been a good game. This is a great game and it’s a game people are excited to see, not only because the two teams are undefeated but there are legitimate stakes here.
“BYU needs something that impresses the College Football Playoff committee. My personal judgment is they haven’t gotten their due. I think they should be ranked higher than they are. But if they get a win over a team the committee has deemed a top 20 squad, BYU will put itself in position to perhaps get an at-large bid to a New Year’s Six bowl. And Coastal Carolina also has some pretty significant stakes. It’s not as direct a path, but if they were to beat BYU, Coastal would be in great shape if Cincinnati were to stumble.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 5:39 PM.
