What to know for ESPN’s College GameDay at JMU 2023

HARRISONBURG, Va. – As announced on Saturday evening, ESPN's premier college football show, College GameDay, will broadcast live from James Madison University on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon on the Quad in front of Wilson Hall, with other activities and live ESPN broadcasts taking place in the days leading up to the show.

All visitors for College GameDay are welcome and admission is free. At JMU, ESPN will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of taking College GameDay on the road and is striving to produce its biggest show to date! Make sure to consult the information and procedures below before joining us in Harrisonburg.

More information is also available on the official College GameDay website.

This page will be updated as more information comes available.

Parking/GameDay Information

-Parking on Saturday is available throughout campus as either general (first come, first serve) or reserved parking

-Reserved parking lots are only accessible with a valid game day parking pass. Reserved lots will open at 6 a.m., two hours earlier than normal games and tailgating in those lots can begin at 8 a.m.

-The R1 student lot will open at 8 a.m. for parking and 10 a.m. for tailgating, aligning with typical policy for four hours pregame.

-Ticketing and towing of unauthorized vehicles from reserved lots will begin at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning.

-General parking lots will also open at 6 a.m. on game day and tailgating in general parking lots may begin at 8 a.m.

-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, no glass and no fires.

-Visitors on campus specifically for College GameDay without reserved game parking are suggested to use general parking in the Warsaw Avenue, Chesapeake Avenue, Mason Street and Grace Street parking decks, R14, C13 on Grace Street and C7, and C8.

Complete Parking Information with football parking map

-JMU will have shuttles running from various parking lot locations to the Quad, near the College GameDay set. Two shuttles will run a loop between Ballard Deck, D2/C10 lots, Hartman Hall and Hoffman Hall from 6-11 a.m. Another shuttle will run from the R8/R1 lots to Hoffman Hall from 6-11 a.m. A detailed map is available here.

-Harrisonburg Transit will have shuttles running on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. Make sure you check here for the complete list of College GameDay bus scheduling!

-With Saturday marking the start of JMU's Thanksgiving break week, JMU Dining Services will have adjusted hours of operation with select locations still open for College GameDay. The second floor dining area in D Hall will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Chick-fil-A will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Java City 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. The mobile Starbucks Truck will be staged in A Lot behind Wilson Hall 5 a.m. to noon. Guests can check out JMU Dining Services for the complete list of JMU's world-class dining throughout the week!

-JMU residence halls will remain open through Sunday at 10 a.m., as previously scheduled.

-No unauthorized soliciting, advertising, business/organizational tabling or other on-site commercial presence is permitted near the Quad or other College GameDay set-up locations at any time.

-All buildings in the area of the Quad will be locked and inaccessible by the public. Portable toilets will be added in various locations around the Quad, including behind Wilson Hall.

-A reminder that student tickets for JMU football are not transferable and not able to be sold. They can only be used by the account holder making the reservation. The game is sold out, though some availability exists on SeatGeek.

JMU Football Game Information

With College GameDay ending at noon, gates at Bridgeforth Stadium will open 30 minutes earlier than usual at 12 p.m.

The game vs. App State had previously been scheduled to be a Black Out for promotional purposes. With the addition of College GameDay, JMU is encouraging all fans to wear purple and gold to the Quad. Fans can then elect to wear either purple or black to the football game. JMU football will honor its seniors at approximately 1:40 p.m. with a longstanding tradition to wear black jerseys on senior day, regardless of the opponent. All fans are encouraged to be in the stadium in time to support the senior class.

With College GameDay still live during the traditional Dog Walk with the football team, that event will no longer occur. The team will be dropped directly at the APC at 11:25 a.m. and can greet fans there.

Timeline

Wednesday
1 p.m.: Nine ESPN College GameDay trucks will arrive on the JMU Quad and begin setting up the show. There will not be a fan bus arrival like the 2015 and 2017 visits.

