College GameDay headed to Jackson State next weekend

College GameDay headed to Jackson State next weekend

ESPN’s College GameDay is headed to the SWAC next Saturday.

The popular traveling football pre-game show will air live next week from Jackson, Miss., site of the SWAC showdown between unbeaten Jackson State (7-0) and Southern (5-2). It’s a rare national showcase for HBCU football and for Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ first-place Tigers.

Next week’s GameDay appearance will be the first for a non-neutral-site SWAC game and first for a non-neutral-site HBCU game since it traveled to Tallahassee, Fla., for Florida A&M-Hampton in 2008. The Aug. 28, 2021, season-opening show aired from Atlanta, site of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge between North Carolina Central and Alcorn State at Mercedes Benz Stadium.

Sanders, the former Florida State and multi-sport professional star, is 22-5 in two-plus seasons at Jackson State. His 2021 Tigers went 11-2 and won the SWAC championship.

College GameDay airs from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Central on ESPN. The Jackson State-Southern game kicks off at 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium and will stream live on ESPN+.