A comment from ESPN personality Rece Davis has Arkansans giddy over the prospect of ESPN’s College GameDay touching down in the natural state.
Davis College football rivalries told Nashville-based radio station WKRN that he was “pitching the Battle of the Ravine in a few weeks, depending on what else happens” as far as sites for GameDay’s on-location Saturday morning broadcast.
One of college football’s most unique rivalries, dating back to 1895, the Battle of the Ravine annually pits Arkadelphia Division II neighbors Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State in a Great American Conference matchup. The game is highlighted by the visiting team walking across Highway 67 to the home stadium, which this year will be OBU’s Cliff Harris Stadium on November 15.
The 1922 Battle of the Ravine. (Photo courtesy of OBU)
Ouachita leads the all-time series 48-44-6.
There is precedent for College GameDay bringing its production to smaller schools, as the crew has broadcast from FCS schools and, in 2007, arrived to cover the Division III rivalry Williams College vs. Amherst College. A trip to Arkadelphia would be the first time GameDay has visited a Division II program.
HSU players crossing highway for OBU game. (Photo courtesy of HSU)
This week’s College GameDay is slated for Salt Lake City for a matchup between Utah and Cincinnati.
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