Friday
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: ESPN will air live spots and record segments with the College GameDay crew throughout the day on Friday, beginning at 8 a.m. Sponsors will also have plenty of games and activities on the Quad all day.
12-3 p.m.: ESPN's Pat McAfee Show will air live on the JMU Quad. Fans are encouraged to attend. Best parking is available in the Warsaw and Chesapeake Avenue parking decks, as well as the Harrison St and R2 lots.

Saturday
6:00 a.m.: The first 450 students (with a valid JACard) in line will gain entrance to The Pit.
6:00 a.m.: Parking lots on campus open, no tailgating until standard 8 a.m. start time.
7:00-9:00 a.m.: DJ Griff, the ESPN College GameDay DJ, performs on the Quad.
7:45 a.m.: SportsCenter begins live hits from the College GameDay set leading up to 9 a.m.
8:00 a.m.: Shuttles begin running (on and off campus) and tailgating permitted in parking lots. No glass, fires or other tailgating activities on the Quad.
8:30-9 a.m.: Countdown to GameDay - Twitter/X show featuring Christine Williamson, Harry Lyles and Harry Douglas
9:00 a.m.-Noon: ESPN College GameDay show goes live from the Quad!
11 a.m.: The Jonas Brothers and Bailey Zimmerman team up to perform one song live during College GameDay!
Noon: Stick around at the conclusion of College GameDay for two additional songs performed by The Jonas Brothers! It will also be streamed live on College GameDay's website.

"The Pit"

-A 450-spectator Pit area will be located immediately behind the College GameDay set

-This area will be available only to JMU students with a valid JACard beginning at 6:00 a.m. when wristbands will be handed out for access. No mobile JMU ID will be accepted.

-The cuing line for The Pit will NOT open until 10pm Friday on the Quad. All other fans will be invited to fill in the large lawn areas of the Quad

-Students are HIGHLY encouraged to attend the Men's Basketball game vs Radford on Friday Night at 7pm prior to lining up for the Pit, the No. 24 ranked men's basketball team needs our support! Students can reserve their free ticket for basketball at student.jmutickets.com

-Guests are encouraged to enjoy ESPN's various programming throughout the day with The Pat McAFee Show, College Football Live and more. Attending those shows does not impact lining up for the Pit for Saturday's College GameDay.

-Claiming space overnight on the Quad is permitted, but no tents will be allowed anywhere on campus

-Large video screens with a sound system will be viewable for fans on the Quad

-By entering the Pit, fans are agreeing to allow ESPN to use captured media such as video or images without compensation in their broadcast and marketing of their show

-No alcohol, coolers, glass or open flames will be permitted

-Bags of any kind, food and drinks, pens, pencils, markers or dry erase board and signs on sticks are prohibited in the pit.

-Students are HIGHLY encouraged to wear Purple for admission into The Pit.

Rules for Signs

-Signs are a favorite part of many fans of the show and will be viewable on ESPN from all areas of the Quad and we encourage fans to bring their own signs

-NO derogatory, vulgar, or political messages are allowed

-NO sponsored signs or any references to .com's or other websites

-While signs with poles, sticks or other extensions are permitted behind the GameDay set, those extensions will NOT be allowed in Bridgeforth Stadium

Additional Activities

Sign-Making
There will be multiple organized opportunities for sign making for College GameDay! So far:
Thursday on the Warner Commons from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Friday 6-7 p.m. before the men's basketball game in the Atlantic Union Bank Center student club.

Friday
ESPN College GameDay will have several sponsor activations occurring Friday and Saturday.
JMU's nationally-ranked men's basketball team (No. 24!) hosts Radford at 7 p.m. in the Atlantic Union Bank Center.

Saturday
The JMU Bookstore will sell merchandise near the James Madison statue near Varner.
Join JMU Student Affairs for more fun on the Warner Commons from 12-1:30 p.m. with free food, music and a photo booth with Dr. Tim Miller before the football game!
JMU Library Special Collections has an exhibit of previous JMU College GameDay signs. Consider donating your sign for posterity in front of Moody Hall following the show.