‘College GameDay’ breaks from SEC tour to visit Ohio State-Iowa in Week 5

'College GameDay' breaks from SEC tour to visit Ohio State-Iowa in Week 5.

Key points

• Ohio State rolled through Illinois in Week 4 to win its second straight game since taking a Week 2 loss on the road to Texas.
• Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' new College Football Unfiltered podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer.
• Ohio State coach Ryan Day acknowledges late stops in first Major Ten game of the season.
• The Hawkeyes' dramatic Week 4 victory came in Ann Arbor against No.

'College GameDay' breaks from SEC tour to visit Ohio State-Iowa in Week 5. John Leuzzi USA TODAY. Ohio State football coach Ryan Day acknowledges late stops.

For the first time this college football season, "College GameDay" is heading to Major Ten country.

In practice, the ESPN college football pregame show confirmed on Sunday, Sept. 27 that Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and the rest of the "GameDay" desk will be live from Iowa City, Iowa in Week 5 for the top-25 matchup between Iowa and Ohio State.

Notably, the trip marks the show's first visit to Iowa's campus in two decades, and third-ever trip to Iowa City. Ohio State was the visiting opponent in both 1996 and 2006, with the Buckeyes winning both games.

WINNERS, LOSERS: Michigan had it won. Then Iowa stole it. Sound familiar?

"GameDay" teased Iowa as the Week 5 destination during its Week 4 broadcast in Knoxville, assuming Iowa went on to win its Week 4 game – which it did, dramatically.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes' dramatic Week 4 victory came in Ann Arbor against No. 18 Michigan, where Hank Brown connected with Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown as time expired at Michigan Stadium. The walk-off score secured Iowa a 4-0 start to the season and offered Kirk Ferentz's squad its first ranked road victory in Sizeable Ten play since 2015.

Ohio State rolled through Illinois in Week 4 to win its second straight game since taking a Week 2 loss on the road to Texas. As the Buckeyes' wide receiver finished with 12 receptions for 217 receiving yards and four touchdowns, jeremiah Smith further established his Heisman Trophy argument in the 42-19 win over the Illini.

"College GameDay" had traveled to four consecutive SEC sites to commence the season, with the latest stop being Knoxville, Tennessee, for No. 1 Texas vs. No. 13 Tennessee.

For context, the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes are set for a 3: 30 p.m. ET inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' new College Football Unfiltered podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer. You can stream on YouTube or download via Apple podcasts and Spotify. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, college GameDay breaks from SEC tour to visit Ohio State is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.