Rece Davis defends College GameDay going to Florida at Miami amid backlash: 'The place to be this week'

ESPN surprised plenty of people when it picked Miami Gardens as the location for this week’s College GameDay broadcast, a game featuring Florida and Miami. The two programs have had vastly different starts to the season.

While Miami has cruised to 3-0 and looks to be one of the nation’s best teams, Florida has stumbled out of the gates to a 1-2 start. Jobs are on the line.

Many fans thought there were better potential games to see this weekend: Michigan at Nebraska, Auburn at Oklahoma, Texas Tech at Utah, or even Illinois at Indiana. Instead, College GameDay went with the in-state rivalry. Host Rece Davis explained the decision on Stugotz and Company recently.

“We want to find the best storyline of the week,” Davis said on the show. “Now, a lot of times, people look at that and say that always has to be the game between two teams that have the highest ranking, if you have a ranked versus ranked game. But, it’s a little bit more than that.

“You can look for storylines, what’s compelling. Where you have been factors into it, also, because had we not been to Oklahoma for Michigan-Oklahoma, then certainly Jackson Arnold returning there would’ve been compelling.”

OK, so that explains one possible venue being out of the mix this weekend. But what does Florida-Miami offer College GameDay that some of the other games do not?

Well, there’s the dynamic involving Florida coach Billy Napier. He’s firmly on the hot seat, to the point that any further loss could be his final one with the program. The program is a big enough brand nationally that that would obviously be a huge storyline. There are also some other angles to the game.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck will take on Florida for the third time, in a rivalry that now spans two of the Gators’ chief enemies. He transferred from Georgia to Miami this offseason and has gotten off to a tremendous start with the Hurricanes, receiving Heisman Trophy-type publicity through three games.

The bottom line, Davis said, was that this was about finding the right storyline and the right atmosphere for College GameDay. And there’s little doubt the atmosphere in Miami Gardens on Saturday will be electric.

“I think it’s the place to be this week… They’ve looked really, really good,” he said. “You’ve got that aspect of it. And then the last two games that Florida has played have been really disastrous. First, from a self-inflicted wound(s) to the penalty standpoint in the loss to USF. And then the multitude of turnovers they had against LSU. So, that’s a little storyline, too.

“We sort of find ourselves back in the same place with Billy Napier. Yet, it’s a really talented Florida team that I don’t think will be a pushover Saturday night.”

Davis pointed out that the last time College GameDay was at Miami was in 2017, and it was “a tremendous atmosphere.” He’s expecting more of the same this weekend.

“And so, I think sometimes you might think, ‘Well, we have to be at this game,’” Davis said. “Where you really need to be is at the best story, and what will create the best environment for the show.”