Pullman's first GameDay

GameDay is coming to Pullman.

It’s a big deal.

GameDay is the ESPN television show that airs on Saturday mornings before most college football games are played.

It is the ideal show for rabid football fans, with facts, figures, replays and analysis.

It is also entertaining for those more casual football followers. Even the uneducated can enjoy the humor, graphics, game videos and predictions for the day’s upcoming games.

The show takes place on a stage in front of hundreds, if not thousands, of fans. Each episode is at a different school. The upcoming show will be the first ever televised from Washington State University.

WSU head coach Mike Leach, always gracious, said this was “overdue.”

The show spotlights the game at the host school. This week WSU plays the University of Oregon Ducks in Pullman. Oregon is ranked 12th in the nation. WSU is 25th.

The game is a big deal, too.

Usually, the broadcast spotlights the two schools in the headline game, showing the campus and the surrounding area.

GameDay is no fly by night show. It will come into Pullman with a crew of 75. They were scheduled to arrive on Wednesday in preparation for the broadcast.

The Pullman Chamber of Commerce has asked that all storefronts and businesses be cleaned up for the potential national exposure. Colfax will post WSU flags along Main Street.

GameDay is special to many Coug fans. Reportedly, this will be the 200th consecutive show that the Crimson WSU flag will fly. No matter what campus the show originated from, the WSU flag has been there. No other school can make such a claim.

At the close of each program, co-host Lee Corso makes a prediction on which team in the highlighted game will win. Corso’s picks have become a favorite segment of the broadcasts. They elicit a lot of fan reaction.

Corso does it by donning a mascot head. Will he pick Butch or Donald?

Stay tuned.

(The GameDay broadcast will run from 6 to 9 a.m. on ESPN.)