ESPN’s weekly pre-game show College GameDay quickly became a household buzz in US sports culture since 1987. However, it usually covered Power 5 teams, such as Ohio State or Alabama, previously. Now? They have expanded to new sites, such as Kansas, App State, and Jackson State, and are now ready for their tour to capture the same $8.9 million success for the Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist rivalry game. The excitement is so high that both teams become embroiled in an intense battle.

Well, Pat McAfee and his ESPN GameDay crew could soon make their way to Arkansas for the Battle of the Ravine. With the location yet to be confirmed, fans are making sure to confirm it soon. Their move? Heading onto Arkansas Highway 7 wearing their teams’ colors, cheering for their team, and playfully trading jabs at each other.

The RedditCFB X page posted, saying, “Hundreds of fans from both Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist gathered on Arkansas Highway 7 today to make their case for @CollegeGameDay to come to Arkadelphia in 2 weeks.”

Look, the urge to get the ESPN crew at Arkadelphia makes sense, as this will not just put them into the national spotlight. However, this also significantly benefits their economy. The influx of visitors surges sales for local vendors, which can further boost their revenue. And GameDay has that ability. Just take Jackson State, for instance, which generated an estimated $8.9 million for the Jackson, Mississippi, economy. It’s a pure gala festival vibe out there.

Witnessing the surge, even state senator Ellie Boldman drafted a bill to bring GameDay to Montana. “The amount of money the free exposure provides for the universities featured on its program is enormous, coupled with the economic benefit for the private sector, including our hotels, restaurants, bars, and related sales of game day gear,” Boldman said. “It’s time for the State of Montana to be in that spotlight.” So, Arkansas trying to get them on board makes sense.

What makes this rivalry more special is that on Game Day, both teams just walk from their own locker room to the opposing stadium for the game. So, they sit right across the street from each other. Additionally, having the ESPN crew there for the first time is a significant boost for them. Even students are making their case for why this game should be the next feature. “It would be a dream come true,” Luke Robins, an OBU student, said. “I mean, College GameDay on OBU’s campus—that would be insane.”

Now, GameDay has only visited a non-Division I school once, which was in 2007, when Williams College hosted Amherst College for their rivalry game, which was the biggest little game in America. The last time College GameDay visited Arkansas was in 2006 for the Razorbacks’ game against the Tennessee Volunteers. With Arkansas now on the list, even Oklahoma-Alabama and Texas-Georgia are also on the list. It will be interesting to see if GameDay prioritizes big games or fans’ emotions.

College GameDay’s small conference ignorance

In recent weeks, College GameDay has garnered significant attention due to its repeated visits to the exact SEC locations. Well, Game Day tends to go for big games. Especially after their Week 8 schedule, where they covered Georgia vs. Ole Miss, and fans and critics weren’t happy with their SEC-heavy schedule.

Look, ESPN logic is straightforward: games between Georgia and Ole Miss are top-10 showdowns with huge playoff implications, which even adds up to their ratings. Therefore, attending smaller games doesn’t help them much. However, now that they are expanding to new schools, they are also seeing an increase in the success rate.

In their App State episode, ESPN drew 2.2 million viewers, up 15% from the Week 3 game in 2021. Additionally, the network earned $3 million during the last hour of the Kansas game, surpassing the $2.8 million from Week 6 of 2021. Even though Jackson State is an FCS school, they weren’t too far back. It drew 1.8 million viewers, with 2.3 million in its final hour. Therefore, GameDay’s legacy remains directly attributed to its success.

Now, even GameDay analysts are showing interest in the Battle of the Ravine. “When Rece Davis said he was even interested in the Battle of the Ravine, it shocked all of us,” Aidan Perry, who’s an OBU student, said. Davis even explained that they don’t avoid locations because of records but because of stories. It will be interesting to see if this urge can bring College GameDay to Arkansas.