The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Talk about a great way to open your new stadium. We can wish for it!

Unless Ole Miss and Bama are playing in the planet Mars that day, I'm afraid we're not.

That looks would mean we beat Georgia and they beat a Syracuse. Depends on who else is playing that weekend. To answer your question no because the game is on CBSSN.

Well so much for that...lol.

(08-11-2021 10:17 AM)UAB Schnauzer Wrote:  That looks would mean we beat Georgia and they beat a Syracuse. Depends on who else is playing that weekend. To answer your question no because the game is on CBSSN.

Gameday has traveled to places that ESPN was not televising the game. But you would have to be talking about both teams being undefeated going in before we would get a look from Gameday.

GameDay often goes to sites that they are not televising the game. Pac-12, Big Ten have primary contracts with FOX, for example. They still show up in Eugene and Columbus, lol.

Looking at the Oct. 2 schedule, it's a pretty light day in terms of marquee matchups. Honestly, the two most compelling national games probably would be Auburn-LSU and Alabama-Ole Miss. That could actually work in favor of GameDay in Bham under the circumstances, assuming UAB vs. Liberty is a top G5 matchup at that point. State of Alabama could be the center of the CFB world, so to speak.

ESPN also typically does 1-2 locations outside the power 5 per year. They've gone to UCF, Memphis, Western Michigan, South Dakota State, Army/Navy, Coastal Carolina, James Madison, North Dakota State (twice), Harvard, Houston and Boise State since 2010.

You also have to look at what they could accomplish by coming to Birmingham -- stories on Alabama and Auburn in addition to stories on UAB, the new stadium, a look at Malik Willis who by then could be getting some Heisman mention and coming back to Alabama after transferring from Auburn, a story on Hugh Freeze and Bill Clark, two of the top G5 coaches in America, etc. One is a story of redemption, the other a story of resurrection. How do you not at least look at that story? Being in Bham also lets them tee up the Bama Miss game and LSU-Auburn games -- at least one of those will be an ESPN family night game, and possibly both. (CBS could pick one of them).

If I am calling the shots at ESPN, I am at least considering UAB-Liberty. Probably wouldn't end up there, but I'd at least explore it and if one or both are top 25, it's going to mean Willis is in the Heisman talk too, and that's one of the more compelling G5 games of the year. Seems a very likely candidate for them to check their G5 box and save places like Tuscaloosa and State College and Madison for future bigger games later.

(08-11-2021 10:29 AM)UABOG85 Wrote:  

(08-11-2021 10:17 AM)UAB Schnauzer Wrote:  That looks would mean we beat Georgia and they beat a Syracuse. Depends on who else is playing that weekend. To answer your question no because the game is on CBSSN.

Gameday has traveled to places that ESPN was not televising the game. But you would have to be talking about both teams being undefeated going in before we would get a look from Gameday.

And both teams would be ranked.

Not to be a wet blanket, but we'd have to beat UGA first. Not impossible, but not likely.

(08-11-2021 08:28 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Not to be a wet blanket, but we'd have to beat UGA first. Not impossible, but not likely.

I don’t think UAB has to beat Georgia for this to happen, but let’s go ahead and do it

(08-11-2021 08:28 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Not to be a wet blanket, but we'd have to beat UGA first. Not impossible, but not likely.

I said in the title of the thread "Would an undefeated UAB & Liberty" because it would be the only way for Gameday to come to Birmingham. I acknowledged both teams would have to be undefeated.

(08-11-2021 09:04 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  

(08-11-2021 08:28 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Not to be a wet blanket, but we'd have to beat UGA first. Not impossible, but not likely.

I don’t think UAB has to beat Georgia for this to happen, but let’s go ahead and do it

That absolutely has to happen. It's more attention and importance in today's rhetoric of G5 programs having a chance to get into the playoffs or at the very least a NY6 spot.

Opening a new stadium will not be enough to get College Gameday here and the rebirth has already been done on the show.

(08-12-2021 09:27 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(08-11-2021 09:04 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  

(08-11-2021 08:28 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Not to be a wet blanket, but we'd have to beat UGA first. Not impossible, but not likely.

I don’t think UAB has to beat Georgia for this to happen, but let’s go ahead and do it

That absolutely has to happen. It's more attention and importance in today's rhetoric of G5 programs having a chance to get into the playoffs or at the very least a NY6 spot.

