Florida State fans have a gripe — they wanted College GameDay in Tallahassee for Miami–FSU. The show is instead going to Tuscaloosa for Alabama–Vanderbilt. Given last week's results and this week's AP Poll rankings, ESPN made the right call.
Going into Week 5, all FSU had to do was take care of business. With Miami on a bye, GameDay was practically packing for Tallahassee before announcements were made. But, this is exactly why the games are played. Florida State proceeded to lose at Virginia, 46–38, in double overtime last Friday.
That outcome flipped the Week 6 projection from top-10 showcase between unbeatens to a ranked rivalry matchup (and unfortunately, that is common in college football). FSU slid to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 entering this weekend, while Miami remained top-three after the bye. While the storyline still remains juicy, a GameDay site is a TV decision first and the Seminoles' loss hurt their pitch.
If Week 6 wasn't captivating, there could be more reason for outrage, but look at the alternative. Vanderbilt is 5–0 and ranked No. 16, riding its best September in years with genuine value. Alabama is No. 10 and the narrative around the team has flipped since their opening week loss to FSU. Pair that with the fact that GameDay has almost never centered a Vanderbilt game — its last Commodores on-site show was back in 2008 — and you get a story that still resonates with college football fans. The show is built to follow the momentum, and that's exactly what Bama-Vandy has.
Alabama–Vandy also has a little bit of recent history as well. Last season Vanderbilt staged one of the biggest upsets of the season. This game is an opportunity for the Crimson Tide to avenge that loss and it also gives Vanderbilt a chance to cement themselves as true contenders in the SEC (which still feels crazy to even say).
Now, none of this diminishes the magnitude of Miami–FSU. ABC still slotted the rivalry in national primetime at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the matchup remains the ACC's centerpiece in the race to the conference championship game. You do not need the morning show trucks to validate the game. But, when looking at things through the lens of GameDay, it was a decision that makes sense.