STARKVILLE — ESPN’s signature college football pre-game show, “College GameDay,” will remain in the Magnolia State for another weekend and broadcast from The Junction at Mississippi State University for the first time ever Saturday.
The show will air live beginning at 8 a.m. before MSU’s matchup against No. 2 Auburn University.
This past Saturday’s football games in both Starkville and Oxford began with significant national television exposure for both MSU and the University of Mississippi as “GameDay” originated from the Grove and the SEC Network’s flagship morning program, “SEC Nation,” broadcasted outside MSU’s Dorman Hall.
Now, “GameDay” broadcasters Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, this coming Saturday, will analyze all of the day’s major collegiate competitions before CBS’ 2:30 p.m. broadcast of the MSU-Auburn game.
Following Saturday’s broadcast, SEC Network personality Paul Finebaum described Starkville’s game day atmosphere as “the most electric and extraordinary I’ve ever experienced covering the (Southeastern Conference).”
After beating their in-conference opponents 48-31 Saturday, MSU emerged tied with Ole Miss as the third-best football team in the nation – the school’s best-ever ranking – according to the Associated Press’s college football poll. MSU even received two first-place votes after moving to 5-0 for the year.
Auburn moved up three spots to No. 2 in the same poll after trouncing Louisiana State University 41-7 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The University of Alabama dropped from the highest-ranked team in the nation to No. 7 after losing to Ole Miss on the road.
Starkville again is expected to fill with an influx of tourists this weekend as the buzz around MSU’s football success continues to grow.
Greater Starkville Development Partnership CEO Jennifer Gregory previously estimated that a home football game delivers about $13.3 million worth of economic impact through combined direct and indirect expenditures, which roughly translates into $615,000 in local tax receipts. Besides a $500,000 surge from the state’s 7 percent general sales tax, Starkville also earns roughly $105,000 from its own 2 percent levies on food, beverages and hotel expenditures.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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