Battle at Bristol Expected to Host ESPN's College GameDay

The biggest college football game ever deserves the sport's premier pregame show. According to VP of customer service and guest experience at Bristol Motor Speedway Ben Trout, ESPN is likely to broadcast College GameDay from Bristol before Virginia Tech matches up with Tennessee in primetime at 8:00 PM on ABC.

"We have a pretty good indication, pretty good feeling, that Kirk Herbstreit and his crew will be in town for College GameDay," Trout said. "We feel like that's going to happen. We're still waiting on some official confirmation on that."

The only other intriguing games that Saturday are Penn State-Pittsburgh and Arkansas-TCU.

DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.

Comments

Would of rather had #GameDay4Frank but I'll take it.

Pardon me if I'm not overjoyed... this is going to be a SEC love fest and they're going to spend 95% of the time reminding everyone why Tennessee is so good. And, oh right, Fuente is replacing Beamer, they'll have a quick segment on that before going back to the SEC.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

This is true... good thing I will be there and not listening to it

-Semper Primus

Yep this is accurate, although I won't be at all surprised if they get beamer himself up there

"The Big Ten is always using excuses to cancel games with us. First Wisconsin. Then Wisconsin. After that, Wisconsin. The subsequent cancellation with Wisconsin comes to mind too. Now Penn State. What's next? Wisconsin?" -HorseOnATreadmill

What a great thought that is. :--)

Time to switch gears #Frank4GameDay

The Dude Abides

None of that matters if we win the game. Winning matters a lot more to recruits than exposure on Gameday.

"For those who have passed, for those to come, reach for excellence."

You're certainly not wrong, but it will make a win and Fuente's coming out party that much sweeter.

If you play it, they will win.

"How the ass pocket will be used, I do not know. Alls I know is, the ass pocket will be used." -The BoD

"And here's Kaylee Hartung with an in-depth piece on the Tide's big matchup with Western Kentucky"

Edit: Just cause

didn't see the mic at first and thought "bummer of a birthmark..."

Warning: this post occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)..

who cares? It's still cool to have them there and if we win, none of that stuff you mention will matter

Bleeding burnt orange and chicago maroon

The pity party right now is embarassing. Plus the constant SEC inferiority complex is embarrassing too...let's just enjoy the exposure and stop being so negative.

You are absolutely correct. We'll be on the big stage with a great chance to make a statement. What in the world is there not to like? If we're winning, they'll be scrambling to tell our story for sure, but they will do it if we force the issue.

Reel men fish on Wednesdays

All the better when we upset Tenn.

Bring it on. Seriously, let's get back to the blue collar attitude that VT is known for. I don't care WHY ESPN is interested in this game, let's make it about us dammit.

VT Class of '12 (MSE), MVBone, Go Hokies!

First off, the SEC has been and is better than the ACC, and has a huge following, so anybody in the business of making money is going to definitely take advantage of that. Secondly, I think you are wrong....I predict that we and everybody else will be sick of hearing about the Beamer to Fuente transition this year due to getting too much attention, especially in week 2 when no better story lines have materialized.

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K

Even better. I was in school in 1999 when they came for either Miami or Syracuse I can't remember, but they kept saying, this is it, this is the look. But mv7 had other plans. Afterwards, they kept saying upset. I like being the underdog

Hokies, Local Soccer, AFC Ajax, Ravens

This is going to be a phenomenal opportunity for Fuente and Co. I hope he is able to capitalize in the National Spotlight. Show off some of that Hokie Swagger.

Outspoken team cake advocate. Hates terrapins. Resident Macho Man Gif Poster. Distant cousin to Dork Magic. Frequently misspells words.

Please let us win. Please....

...says everyone in Knoxville

The Dude Abides

Time for some Bud Foster game 1 (2) magic.

___

-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

This is great news!

Seems like an ideal atmosphere for Gameday. Should be a good time.

Outspoken team cake advocate. Hates terrapins. Resident Macho Man Gif Poster. Distant cousin to Dork Magic. Frequently misspells words.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

Tennessee has an outside chance to be ranked in top 10, great chance for VT to improve their WONDERFUL record even more against top 10 teams!!!

Bleeding burnt orange and chicago maroon

Should be okay as long as they aren't #1.

___

-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

or #2, #3, #4, or #5

The Dude Abides

The one thing that could make this fun, is with all the people camping, the sights around GameDay would be really fun to be televised. Hopefully they will travel around to some of the more extravagant campsites/tailgates to see what sort of trouble everyone is getting into.

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

Do the other network crews go on location? Maybe we can have a Battle of Network Pregames at Bristol.

Then it would truly be big. Hide the tridents.

___

-What we do is, if we need that extra push, you know what we do? -Put it up to fully dipped? -Fully dipped. Exactly. It's dork magic.

Our local NBC station, WCYB usually goes around the camp and rv sites during race weeks. I believe they will do the same for the biggest ever college football game, with a slight bias towards UT.

The crowd that could be around for that GameDay..with all the people camping? Could be a site to see. Plus if we are lucky they will get Sam Ponder to walk around to all the different camping tailgates to see what sort of trouble everyone is getting in to.

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

Wow. Apparently I was having so much fun at work yesterday I didn't realize I basically wrote the same post twice. Time wasting is getting in the way of my time wasting.

I love a good nap. Sometimes that's all that's getting me out of bed in the morning.

Sweet!

Game Day for Frank Justin!

Awesome!

I'm also hearing they haven't fully announced all the day of festivities for that day. Supposedly, they're opening the gates at something like 3 or 4 and having in-stadium entertainment all the way up to kickoff.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin

BMS and Anheuser-Busch popped the top on the news today, revealing Bud Light's new status as the official domestic beer of the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol. As part of the sponsorship, Bud Light will present country music stars Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Dalton & the Sheriffs, and Alyssa Micaela on Saturday, Sept. 10. Existing ticket holders will have access to the concerts at no additional charge.

In addition to the concerts, Anheuser-Busch's presence will include two sizeable on-site fan attractions. The Bud Light Down South Tailgate Tour will debut the ultimate college football tailgate experience at the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, making its first of 11 stops this college football season. Highlights include a climate-controlled bar with ice-cold Bud Light, luxury tour bus with roof deck, food trucks and traditional tailgate games. Additionally, Anheuser-Busch will bring fans the Budweiser Country Club, an open-air, three-level buildout featuring elevated views, two 20-foot bars and Budweiser Signature Draught towers. Both attractions are brand-new in 2016, and are appearing at top festivals and games across the nation this year.

So much awesome stuff, it's a shame they are wasting it all by only having Budweiser products.

"We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior" Stephen M.R. Covey

“When life knocks you down plan to land on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up, if you fall flat on your face it can kill your spirit” David Wilson

Welp, looks like my drinking is going have to happen before the game....

GameDay will be on the side where most VT fans will be!

I was wondering if the graphic placement was accurate. Buddy of mine asked the Battle twitter account if it was the actual spot and no response. I hope it is! Almost seems biased. Tennessee fans will feel the burn if they venture over there.

It's correct...

ESPN's College GameDay in Bristol: What you need to know

The game is sold out, except for some VIP experiences, but you don't have to have a ticket to watch GameDay, which will broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon from Bristol Motor Speedway FanZoneEarhart East Parking Lot.

"When I was growing up, Virginia Tech was a school that was kicking ass and taking names, and it's time we get back to that" - James Franklin