What are the odds Donald Trump appears on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’?

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Depending on how you feel about it, the stars have aligned, or it’s the sum of all fears.

Clay Travis reported Wednesday that President Donald Trump will be attending Saturday’s SEC showdown between Texas and Tennessee in Knoxville. The Athletic later confirmed the news.

ESPN’s College GameDay crew is also going to be in Knoxville, broadcasting before and after the game between the No. 1 and No. 14 teams in the nation.

In recent weeks, GameDay has given significant airtime to the Protect College Sports Act, a bill making its way through the Senate intended to remake the status quo around college athletics regarding player autonomy and other issues. They even brought on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to make the case for its passage, without giving similar airtime to an opposing voice. It’s worth noting that Trump vociferously supports the bill, and Disney, ESPN’s parent company, has lobbied on its behalf.

Cruz has also said for weeks that if the bill passes both the House and Senate, Trump will sign it into law on GameDay, something ESPN hasn’t publicly committed to yet.

As it stands, the PCSA is heading toward a final Senate floor vote following procedural cloture votes. While the House won’t have a chance to vote on it until November, pushback against the bill has been gaining steam, so its proponents still have to make their case.

Clearly, ESPN and GameDay are open to letting their platform be a political pulpit. And the bill’s most powerful ally will be in town. It stands to reason there’s a chance he shows up on set (ESPN had no comment on Wednesday).

So what are the odds that we see Donald Trump sitting next to Nick Saban and Pat McAfee on Saturday? And if not, what are the odds we’ll see some other presidential appearance on the Saturday pregame shows? Here’s my humble guess…

Odds Trump Appears In-Person on College GameDay: 100:1

While some might look at this as a foregone conclusion, I actually think the chances he shows up during GameDay are incredibly slim.

For one, the security needs involved with having the sitting POTUS show up on a live TV program situated in a sea of screaming college students out in the open like that seem incredibly intense. I’ve been behind the scenes at GameDay before. It’s fairly secure for the likes of Kirk Herbstreit and Rece Davis, but not so much for the president.

They’re certainly not gonna let him take part in Pat McAfee’s kicking contest, and I just can’t imagine they’d entrust him to play nice during the picks segment.

Not to mention that Trump’s arrival times at sporting events are notoriously unpredictable and last-minute. McAfee and Saban even discussed the possibility that his tardiness could push back the start of the national championship last season. Plan for Trump to show up on time at your own risk.

Odds Trump Appears Via Live Video on College GameDay: 30:1

If he appears live, this is almost certainly how. Whether he Zooms in from Air Force One or does a live hit from his luxury box, this is the most logical conclusion for how it could work.

Also, let’s be honest, this gives ESPN a better chance to back away if Trump goes on a random rant about immigration or his ballroom during a highlight package.

Odds Trump Appears Via Recorded Video on College GameDay: 15:1

This will always be the most likely scenario for both sides. For ESPN, it gives them peace of mind about what Trump has to say without dealing with the drama that comes with a live appearance. For Trump, it lets him tailor his message to the PCSA and whatever other tangents he wants to go on, without dealing with the rigmarole of getting to the set.

There’s also precedent for a prerecorded Trump message appearing on ESPN during a college football game.

Odds Trump Appears In Broadcast Booth During Game: 40:1

Texas-Tennessee will be broadcast on ABC with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. There will almost certainly be a massive audience watching at home. And an election is fast approaching.

What an ideal opportunity for someone like Trump, who has some thoughts he’d love to share with America about the PCSA and whatever else is on his noggin at that particular moment.

Herbstreit, desperate to appear nonpartisan and hyperfocused on football, would probably be a good guide for Trump, keeping him (mostly) focused on the sport.

Plus, Trump has appeared in a football booth during a game before, so it’s a known quantity.

Odds Trump Appears on Big Noon Kickoff Instead: 45:1

Here’s an interesting wrinkle. It’s not lost on us that Clay Travis was the one who broke the story about Trump, and it’s not the first time he’s been quick on a Trump-related bit of news. Clearly there’s some kind of relationship behind the scenes.

And did we mention that Travis does live video spots during FS1’s Big Noon Kickoff?

And did we also mention Travis will be in Knoxville even though BNK is in Columbus this weekend?

BNK doesn’t have the juice that GameDay has, but you have to wonder if Clay has the inside track to an interview. You also can’t discount Trump’s desire to speak to a Fox-related audience or Fox Sports’s desire to land “the sports president.”

Odds Trump Doesn’t Appear On TV Programming In Any Form: 150:1

It’s entirely possible that Trump doesn’t get to the game until just before kickoff, heads to his luxury booth where he hobnobs with bigwigs and remains there before heading out at some point in the second half.

But for some reason, it just doesn’t feel likely. Not in this moment. While Trump has attended a lot of sporting events during his second term, this one feels at least partially in service of the PCSA, the upcoming election, or both. His waving from his box just doesn’t seem like enough to justify his presence.

The only questions are how much he’s willing to do, and how much ESPN (or Fox) is willing to allow.

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