Indiana

Indiana Is New Turf For ESPN College GameDay; Personalities Excited To Be Here

Published

1 year ago

October 25, 2024

Indiana Is New Turf For ESPN College GameDay; Personalities Excited To Be Here

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – To keep things purely factual, ESPN College GameDay has been to Indiana before. The iconic college football pregame show was hosted from Memorial Stadium at the 2017 opening game on a Thursday night.

That is a fact, but it’s also true that Indiana has never hosted the Saturday version of the show. In terms of the circus-like atmosphere the show is famous for, that distinction makes all the difference in the world.

ESPN College GameDay will begin its version of road show madness at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday. The show will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPNU. The game itself, which kicks off at noon, is not on ESPN. It will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.

College GameDay host Rece Davis enjoys it when College GameDay heads to a new site. Even he acknowledged that the 2017 appearance was only a teaser for the real thing.

“We were in the stadium in 2017. It was a great night, and people were excited. But there’s a little something different about having our full footprint of the show, the full three hours and starting the day of football,” Davis said to the Indiana media on Friday at Memorial Stadium. “It’s just a different vibe and a different energy about that.”

College GameDay does its best to host at the site that tells the best story of college football on that weekend. Unlike some of its competitors, ESPN does not hesitate to host the program at sites of games it is not broadcasting.

Davis knows Indiana is going to be fired up for the iconic show, which began in 1987 and started visiting campus sites in 1993. Over the years, it’s become part of college football tradition itself. Former Indiana coach Lee Corso, who has been on the show since its inception, has become famous for his personality and antics on the morning show.

“I’m looking forward to actually being among the Indiana fans,” Davis said. “It’s a lot different when we go some place where we haven’t been before. When we go to Ohio State, we go to Alabama, we’re treated well, we’re treated great, wonderful people.

“But it’s almost like, ‘Hey, you guys are back. Did you guys pay the property taxes and everything? I know we’re all neighbors here.’ You know, it’s like they’re used to seeing us,” Davis said.

With or without the Corso tie-in, Indiana’s football team had to put itself on ESPN’s radar to get the show in the first place. Indiana is 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten heading into its game against Washington. Curt Cignetti’s rapid turnaround has turned heads around the college football world.

“The adjective I’ve used is crisp, and what I mean by that is they execute. They’re not sloppy. There’s not confusion. A lot of that is attributable to coach (Mike) Shanahan (co-offensive coordinator), coach Cignetti, coach (Tino) Sunseri (co-offensive coordinator),” Davis said.

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was also mentioned as a key part of Indiana’s success, but he won’t play against Washington with his right thumb injury. Tayven Jackson will play in his place.

“(Jackson) comes in the game, and I’m like, they’re going to run the ball and get out of here with a win,” ESPN personality “Stanford Steve” Couglin said. “No. The first six plays are passes, he throws two TDs, and they score 28 more points. So, that foot is on the gas, and I can’t wait to see what they bring the table.”

Davis thinks Indiana has its destiny in its own hands as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned. The first CFP rankings will be announced on Nov. 5.

“First? They can win the Big 10, which is a tall order, for sure. I understand that. But even if they don’t, let’s say for instance they lose to Ohio State,” Davis surmised. “They don’t make the Big 10 championship game, but they play competitively. I think there’s a really good chance they would be in that top 11 (the best non-Power Four conference champion gets an automatic bid), probably, depending on where the other (non-Power Four) conference champion would be ranked.”

Indiana’s poor strength of schedule – something Davis defended while he also pointed out the reality that it will hurt Indiana in comparison to other playoff contenders – will play a role in the Hoosiers’ fate.

“There will still be football judgment, their schedule outside of these games coming up in November, will be scrutinized, and that’s appropriate. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Davis said. “So a lot of it is going to be how they play. If they play competitively, I think they’ve got a shot, and the best thing about the new system, they can just win, and then they don’t have to worry about it.”

Specific to Saturday, Coughlin had a cautionary tale for Indiana fans. When they visited Cignetti at James Madison in 2023, there was similar hype around the JMU campus. Nearly all of the attention was honed in on JMU. Their opponent, Appalachian State, was treated as an afterthought.

“Not once in that show of three hours did we mention App State, and App State won (26-23) and cost JMU an undefeated season,” Coughlin said. “So knowing that coach Cig was there for that, I’m sure he’s learned from that.”

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Indiana

Is ‘The Bachelorette’ happening? This Carmel contestant weighs in

Published

5 hours ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Is ‘The Bachelorette’ happening? This Carmel contestant weighs in

Should ABC air the canceled-for-now season of “The Bachelorette”? A Carmel man who was set to compete on it seems to think so.

