When Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard and the College GameDay crew pull up to the Commons Center at Vanderbilt on Friday afternoon, it will be a first for the university in several respects.
Not only will it mark the first time College GameDay has come to the Southeastern Conference's smallest and only private school, but it will also mark the first time in over 60 years Vanderbilt has been involved in a top-25 showdown at home.
The No. 19 Commodores (4-0, 2-0 SEC) will be looking to move one step closer to bowl eligibility with a victory over the No. 13 ranked Auburn Tigers (4-1, 2-1), which would leave them poised to earn their first postseason bowl bid since 1982.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Sean Walker is excited about what this weekend has to offer.
"We'd like to see the fan support behind the crew and fans cheering for their team and everything, all throughout the day. It's really big to bring some extra excitement for this already big game," Walker said.
Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson spoke at the Commons Center Monday night, encouraging freshmen to maintain the fervor they've shown as fans thus far when GameDay comes to town.
"Be loud, be rowdy and give Auburn hell!" Johnson said.
As ESPN's most popular college football show, College GameDay is known for the droves of fans stationed behind the set who show their support through cheers, jeers and the wacky signs that have become a weekly staple.
Vanderbilt is one of the few schools in the country where Ivy League-caliber brains meet world-class athletes, and where the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Starting quarterback redshirt senior Chris Nickson, for one, was his high school's class valedictorian.
Thus, it follows for Vanderbilt students to be at the forefront in coming up with clever sign ideas for the College GameDay crew.
Senior Eamon Cullen is elated to have Vanderbilt outplaying the Tennessee Volunteers at this point in the season. His sign reads, "Hey Tennessee, How's the VU from the bottom?"
Junior Vernon Pearson refers to Tony the Tiger and Frosted Flakes Cereal with his entry, "It's GRRRRREAT to beat the Tigers"
Fellow junior Wade Wheatley, the head drum major for Vanderbilt's Spirit of Gold Marching Band, said, "Our football players actually work for their grades," no doubt referring to the scandal at Auburn of athletes receiving free grades in sociology classes in which they did no work.
Senior Justin Gonzales offers some consolation to nervous fans in Nashville as his sign says "Don't worry, we won't ‘Black Out' like UGA," poking fun at Georgia's blowout loss to Alabama on Saturday night after staging a "Black Out" for the game.
Vandy Fanatics President Kate Corvese, a senior, believes the best is yet to come, as evidenced by her sign: "Welcome to Nashville, ESPN ... Get Comfortable"
Vanderbilt has not been on the forefront of college football for decades. But with the support of the Commodore Nation, now is the program's opportunity to rise to national prominence.
When College GameDay comes to town, Vanderbilt fans will get their biggest opportunity yet to show the rest of the country why "It's Good to be Gold."
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