MOBILE, Ala. — A Bleacher Report column projecting ESPN College GameDay’s 2014 destinations has picked Mobile for Week 3, when South Alabama hosts Mississippi State, and Jaguars fans have responded with a social media campaign aimed at the show.
Featured columnist Brian Pedersen published the projection on Sunday, predicting a site for each week of the upcoming season. For Sept. 13, he selected South Alabama’s home game against Mississippi State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The Case for Mobile
Pedersen pointed to ESPN College GameDay’s trip to Fargo, N.D., last season as evidence of the show’s willingness to go off the beaten path. He also cited South Alabama’s rise in football, noting the Jaguars’ improvement from 2-11 in their first season as a transitional Football Bowl Subdivision program to 6-6 in 2013, their first season as a full FBS member. South Alabama began playing football in 2009.
“The fans in Mobile love their football and annually support the teams that come into town for the GoDaddy and Senior Bowls,” Pedersen wrote. “Now it’s time to give them, and the USA student body, a chance to bask in the glow of the national spotlight for at least one Saturday.”
Other Week 3 Options
According to the column, Pedersen also considered several other sites for that weekend:
- Columbia, Mo. (Central Florida at Missouri)
- Fresno, Calif. (Nebraska at Fresno State)
- Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa State at Iowa)
- Logan, Utah (Wake Forest at Utah State)
- Lubbock, Texas (Arkansas at Texas Tech)
- Norman, Okla. (Tennessee at Oklahoma)
#PickUSA Returns
South Alabama fans are directing messages to the show’s Twitter account, @CollegeGameDay, using the hashtags #JagNation and #PickUSA.
Fans previously used the #PickUSA hashtag in December in an effort to land a bowl invitation for the Jaguars. South Alabama became bowl eligible last season with three consecutive wins over Sun Belt Conference opponents, including a 30-8 win over conference co-champion Louisiana-Lafayette at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the season finale, but did not receive a bowl invitation.
South Alabama is coached by Joey Jones and competes in the Sun Belt Conference.
