Rece Davis reveals he was pulling for Iowa against Michigan so GameDay would visit Iowa City in Week 5
By Andrew Olson
Published:
ESPN is taking College GameDay to Iowa City for Week 5 of the 2026 college football season. The decision was impacted by Iowa’s win over Michigan, something host Rece Davis had in mind as he watched the Hawkeyes and the Wolverines.
On Sunday’s episode of the College GameDay Podcast, Davis revealed that he was cheering on the Hawkeyes, with the show’s next destination in mind.
“I didn’t want Iowa to beat Michigan because I wanted Michigan to lose, or because I’m some big Iowa fan,” Davis said, per Awful Announcing.
“I root for the show, and it was going to be really, really good for the show if Iowa won on Saturday. They did. And now, a big showdown with Ohio State coming up next week.”
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With a win over Michigan, Iowa moved up to No. 14 in the AP Top 25. Saturday in Iowa will be a top-15 matchup, as the Hawkeyes host No. 5 Ohio State.
Fans in Starkville are likely wondering “what if” after Davis’ reveal. Had Michigan defeated Iowa, Alabama vs. Mississippi State would be the best matchup by rankings in the AP Top 25. Alabama is ranked No. 7 with MSU at No. 16. Both teams are undefeated.
GameDay, though, may have called an audible even had Michigan defeated Iowa and taken some of the intrigue away from Iowa-Ohio State. The first 4 shows of the 2026 season have originated from SEC campuses (LSU, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee), leading to some vocal criticism on social media from fans and media members who feel that ESPN promotes the SEC too much.
Davis and company will be in Big Ten territory on Saturday, but there’s sure to be plenty of SEC talk.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
