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Where Will ESPN's College GameDay End up Saturday?

Speculation is running rampant that GameDay is headed to Starkville. Who could the major competition for the show be next weekend?

By justinrsutton
Stacy Revere

With ESPN's College GameDay coming to Oxford last weekend, buzz immediately started to center on where the show would originate from the following week with Mississippi State fans hoping the answer would be Starkville.

Mississippi State did its part to host the show this coming weekend by knocking off Texas A&M to set up a battle of unbeatens between the Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers, but will that be enough? Paul Finebaum tweeted Saturday that it probably would be enough to make it happen when he said he was told Mississippi State was the "clubhouse leader" should they beat Texas A&M.  What other games could jump in there and take away the spotlight?  Here is a rough guess as to where the show could end up.

Starkville, Miss: Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs

Why this works:  It will feature two unbeaten, top-ten (maybe top-five) teams in the toughest division in college football.  This is also a game that will go a long way in deciding the SEC West.

Why this does not work:  It would mean that College GameDay will have originated from an SEC location three weeks in a row with consecutive weeks in Mississippi.  The crew might want to broaden the horizons a bit.

Los Angeles, CA: Oregon Ducks at UCLA Bruins

Why this works:  The Ducks will probably still be in the top-ten and UCLA will be as well.  Also this game gets to a different part of the country than the southeast, so that could be appealing.

Why this does not work: This game has become less appealing with UCLA losing, and GameDay on the West Coast needs a good reason to happen because it is a bit of a logistical challenge with three hours difference with the East Coast.

Waco, TX: TCU Horned Frogs at Baylor Bears

Why this works:  This is the sleeper to host GameDay.  The Bears have been a top-ten type team for a few years, and TCU has been a sneaky good team.  If there is a huge upset looming next week, this game will provide it.  Again, this location gets GameDay out of the southeast.

Why this does not work: While these teams are undefeated, this will not have the luster of a top-ten matchup.

Other than those three, GameDay would have to throw a curveball to throw a curve.  At this point, I'd place 65% 70% chance on Mississippi State-Auburn, 20% 0% chance on UCLA-Oregon, and a 15% 30%chance on Baylor-TCU.

Here are some of your thoughts:

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