ESPN’s College GameDay came to College Station, Texas ahead of Miami’s matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies.
This was the second time Miami has had a GameDay appearance this season. The first was at UM against Florida.
Former wide receiver and Heisman trophy winner Desmond Howard, as well as the former Alabama head coach Nick Saban both predicted Miami to win. On the contrary, former college football players Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee, as well as former Aggies basketball player Alex Caruso predicted A&M to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Miami fans made the trip from around the country to come to the first round of the playoffs.
Anabelle Rohman, a junior at UM, flew in from Chicago to attend GameDay and watch the ’Canes play.
“I’ve made it to every home game this season, so I certainly can’t miss the playoffs,” she said. “Miami is on fire right now, and I’m all for it.”
Ashton Weissman, another junior at UM, shared his experience coming from California.
“I’m from California, but I would fly anywhere to watch my ‘Canes play,” he said. “I’m running on a few hours of sleep and a dream of a national championship.”
GameDay’s attendees attracted more than just students and alums. Robert and Marie Ramos, both Miami natives who did not attend UM, traveled to Kyle Field for GameDay.
When asked why they came all the way to Texas, they said, “Because we love Mario Cristobal, we love our team, and we need to support them as much as possible.”
Most tickets to the game were available only on secondary markets, with the cheapest option on VividSeats coming in at just more than $400. For comparison, tickets to the JMU vs. Oregon game started at $145 on SeatGeek.
Former Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel was scheduled to be the special guest on the show, but was unable to attend due to illness, a representative for Manziel reported to the Daily Mail.
Manziel apologized to the fans as well as the GameDay hosts for his absence via his social media.
After a 10-3 victory, Miami advances to the next round of the College Football Playoffs, where they will face the number two seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.