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College Football: Predicting each weekly 2017 College GameDay destination

By Trevor Jossart

BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 10: Fans of the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers cheer during ESPN's College Gameday prior to the game at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 10, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN - SEPTEMBER 10: Fans of the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers cheer during ESPN's College Gameday prior to the game at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 10, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 03: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions holds up the Most Valuable Player trophy as he walks off the field after the Big Ten Championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 03: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions holds up the Most Valuable Player trophy as he walks off the field after the Big Ten Championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 3, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Week 14: Conference Championship Week

For all but two teams, this concludes the final week of the regular season (if you are lucky enough to make it this far) and for three out of the last four years, College GameDay has headed to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.

This decision actually has very little to do with the games itself, and while the Big Ten title games have proven to be well wroth watching in the past, the magnitude of the contest has only been a bonus behind the real reasoning behind it all.

Out of all five power conferences, there are really only three that can qualify to be hosting the Saturday ESPN show. The Pac-12 has normally had their championship game on the Friday before in order to create more viewership and buzz. Because of this, College GameDay won’t attend strictly because of their programming style and the fact that they like to keep it strictly Saturday mornings.

As for the Big 12, we all know the fiasco that has been surrounding them and that fact that they have not had a conference title game. Until that gets 100 percent solidified and a few years under their belt, it could become an option, but for the time being it’s probably overlooked.

The SEC, ACC and Big Ten championships are what is remaining and over the last decade, the ACC title game has never been attended by College GameDay. This could be due to the fact that a good chunk of the season’s shows are hosted by ACC team.

In three of the last four years, the Big Ten has been the site for College Gameday. While the SEC championship has seen it in recent history, being a 3:30 p.m. ET mid-afternoon game can have its drawbacks with the program. The Big Ten title has been historically at night, meaning there is more of a focus during the day on ESPN and its show(s).

As for this year, who knows what the criteria will be.

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