COLLEGE GAMEDAY SHOULD HAVE GONE FCS OR GROUP OF FIVE — INDIANA-MINNESOTA WAS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

ESPN had a chance to do something different with College GameDay this weekend.

Instead, it is heading to Indiana for the Hoosiers’ matchup against Minnesota. The defending national champions deserve respect, and Bloomington should produce a terrific atmosphere.

But this was a week to think outside the box.

College GameDay should have gone FCS or Group of Five.

Not every Saturday needs a top-five showdown. Sometimes, the best thing ESPN can do for college football is introduce its massive audience to a program, rivalry or conference that rarely gets the spotlight.

Week 9 was the perfect opportunity.

GEORGIA-FLORIDA IS THE BIGGEST GAME — BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN GAMEDAY BELONGS THERE

Let’s get one thing straight: Georgia-Florida is the biggest game on paper this weekend.

The No. 3 Bulldogs and No. 20 Gators meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for one of college football’s most recognizable rivalries. The game carries SEC implications and features two programs with enormous fan bases.

But is it worth sending College GameDay there?

Not necessarily.

The game is at a neutral site, not a college campus. The rivalry brings plenty of history, but the matchup does not automatically make this the ideal destination for a show built around campus culture and student atmosphere.

And after visiting five SEC campuses earlier this season, ESPN has little reason to keep returning to the conference simply because its biggest game is available.

Georgia-Florida is the weekend’s marquee matchup. That does not mean it has to be the destination.

THE FCS HAD EXACTLY THE KIND OF GAME ESPN SHOULD SHOWCASE

Look at South Dakota State versus South Dakota.

The two programs meet Saturday in Brookings in the 120th edition of their rivalry. Both enter ranked in the FCS top 10, and the result carries significant implications for the Missouri Valley Football Conference race and playoff seeding.

This isn’t a meaningless game between two schools hoping for a little exposure.

It’s a major rivalry with more than a century of history, passionate fan bases and genuine postseason consequences.

The game is sche