College GameDay is heading to Charlotte for Week 1, is it the best choice?

Did ESPN make the right choice for week 1’s College GameDay site?

With the start of the college football season just about one month away, there are plenty of items to look forward to. One of those is College GameDay.

Fans, teams, and guest speakers look forward to the action each week as ESPN’s premier college football pregame show moves from city to city throughout the season.

When it comes to Week 1 of the 2023 college football season, the “Battle of the Carolinas” gets the first crack at being the premier game featured on the weekly College GameDay. The only thing that prevents this from being a top-tier way to kick off the season is that it doesn’t come on a college campus.

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that College GameDay won’t start off the year at a college campus. A good number of week 1 games come from neutral site locations. This game will feature a pair of former five-star signees at quarterback. Drake Maye of North Carolina was the No. 4 overall quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class, while Spencer Rattler signed with Oklahoma as the No. 1 passer of the 2019 class.

But did ESPN make the right choice?

Notable Games that could have earned a shot to host College GameDay:

Colorado Buffaloes at TCU Horned Frogs

This game at first look might not feature two teams with high expectations but it has plenty of storylines to follow. Last year TCU earned a shot at the national championship but it didn’t go their way. Garrett Riley left the program for Clemson following the season so we shall see what Kendal Briles has in store as he returns to the Big 12.

Colorado brought in one of the biggest names out there with the addition of Deion Sanders. He flipped the entire roster and now looks to return the Buffs to their former glory. It will be up to Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to lead the way in 2023.

LSU Tigers vs Florida State Seminoles

Much like the Battle of the Carolinas, LSU-Florida State will take place at a neutral site. Last season Florida State’s return to relevancy began in this matchup when they traveled to the Big Easy. Jordan Travis and the offense is looking to lead the Noles to even greater heights in 2023 and it will all begin against the Bayou Bengals.

LSU is coming off a season where they secured the SEC West crown but failed to win the conference title. In year two of the Brian Kelly era, the Tigers have the opportunity to match Kim Mulkey, who won a national title in her second season in Baton Rouge. The road to the College Football Playoffs will begin in Orlando for LSU.

The Verdict:

Ultimately, you couldn’t go wrong with any of these three games as the featured game of week 1 that would warrant a College GameDay visit. When it comes to week 2, I will be shocked if they aren’t in Tuscaloosa for Alabama vs Texas.