ESPN is taking College GameDay to Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Saturday. Fans will only be in attendance virtually and hosts will be practicing social distancing, but that is still not enough precaution for Lee Corso. Andrew Marchand broke the news on Twitter that the coach will join the show from his home.
As Marchand notes, Corso is 85-years-old. He has also been hospitalized multiple times for health problems in recent years. Whether he is immunocompromised or not, those factors make keeping Corso at home the smart decision.
How much GameDay will travel in 2020 remains to be seen, although this week’s trip seems to indicate that ESPN wants to take the show on the road as much as possible. Clemson’s visit to Wake Forest likely won’t be a compelling matchup. MGM has the top-ranked Tigers as a 33 point favorite over the Demon Deacons.
If the plan is to take the show on the road to the site of ABC’s Saturday night game each week, it may be a good compromise. The show still goes on the road, but ESPN can limit production crew by having people work both events and it limits travel for Kirk Herbstreit and others that would be needed at both events on Saturday.
Why did Game Day hosts quit referring to Corso as Coach this season?
My best guess is to make sure he knows when he is being cued. There is a slight delay over video link.