ESPN College Gameday in 2022 vs 2023: Who made the cut?

ESPN College Game Day 2023 Week 1
ESPN College Game Day 2023 Week 1

ESPN College Gameday is a tradition that has been going on since 1987. It gives college football fans insights and the latest news of the biggest games of each week of college football. Week 1 of the 2023 ESPN College Gameday saw it heading over to Charlotte, where the North Carolina Tar Heels went against the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Bank of America Stadium.

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The cast for the week 1 College Gameday this year remained relatively the same, with Rece Davis making a return as the host. The desk had Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Pat McAfee acting as analysts of the game.

One major change that took place in the crew was the bringing in a fresh face, Steve Coughlin, while David Pollack and Chris Fallica were not a part of the cast. Country singer Darius Rucker was named as the guest picker of the game

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In Week 1 of the 2022 ESPN Gameday, the ESPN crew started its long-running segment of big games with the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame game. The event was held at Ohio Stadium, which is the home ground of the Buckeyes. The highlight of the event was a live performance by rap artist Jack Harlow who was also the guest picker for the game.


Week 1 ESPN College Gameday 2023: North Carolina emerges triumphant over South Carolina

In Week 1 of 2023 ESPN College Gameday, we saw coach Mack Brown and his Tar Heels cruising as they defeated the Gamecocks 31-17. North Carolina did not face much difficulty going against South Carolina, as their quarterback and 2023 Heisman prospect Drake Maye once again displayed his prolific talents on the field.

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The North Carolina Tar Heels were ranked 21 in the 2023 AP preseason rankings. Whereas South Carolina was two spots away from the top 25 preseason rankings. Drake Maye went on to lead the Tar Heels with his prolific passing, racking up 269 passing yards and two TDs for his team.

The defense was also performing well, going on to make nine sacks after their dismal performance in 2022, where they could manage only 17 sacks. They did their best to limit the Gamecocks to 11 rushing yards.

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It looks like South Carolina coach Shane Beamer has a lot of work cut out for him. Their QB1 Spencer Rattler, who's been the starting quarterback of the roster since 2020, could not make any touchdown passes for his team, despite recording 353 rushing yards as the Tar Heels defense kept a stringent check on him.

If the Gamecocks want to shrug off this defeat and move on with a better game plan into the season, then they will need to focus on improving their offensive line and create more chances for Rattler to work his magic.

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Week 1 ESPN College Gameday 2022: Ohio State defeats Notre Dame

Last season in Week 1 of College Gameday, we saw the Ohio State Buckeyes emerge triumphant over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, defeating them by a scoreline of 21-10. Ohio State QB1 C.J. Stroud, who was drafted by the Houston Texans as the second overall pick in this year's draft, went on to record 223 passing yards and 2 TDs in that game.

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The Buckeyes did not dominate right from the start. Notre Dame had the lead early on and had the lead even in the second quarter. But the Buckeyes defense was spot on, as they kept the Fighting Irish in check and denied chances of making it to their endzone.

Ohio State recorded an 11-2 season last year and earned a spot in the college football playoffs. Unfortunately, they succumbed to a defeat in the Peach Bowl at the hands of 2022 National Champions the Georgia Bulldogs in a close game that ended with a final score of 41-42.

Notre Dame Fans? Check out the latest Notre Dame depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

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Edited by Krutik Jain
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