ESPN’s got off to a historic start to the 2025 season on Aug. 30. The beloved college football pregame show headed to Columbus, Ohio—a frequent location of the broadcast—for the massive Week 1 showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, and it didn’t disappoint. The season's first episode served as a sendoff for legendary analyst Lee Corso, and he rose to the occasion, showing up in a tuxedo and going a perfect six-for-six on his picks of the week including a final headgear selection of the Buckeyes.
traditionally picks its next location about a week out, with selections largely based on season results and the juicy storylines that develop during the march to the College Football Playoff. Naturally, ESPN skews towards its own broadcasts (which means a lot of SEC games these days), but as Fox broadcast Ohio State vs. Texas, still won't exclusively attend Disney Family games, even going so far as to broadcast from FCS or Division III games on occasion.
continues on after Corso's August retirement, bolstered in recent years by the additions of Pat McAfee and Nick Saban. With September in the books, which 2025 games will the show broadcast from? That is what I'll attempt to predict today—with updates each week as the college football season unfolds. But first, let's take a look at where the show will head for Week 13.
Every Destination of the 2025 Season
Week
Date
City
Home Team
Road Team
Host Game Result
1
Aug. 30
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State
Texas
14–7 Ohio State
2
Sept. 6
Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma
Michigan
24–13 Oklahoma
3
Sept. 13
Knoxville, Tenn.
Tennessee
Georgia
44–41 Georgia (OT)
4
Sept. 20
Coral Gables, Fla.
Miami
Florida
26–7 Miami
5
Sept. 27
University Park, Pa.
Penn State
Oregon
30–24 Oregon (OT)
6
Oct. 4
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama
Vanderbilt
30–14 Alabama
7
Oct. 11
Eugene, Ore.
Oregon
Indiana
30–20 Indiana
8
Oct.18
Athens, Ga.
Georgia
Ole Miss
43–35 Georgia
9
Oct. 25
Nashville
Vanderbilt
Missouri
17–10 Vanderbilt
10
Nov. 1
Salt Lake City
Utah
Cincinnati
45–14 Utah
11
Nov. 8
Lubbock
Texas Tech
BYU
29–7 Texas Tech
12
Nov. 15
Pittsburgh
Pitt
Notre Dame
37–15 Notre Dame
13
Nov. 22
Eugene, Ore.
Oregon
USC
TBD
Week 13 Destination: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 17 USC
Oregon becomes the first program to double up as a host this season, as it brings in longtime conference rival USC for a game with serious College Football Playoff ramifications for both programs. At 8–2, the Trojans are still playing to stay alive in the CFP race, but could score a massive road win over the Ducks, who in turn are looking to add a true quality win to a solid if unspectacular 9–1 résumé. Entering the season, big wins over Oklahoma State, Penn State and Wisconsin figured to be far more impressive than they actually were, and Oregon stumbled in their biggest test of the year—the last game in Eugene against Indiana. Right now, an 18–16 win at Iowa is the best result of the year for UO.
The show has been a consistent presence in Eugene, and Saturday will mark the 14th time that Oregon has played host since 2000. This will be the first time since 2007 that Oregon has hosted twice in a single season.
Week 14 Prediction: Michigan vs. Ohio State
Is there any other choice?
The Game may be bound for Fox's airwaves, but the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan has rarely been as hot as it is right now. After losing all but one matchup between 2004 and 2019, the Wolverines got a year of respite from The Game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 shortened season, a year in which the Wolverines went just 2–4, nearly costing Jim Harbaugh his job. Michigan went back to basics in '21, running for 297 yards and six touchdowns in a 42–27 win, and has gone back to that well in each successive victory, rushing for at least 156 yards in each game of the current four-game winning streak vs. the Buckeyes. Even last season, when completing a forward pass appeared to be a concept above the Wolverines' operational capacity at times, Michigan dragged Ohio State into the mud and pulled out a 13–10 road win over the eventual national champions.
This year, Michigan has handed the ball to five-star true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood in order to cure those passing woes, and hopes to hand the Buckeyes a fifth-straight loss in the rivalry. Ohio State has tabbed Julian Sayin to deliver the ball early and often to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, as coach Ryan Day attempts to remove a giant monkey from his back. Sayin is in the heat of the Heisman conversation with Ohio State off to a dominant 9–0 start to the season.
The hot seat talk that dominated the airwaves after Ohio State's most recent losses to the Wolverines has dissipated after Day and the Buckeyes ran through the 2024 College Football Playoff, but a segment of the fan base in Columbus wont be satisfied until Ohio State gets back in the win column on the regular season's final Saturday.
Week 14 is packed with big rivalries and new powerhouse conference showdowns, with Texas vs. Texas A&M being the best SEC choice of the bunch, but given the myriad storylines, it is hard to find a pick better than The Game if these two programs continue to win big in 2025.
