Sports

College GameDay Announces 1st Location Which Features Exciting QB Battle But Not Everyone Is Happy

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The crew on set of College GameDay.

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College GameDay has announced its first location for the college football season. The pregame show will head to Charlotte, NC for a rivalry contest between South Carolina and North Carolina.

The news has sparked an immediate reaction online as fanbases get ready for the season to start.

The Tar Heels and Gamecocks will match up for the 58th meeting in the series. The border war dates back to 1903 between a pair of schools with a lot of history.

The two programs were members of the Southern Conference together before jumping to the ACC. They played annually from 1941 to 1970 when the Gamecocks became an independent.

Now, South Carolina finds itself in the SEC, but the two sides have done their best to renew the rivalry. They’ve met five times since 2007 with the latest matchup coming in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

South Carolina won that meeting, 38-21, and they’ve gone 4-1 in that time. Still, North Carolina owns a 33-20-4 all-time advantage.

This year’s game will kick off the 2023 season in the Queen City, right on the border of the Tar Heel and Palmetto States. College GameDay will be on hand for a quarterback showdown between Spencer Rattler and potential No. 1 pick Drake Maye.

Players and fans have been quick to react to the news. Spencer Rattler appears excited for the season opener.

Not everyone is quite as happy with the selection, though.

FSU and LSU fans wanted to see the crew head down to Florida as they play a rematch of last year’s exciting opener.

That contest will be played on a Sunday, which potentially factored in on the decision.

Other major matchups include Florida vs. Utah (Thurs.), Tennessee vs. UVA in Nashville, and West Virginia vs. Penn State.

The fact that this is a neutral site game is what has many fans irked.

While not everyone is ecstatic about the choice, it should provide entertainment with a pair of potentially high-powered offenses.

Led by Drake Maye, the North Carolina unit scored 34.4 points a game on its way to nine wins last year. Finishing 6-2 in ACC play, the Tar Heels played for a conference championship, but lost to Clemson.

South Carolina, meanwhile, beat the Tigers as it finished the regular season on a high note. In its final three games, the Gamecocks averaged 44 points a night. They took out a pair of potential playoff contenders in Clemson and Tennessee before falling to Notre Dame in the bowl game.

One thing we can all be happy about? College football is almost here.