There’s growing speculation about a big change to ESPN’s College GameDay moving forward.
ESPN’s College GameDay really found its groove in 2024. The show added Nick Saban to a full-time role and Pat McAfee seemed to develop some serious chemistry. The show broke a lot of ratings records and received big-time reviews for their performance throughout the year.
While ESPN is excited to continue to build on its big 2024 season with College GameDay, could there be a big change coming to the show in the future?
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum hinted at possible change to the show in the coming years.
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Finebaum thinks that while Saban did a great job on TV in 2024, he might not be built to last. It would be interesting to see who ESPN replaces Saban with if he decides to step away.
“Television is a weird deal,” Finebaum said on the Saturday Down South podcast. “It’s a little bit like a new car, where you drive off the lot and you feel great, then a year later it doesn’t look so new anymore. I don’t think that’s a big deal for him. But, I think after a while, television wears everyone down. I think it will get to him as well.”
Saban did a great job, according to Finebaum, but things can be tough on TV.
“I did say something to him at one point before he got on the air that everything he said would be under a microscope,” Finebaum said. “And I think Saban acted like, ‘Well, everything I do is under a microscope.’ But I don’t think he understood, quite frankly, that predictions, idle comments, would metastasize in the aggregation world. My guess is he was non-plussed a couple of times by what happened.
“But he’s done such a good job, and he’s a needed voice. I think maybe we also give him too much credit. I think I will pull out my last remaining hair out the next time a coach suggests Nick Saban as czar of college football. It’s not going to happen.”
College football fans are speculating about the future of the program.
“Nick Saban skin is TOO THIN and he does NOT have the Personality for TV Media Shows or commercials,” one fan wrote.
“The thing is he doesn’t have to do if he doesn’t want to. So this doesn’t matter,” one fan added.
“He’s 73, he will probably do it 2-3 more years. Corso needed it, he doesn’t,” one fan added.https://x.com/awfulannouncing/status/1901031161285034155
Paul Finebaum ponders Nick Saban’s ESPN future: ‘Television wears everyone down’ https://t.co/a5fJ7oSJF5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 15, 2025
What do you make of ESPN’s possible changes to College GameDay in 2025 or beyond?
