ESPN's decision to bring College GameDay to Miami for Saturday's matchup against Virginia Tech came after a weekend that dramatically changed the appeal of several potential destinations.
Here's how Week 11 paved the way for the GameDay crew to make it down to Miami.
Georgia-South Carolina lost its appeal
Georgia entered Saturday ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, while South Carolina sat at No. 17 following four consecutive victories. The Gamecocks had recently defeated Texas A&M and were building momentum ahead of the Bulldogs' visit to Columbia. That momentum disappeared Saturday when Arkansas dominated South Carolina 34-6, handing the Gamecocks their fourth loss of the season. Georgia handled its business with a 48-21 victory over No. 22 Missouri, but South Carolina's loss eliminated the opportunity for GameDay.
Kentucky and Missouri both lost
Another potential destination was Missouri's home matchup against Kentucky, which initially appeared to be a meeting between two ranked SEC teams. Kentucky entered Saturday ranked No. 11 by the CFP committee, while Missouri sat at No. 22. Both teams lost as Florida upset Kentucky 21-14 and Georgia cruised past Missouri 48-21.
ESPN's previous College GameDay stops also favor Miami
Through the first 11 weeks of the season, College GameDay had visited five SEC campuses, two Big Ten campuses, two Big 12 campuses, Notre Dame and Boise State. It had not visited an ACC campus.
The SEC destinations included LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas. The network also traveled to Iowa and Indiana from the Big Ten, along with BYU and Utah from the Big 12.
Tennessee hosted GameDay on Sept. 26 for its matchup against Texas. LSU hosted the season opener against Clemson on Sept. 5 and appeared again when the show visited Ole Miss on Sept. 19. LSU also just lost to Texas.
Notre Dame hosted GameDay two weeks ago for its victory over Miami, making an immediate return to South Bend for the SMU matchup less appealing. SMU (ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll) also suffered a humiliating 49-7 home loss against Wake Forest.
Indiana, another potential destination with its upcoming game against Washington, hosted the show Oct. 31 against Minnesota.
Rivalry weekend could influence ESPN's timing
Ohio State travels to Nebraska this Saturday, but the Buckeyes return home the following week for their rivalry game against Michigan.
The fourth-ranked Bruins travel to Michigan this Saturday before hosting USC at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 28. Other rivalry-week possibilities include Auburn at Alabama, Washington at Oregon, Duke at Wake Forest, and Louisville at Kentucky.
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