Matt Carroll, a 43-year-old Purdue basketball alum and Carmel resident, took to social media over the weekend to address the cancelation of season 22 of “The Bachelorette,” on which he appeared. Public opinion on whether the show should see the light of day is split, but the former Boilermaker forward and industrial real estate broker hopes the footage makes it to air.

Disney and ABC pulled season 22 of “The Bachelorette” because its lead, “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul, faces an ongoing domestic violence investigations. The network announced the decision March 19 after TMZ leaked a video from a 2023 domestic violence incident involving Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen.

Neither Carroll nor the show have officially commented on the cancelation, but that doesn’t mean he and other contestants haven’t hinted at their feelings on social media.

Carroll’s Instagram reel — in which he struts through the streets of Carmel, rose in hand, RAYE’s “Where the Hell is My Husband” soundtracking it all — breaks the ice. “So…about that,” he joked, tagging both “The Bachelorette” and Bachelor Nation, the franchise’s official hub for news and content.

The reel has garnered comments from fellow Carmel residents wishing Carroll well, even offering to set him up with local singles. Notably, though, some of Carroll’s followers have called for the season to air — and he agrees.

“Trying to manifest that they still air this,” one comment from model Brittany Mason reads. “America wants it the world wants it!”

“From your lips to God’s ears,” Carroll replied.

Another response from him put it more plainly:

“I’m still hoping they decide to air it.”

Whether “The Bachelorette” will air is unclear. Disney Entertainment Television’s official statement only indicated that it was halting the season “for now,” so it’s possible the network could dust off the footage and air it after all.

Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.

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Indiana

Game times announced for Saturday’s Final Four in Indianapolis

Published

18 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Game times announced for Saturday’s Final Four in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Final Four is set.

Four teams have advanced to the Final Four and will compete for the national championship this upcoming weekend in Indianapolis.

The two national semifinal matchups will take place on Saturday. Tip times for the two games have been announced:

6:09 p.m. EDT – No. 3 seed Illinois vs. No. 2 seed UConn
8:49 p.m. EDT – No. 1 seed Michigan vs. No. 1 seed Arizona

The winners of Saturday’s games will then play in the National Championship Game on Monday, April 6.

Each game will take place inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

Published

1 day ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of Hoosiers gathered at the Indiana Statehouse Saturday morning as part of nationwide ‘No Kings’ events to voice their concerns about the current administration.

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Hundreds gather at Indiana State Capitol for ‘No Kings’ protest

“I’m out here today because what’s happening in our government is completely trash,” Donna Sipes told WRTV. “It’s wrong. We need to do something about it.”

“I’m tired of every single day when the TV comes on to see what stupid thing he’s done next,” Lindi Marti said.

WRTV

Attendees noted the growing popularity of the demonstrations.

“This is my fourth one to come to. I didn’t come to all of them when it was really cold, but I’m glad to see that they are getting a lot more people out here every time,” Marti added. “It seems like there’s more and more coming.”

Demonstrators highlighted specific foreign policy concerns, including the administration’s handling of the war in Iran.

“We’re bombing the heck out of them. We’re killing civilians,” Marti’s husband said. “We’re getting ready to send our Marines.”

Others focused on the administration’s handling of immigration.

“That’s what I’m concerned about,” Reverend Kenny Little told WRTV. “Little kids, they’re taking them away from their family. And I’m just one of those people, I think everyone got rights.”

Indiana medical students also attended the rally to speak out against changes to the healthcare system.

“We’re really worried about the attacks on the health care system in general, but with Medicaid… current estimates range from anywhere from 325,000 to 450,000 Hoosiers will lose coverage by 2032,” Wade Catt said with concern.

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With midterm elections approaching later this year, attendees emphasized the importance of now taking action at the ballot box.

“If we don’t vote, then things are gonna not, they’re gonna stay the same,” a protester said.

Meanwhile, Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith says he’s happy to see Hoosiers exercise their First Amendment right to protest.

However, he takes issue with the idea that President Trump is acting like a king. Beckwith says the fact that people have the freedom to protest is proof that the president is not acting like a tyrant.

He acknowledges that bridging the gap between the sides is probably an uphill battle, but believes communication is key.

“I think when you sit down with people face to face, you’re confronted with humanity. There’s another human sitting across that table from you and talking to you. And so, all I have to say, I think that’s probably the thing I would encourage all Hoosiers to do is say, ‘Hey, if you don’t agree with somebody or if you don’t like somebody, why don’t you try grabbing coffee with them? And give it 30 minutes, and just see what happens.’ I bet most of the time people will walk away with a much softer heart and spirit towards that person before they came in,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith is currently on a 92-county tour of the state. He says all sides are welcome to attend his events.

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