ESPN’s College GameDay has hit a breakthrough after WNBA star Caitlin Clark appeared on the show as a surprise guest. According to ESPN, CollegeGameDay delivered its most-watched episode of the season & most-watched Oct. episode ever. It set a 4th straight weekly viewership record and became the 3rd most-watched regular-season episode of all time.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The College GameDay coverage of the Iowa-Ohio State game last weekend drew 2.9M viewers alone. The final hour drew 3.7M viewers, surpassing the competition by 215%. While the rest of the panel had similar faces, Clark graced Iowa with her presence as the celebrity guest.
According to Front Office Sports, College GameDay was averaging 2.83 million viewers through the first four weeks of the season. That was already 5% anove the 2027 season average. Now, thanks to Caitlin Clark, the numbers are peaking. The most interesting thing is that Clark’s own contribution to increasing the viewership to 3.7M.
During the segment, the chemistry between Clark and the regular crew was seamless. Rather than just sitting back as a silent guest, Clark was engaged and driving the conversation. Clark did make the experience special for the Iowa fans who were there with her signed merchandise, but her presence on the screen was equally captivating for the TV audiences.
It wasn’t all roses for Clark, as she was booed for a few of the choices that she made on the segment. Being an Iowa favorite, she chose to go with rival Iowa State over West Virginia. The audience might have booed her, but she did get it right. The Cyclones did beat the Mountaineers 45-42.
“This is going to be a bad start for me, but I’m taking Iowa State. I said I want to get 100% accuracy,” she said on the college game day. “You can boo. I’ll make you happy at the end. … My brother played football at Iowa State. Give me a little break here.”
Her second pick of the day was indeed her hometown program, the Hawkeyes, over Ohio State. “You guys know who I’m picking,” Clark said. “We’re going to have Julian Sayin rattled today. The stadium’s going to go crazy; everyone better be loud. I’m going, Hawkeyes.” Unfortunately, this prediction did not come true, as the Buckeyes took the victory home 31-14.
Clark wasn’t the only one making it a fun segment; the unhinged Pat McAfee was also the star of the show. For his pick between Ohio State and Iowa, McAfee decided to go shirtless, but it turned into a chaotic, funny shirt rip. McAfee’s dramatic attempt to rip his shirt off completely failed when the fabric got caught on his arms as he yelled, ‘I’m stuck,’ for a good couple of seconds. Nick Saban, who was enjoying the theatrics, decided to step in as an impromptu wardrobe assistant.
While standing in Superman pose with his bare chest, McAfee gave a short apology to Clark before he gave the biggest plot twist. After rooting for the Hawkeyes for half of the segment, he switched to the Buckeyes in the end. He went full cheerleader mode on the panel as he spelled Ohio with his arms.
“And I’m going to put my shirt back on, walk over to Kinnick and watch the Ohio State Buckeyes get a huge win,” McAfee said. “There’s no way the Buckeyes lose two games in the first five weeks. I love Iowa. But I still think there’s a road to the playoffs… but today it’s O-H-I-O! I love you, Caitlin; you’re the best.”
What else was behind the show’s success and helped make it such a hit?
Despite all the drama and comedy on the panel, another segment caught viewers’ attention. While the main set was in Iowa City with Caitlin Clark, the show checked in live with Notre Dame’s star quarterback CJ Carr. He was warming up at Kenan Stadium in North Carolina ahead of the Fighting Irish’s game against UNC.
McAfee put a simple challenge to the young quarterback. He had to hit the field-goal crossbar on a single throw. If he succeeds, McAfee would donate $250,000 to a charity of Carr’s choice. Carr dropped back to the 25-yard line, launched a throw, and hit the crossbar perfectly on his very first attempt.
“That’s a tip. I tipped that (throw),” Carr said after the throw. “Yes, sir!! Let’s go!”