College GameDay week 2: Start time, location, where to watch

College GameDay heads to Austin, Texas, for Week 2 of the 2026 college football season, setting up on the LBJ Presidential Library lawn at the University of Texas campus ahead of a top-five showdown between no. 1 Ohio State and no. 4 Texas.

Start time

The three-hour broadcast will air on Saturday, September 12, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPNU. ESPN digital pregame show, "Countdown to College GameDay", kicks off at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The hosts of the show are Rece Davis, with analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban. The guest celebrity picker for the show is Austin-native actor Glen Powell. In 2022, Glen Powell joined the show and picked seven games and got five correct out of seven.

Location

College GameDay sets up on the LBJ Presidential Library lawn located at the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas.

Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns will be playing in the game at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Ohio State has won the past two games, including the defensive game last year. Texas is a 1.5-point favourite.

Fans can visit The Home Depot Hype Hat immersive room and Sign Making Station. They also have a chance of winning on-camera premium seats and GameDay merchandise.

Where to watch

You can watch on ESPN and ESPNU, or stream through the ESPN App, Disney+, and Fubo (free trial). Week 2 marks the 50th season of College GameDay and the 33rd year of road shows. The program opened its season in Baton Rouge for Week 1.

With Arch Manning seeking revenge against Ohio State and College Football Playoff implications on the line, Week 2 promises one of the season’s biggest matchups.