For the eighth time in its 30 years of existence, college football’s premier traveling pregame show is back in Clemson. And if history is any indication, that may bode well for the Tigers come Saturday night.

College GameDay is set to broadcast Saturday from Bowman Field on Clemson’s campus ahead of the Tigers’ top-10 matchup with NC State that night. Host Rece Davis and his usual cast of sidekicks – Desmond Howard, David Pollack, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso – will shoot segments for other ESPN programming on Friday before reconvening for Saturday’s three-hour show, which, weather permitting, will begin at 9 a.m.

It’s the GameDay crew’s first trip to Clemson since 2020, but it’s made its share of trips here over the years. That got us thinking: How have the Tigers performed with College GameDay in town?

The Tigers are 6-1 in games that have been preceded by a GameDay visit to their campus. Here’s a look back at how those games played out, starting with the most recent:

Oct. 10, 2020: Clemson 42, Miami 17

The Tigers jumped out to a 21-3 lead in this top-10 matchup and never looked back. Trevor Lawrence threw for 292 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, Travis Etienne had a 72-yard scoring burst as part of a 149-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance, and Clemson’s defense stymied Houston quarterback transfer D’Eriq King and the rest of the Hurricanes’ offense, limiting Miami to just 210 yards in the rout.

Aug. 29, 2019: Clemson 52, Georgia Tech 14

Fresh off its most recent national championship, Clemson opened the season as the nation’s top-ranked team and looked like it against the Yellow Jackets. The night belonged to Etienne, who had three rushing touchdowns, including ones of 48 and 90 yards, en route to 205 yards on the ground, a career-high for Etienne at the time. Georgia Tech turned it over four times, contributing to a 35-0 start for Clemson en route to the lopsided win.

Oct. 1, 2016: Clemson 42, Louisville 36

Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson entertained a capacity crowd inside Memorial Stadium with a quarterback duel for the ages. In a game that featured more than 1,070 yards of offense, Watson and Jackson accounted for 854 of them. Jackson, the Cardinals’ Heisman Trophy-winning signal caller that season, threw for 295 yards and ran for 162 more and two scores to help Louisville go tit for tat with Clemson and its quarterback, who threw for 306 yards and five touchdowns. Watson’s last one came on a 31-yard strike to tight end Jordan Leggett late in the fourth quarter, putting the Tigers ahead for good in an instant classic.

Oct. 3, 2015: Clemson 24, Notre Dame 22

A rainstorm spurred by Hurricane Joaquin brought sloppy conditions that made for some sloppy play at times inside Memorial Stadium. Watson accounted for three touchdowns and Notre Dame committed four turnovers. But the Fighting Irish rallied from a 21-3 deficit and threatened to tie it with just 7 seconds left following DeShon Kizer’s second touchdown pass, but Clemson’s defense stuffed Kizer on the ensuing two-point run to escape with the win.

Oct. 19, 2013: Florida State 51, Clemson 14

Clemson’s lone home loss with the GameDay crew on hand was a decisive one. In a matchup of top-5 teams, the Tigers were no match for the eventual national champions and their Heisman-winning quarterback, Jameis Winston, who threw for 444 yards and three scores on just 22 completions. Clemson didn’t help itself with four turnovers. The Seminoles led 51-7 at one point en route to handing Clemson what’s still its largest home loss in the Dabo Swinney era.

Aug. 31, 2013: Clemson 38, Georgia 35

GameDay’s first visit to Clemson during the ‘13 season was a far more enjoyable one for the home team. Quarterback Tajh Boyd helped the Tigers keep pace in the seesaw affair, throwing for three touchdowns and running for two more. Clemson took the lead for good in the third quarter on Chandler Catanzaro’s 24-yard field goal, and the Tigers pulled off what was their second straight top-10 win over an SEC opponent at the time.

Oct. 21, 2006: Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 7

GameDay made its first-ever visit to Clemson for what many expected to be a tightly contested game to determine first place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Instead, it was domination by the Tigers. James Davis rushed for a career-high 216 yards while his backfield mate, C.J. Spiller, ran for a touchdown and caught another. The Tigers’ defense pitched a shutout through three quarters, holding Georgia Tech to just 205 total yards and star receiver Calvin Johnson without a catch for the first time in his All-America career.

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