With Saturdays belonging to college football, the weekend promised some key matchups as No. 13 Oklahoma faced off against No. 8 Ole Miss. Other promising games were No. 20 LSU against No. 3 Texas A&M. But for ESPN’s College GameDay, it’s all about Vanderbilt. For the first time in nearly two decades, ESPN will return to Vanderbilt to kick off another day full of hard hits, hilarious challenges, and special performances from Kenny Chesney and Dierks Bentley.
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Among the sea of games tomorrow, No. 15 Missouri traveled to Nashville to take on No. 10 Vanderbilt. With College GameDay hosting in the heart of country music, it wouldn’t be proper to leave out a country singer or two. For Chesney, the last few weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind. Not only did he look to extend his concerts at the Las Vegas Sphere, but he was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
And for Bentley, he had a close connection with the college. Although from Arizona, the singer graduated from Vanderbilt back in 1997. Having appeared on College GameDay in the past, it seemed only fitting to bring the alum back for a performance or two.
[RELATED: 3 Kenny Chesney Songs That Prove He Is Worthy of His Country Music Hall of Fame Induction]
ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ Invites Nashville Native As Guest Picker
It wouldn’t be College GameDay without some special picks. Going through the lineup of games, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban will offer their favorites for the day. And announcing the special picker for the day – Nashville native Nate Bargatze will offer his insight on his must-win games and underdogs.
Back in 2023, Bargatze appeared on College GameDay when Alabama went against LSU. Offering some insight into being a Vanderbilt fan, he promised, “Vanderbilt does Vanderbilt things in a very Vanderbilt way. The good thing about rooting for Vandy is there’s so much stuff you have to go through that you learn a lot.”
While College GameDay had several country stars to pick from since it was in Nashville, it was a surprise that Chris Stapleton was absent. Again, Nashville is home to numerous country singers, but Stapleton studied biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt. He eventually left the school to pursue a career in country music.
But even without Stapleton, College GameDay is sure to be one to remember as Chesney and Bentley bring the heart of Nashville to the gridiron, turning Saturday morning into a true country celebration. Don’t miss College GameDay, starting at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT on ESPN.
(Photo by Ray Carlin/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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