ESPN To Set Stage At USC’s Horseshoe

‘Beauty Backdrop’ Puts Kink In Tailgating Schedules
Pretty much everyone in Columbia is ecstatic about ESPN’s College Gameday shooting live from USC. It only adds to what is sure to be a big Saturday as the current national champion ‘rolls’ into town.

Today we learned that this years set will use USC’s picturesque ‘horseshoe’ as the venue. No doubt about it, this original portion of the campus could make for a fantastic backdrop. The ‘Horseshoe’s‘ location also could prove as a logistical hardship for a lot of fans, especially the students.

To be sure, The Horseshoe is a gorgeous place. Pretty much every student, at one time or another, has had a picture made here. Many weddings and grand events have taken place at The Horseshoe including a visit from MTV’s ‘Unplugged’ (Hootie) and even a visit from the Pope, et al. Even so, it’s not the ideal ‘in and out’ as far as parking is concerned. Further, The Horseshoe is not within reasonable walking distance to the stadium. The fact that USC is more of a ‘city campus’ (this is one of the facets that makes the USC tailgating experience special) will force the usual early tailgater to adjust their schedule, to say the least.

Even with the change in game day ritual logistics, I’m sure Gamecock Nation will provide a strong showing for ESPN’s College Gameday. Who knows, maybe Lee Corso will request to borrow Cocky’s mascot head to show the world as he predicts a Gamecock victory!