Opening a new stadium will not be enough to get College Gameday here and the rebirth has already been done on the show.

No it doesn't. Depends on Liberty, Willis and how we look. It is a weak slate that weekend. UAB at 4-1, good showing vs Georgia, opening a new stadium against an unbeaten liberty with a Heisman-candidate QB and Hugh Freeze would still get consideration for it. Obviously it is easier to justify if both are unbeaten. Liberty could be in the top 15 by then. And UAB-Liberty could be two top 10 teams and still not get a sniff if Bama is No. 1 and Ole Miss has smashed everyone going into that game.

ESPN is going to do at least one G5 or FCS site this year. UAB Liberty would be a pretty easy call to get that out of the way early on a day there aren't many sexy P5 sites in play.

(08-12-2021 09:32 AM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  

(08-12-2021 09:27 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(08-11-2021 09:04 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  

(08-11-2021 08:28 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  Not to be a wet blanket, but we'd have to beat UGA first. Not impossible, but not likely.

I don’t think UAB has to beat Georgia for this to happen, but let’s go ahead and do it

That absolutely has to happen. It's more attention and importance in today's rhetoric of G5 programs having a chance to get into the playoffs or at the very least a NY6 spot.

Opening a new stadium will not be enough to get College Gameday here and the rebirth has already been done on the show.

No it doesn't.

Whateva dude. Not even worth the debate. I think so, you think not. It's all good.

There aren’t any super obvious games that week where you can pencil in Gameday.
I think both would need to be undefeated to make it happen.
If there’s one loss bt the two teams…well, maybe (but I’d be shocked)

Of course there's a greater chance if both are undefeated.

But I don't think UAB *has* to beat Georgia for this to happen. Liberty is the key. If you are ESPN you can get away with a one-loss Blazers, given the significance of the new stadium, IF Liberty is undefeated coming off a win vs. Syracuse and ranked in the top 20, and no other game has risen in national stature.

Like I said, ESPN can easily justify it based on the fact that Bama and Auburn also play probably the two biggest national games that Saturday. There are plenty of great storylines with both of those that would be part of that edition of GameDay. One of those games is certain to be the ESPN night game, maybe both are on ESPN networks that night if CBS chooses Texas A&M for that week.

ESPN is gonna check a G5 box sometime during the season. Oct. 2 on the surface looks like a decent opportunity to do so with the state of Alabama already in the spotlight that week and Willis and Freeze coming back to the state. That his former team is playing Bama -- site of his biggest career win -- is another nice touch. They can get that G5 box checked with one of the better G5 matchups of the season and save the rest of the season for the P5 sites.

Shock the world, Blazers. Make Corso put on a Dragon's head.

The discussion got me to looking closer at schedules, and I found this interesting predictions column for this year's Gameday sites.

https://lastwordonsports.com/collegefoot...n-in-2021/

The first two weeks have already been set with the MEAC/SWAC kickoff game in week 0 and Georgia-Clemson in Charlotte in Week 2.

The column linked above does highlight a game that potentially could be the Oct. 2 site -- Indiana at Penn State. This would assume they didn't already go to Happy Valley for Auburn-Penn State, and also that Indiana has beaten Iowa and Cincinnati in week 3. Those two played a classic game last year, one of the best of 2020.

The column predicts the UCF at Cincinnati game a couple of weeks later as the G5 special. I could see that for sure, but both teams have opportunities to lose. UCF opens with Boise State and Louisville. Cincinnati plays at Indiana and Notre Dame. Still, if I'm at ESPN making these decisions, then I have this one circled. Like Oct. 2, this is a ho-hum week, so I might even have this one pegged a tentative No. 1 for the moment. Especially because UC has never hosted GameDay.

So I agree that unbeaten UAB vs. unbeaten Liberty would have a shot, and it's a lot more compelling if so. But I also don't think UAB *has* to be undefeated. In fact, I think it is already on the radar and on the list of potentials.

To answer the Thread title. Yes.

That’s the only way this game would ever be considered.

There may have been 1 or 2 instances in the past that ESPN went to a G5 school that was playing their game on CBS sports network. Not 100% sure.

Maybe I’m wrong and thinking about a Cincy/UCF game that was shown on abc

I'm predicting College GameDay will be in Tuscaloosa instead of Birmingham

Cincinnati at ND