The Ultimate Guide: ESPN College GameDay

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, we assume most students, fans and alumni know that the one and only ESPN College GameDay is arriving in Harrisonburg for #JMUHomecoming. This is a HUGE deal! Keep reading because we have a detailed breakdown of all the events!

1. LOCATION: QUAD

College GameDay is bringing nine trucks of equipment to the Quad. This setup is massive! Actual set up of the stage will begin on Thursday. Wilson Hall, along with 12,000 JMU fans [This is a challenge from ESPN College Gameday Producer Lee Fitting ('96)] is going to be the backdrop of College GameDay. Like many, the Quad was the final selling point for you on your tour. It was no different for the ESPN College GameDay crew when they arrived on campus. So be loud and proud every time the world gets to see why this is one of the greatest places on Earth! Here are a few opportunities to get on camera:

--Friday – SportsCenter at 9 a.m.

--Friday – College Football Live at 2 p.m.

--Saturday – Live SportsCenter Look-Ins begin around 7 a.m.

--Saturday – College GameDay Live at 9 a.m.

Snapchat enthusiast? Well lucky for you because your SnapChat story is going to be as good as it can get while you're waiting for the cameras to roll on the live SportsCenter and College Football Live shots on Friday.

Note: Tailgating on game day is only permitted in parking lots at approved times. No tailgating of any kind will be permitted on the Quad, including no coolers.

2.WELCOMING COMMITTEE
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The College GameDay Home Depot Bus will make its way to campus on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Make sure to claim your spot from the Sundial to the Quad and welcome the bus in with style! ESPN will have a camera crew taping the entrance, so we need to have a large group welcoming the bus! This is your only opportunity to tour the College GameDay Bus. This event has perfect Instagram photo written all over it.

3. A NIGHT UNDER THE STARS

Trying to get a spot in near the College GameDay set or in "The Pit?*" Thinking about spending the night on the Quad? Sounds like a bucket list item waiting to be crossed off the list. Camping out is allowed and ENCOURAGED, just NO TENTS. No tailgating of any kind will be permitted on the Quad, including no coolers. You can start staking your spots as early as 4 p.m. on Friday, so gather up all your friends and blankets and plan to spend a night out underneath the stars. Make sure to park your car in the Warsaw Avenue or Grace Street parking deck Friday night! (Parking Map).

*Only available for first 500 JMU students with valid JACard.

4. START WEARING PURPLE
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Everyone looks good in purple, so make sure you rock it all week! There will be plenty of live look ins and campus shots leading into Saturday, so show 'em your good side – if you don't have any clean purple shirts and don't have time for laundry, you can head to the JMU Bookstore and get official College GameDay apparel!

5. GET CRAFTY
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If you haven't seen College GameDay before, creative signs are a key component to every College GameDay show. Any chance for you to get your sign on College GameDay means automatic Thanksgiving table bragging rights. We will have sign-making stations on Saturday, but feel free to make yours ahead of time. You can also bring your sign to the football game, just keep 'em 24 x 36 or smaller and take them off the sticks before you head inside the stadium!

6. #GetUp4GameDay

You've been preparing for this most of your life – time to show off! Insta the selfies, snap the stories and tweet the reasons to tell Lee Corso J-M-U wish you were a Duke Dog. Plus, you've been practicing your selfie game for years – now put it to good use with the perfect Instagram pic in front of the GameDay bus on the Quad. Make sure you get Wilson in the background too!

#GetUp4GameDay – Official College GameDay hashtag

#GoDukes – Official JMU Athletics hashtag

#JMUHomecoming – Official JMU Homecoming hashtag

#BeatRichmond – Game-specific hashtag

7. MAKE IT RAIN…STREAMERS!
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A proud JMU tradition, we're ready to make it rain purple and gold at GameDay to close out the College GameDay show. We'll have 3,000 streamers to pass out near the end of the show, but feel free to bring your own – just don't ruin the surprise with a false start! We promise we'll let you know when to throw.

8. SLEEP IS OVERRATED
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Don't be that guy who calls it quits before things even get started – we need you to be loud and energized from sun up to sun down!

We've got parking in the parking decks near the Quad, some nice grass (and most of the bricks) and a beautiful fall night calling your name – maybe the Quad Cats will even snuggle with you. You can sleep on Sunday. Be out and loud from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning and from Saturday morning to the final tick of the clock at the game. Experiences like this will go fast, but last a lifetime.

GAMEDAY CHECKLIST

Make epic College GameDay sign.
Post College GameDay Bus photo in front of Wilson Hall on Instagram. (Goal: 200 likes)
Wave and scream so Mom and Dad can see your face on ESPN.
SnapChat the whole experience (If you didn't snap, did it even happen?)
Stick around for the streamer toss at the end of the show around 11:55 a.m.
Tailgate with friends or check out the #Homecoming Headquarters on Godwin Field.
Be at the stadium by 3 p.m. for the loudest stadium entrance in JMU history!
Be LOUD all Four quarters of game! #BeatRichmond