The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
On the right side, set on a black background, is the Formula One logo, the dates for Sting and Eminem’s concerts and the logos for the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs. Written on the left is a phrase displayed across different parts of Austin this weekend: “The biggest weekend ever.”
The United States Grand Prix has taken place during the college football season ever since COTA joined the calendar in 2012 (aside from 2022, when COVID-19 impacted F1’s schedule). The two sports have competed in Austin on the same weekends before, like in 2013 when Texas lost to Oklahoma State, in 2015 when it beat Kansas State and the overtime 2017 loss to Oklahoma State.
But this weekend’s game, where the top-ranked Longhorns host the No. 5 Bulldogs, is one of the biggest college football matchups this year, with two Southeastern Conference powerhouses set to clash.
ESPN’s College GameDay is also in town, and the media company is planning plenty of crossover between F1 and college football this weekend, like with SportsCenter segments live from COTA and The Elle Duncan Show also being on-site. Legendary football coach Nick Saban did a hot lap on Friday, and Jess Sims tested several drivers’ knowledge of American college football, including Lando Norris.
It’s a weekend unlike one F1 has seen, particularly since the popularity boom.
“It’s really exciting to see those two cultures blend because they’re both just formidable. Iconic American college football and Formula One racing,” said Drew Martin, Texas’ Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs. “Those are really, really unique and distinctive sports cultures, and to watch them come together on a weekend like that, there’s nowhere else in the world that that happens.”
College football gamedays, particularly within the SEC, are a different beast.
Sure, you have your typical tailgates and ritual cheers. But Texas levels it up, the university reinventing what gameday looks like in Austin. Martin said, “When you come to a football game at the University of Texas, you’re going to get the best of Austin culture, which starts with the live music capital (of the) world.”
The Longhorns have a pregame concert at Longhorn City Limits, and it leans into the city’s street festival culture, like Bevo Boulevard. And then there’s Smokey’s Midway, a nod to the state fair.
“It’s the absolute best football game day environment in the country, although it’s non-traditional,” Martin added. “It’s not your massive acreage and acreage and acreage of tailgating lots. It’s a giant three-ring circus, really.”
And when College GameDay comes into town, it adds a bit to the chaos. Texas received the notification over a week ahead of time, but this is the fifth time in seven years that the university is hosting the production. It is a massive logistical feat regardless, Martin says, but considering the relationships they’ve built over the years, “it’s more of a known entity of what they need, what they expect, how to activate around the show, how to draw our fan base in because we won’t kick off that game until 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.”
