Rece Davis may be one of the most well-traveled people at ESPN, apart from his College GameDay co-hosts of course. But out of all the places he’s gone to catch a college football game, Penn State seems to have made an impression on him.

Appearing on ESPN’s morning show GetUp!, Rece Davis gave his top five favorite locations to host College GameDay.  LSU, TCU, and James Madison each came in at five, four, and three respectively. Penn State came in at second place just behind Davis’ number one: Virginia Tech. While Penn State didn’t come in on top, Davis did mention it was close.

Davis noted that “the best crowds [are at] places with great football traditions [places] we haven’t been [to] in a while.” After waiting nearly a decade for GameDay to return to Happy Valley, there was certainly a lot of built up anticipation in Penn State fans. 

Fellow analyst Maria Taylor also seemed impressed by the energy of the Penn State crowd that came to watch them at Old Main.

“There’s something about the tradition-rich schools that makes them engaged the entire time,” Taylor said.

Before moving on to No. 1, Davis made sure to inform the audience about how  fellow analyst Lee Corso (who’s 83 years old!) bypassed security’s advice and crowd surfed upon a sea of Penn State students on Old Main’s lawn this past year. And, of course, how could you forget Corso’s fake-out?

Fans can thank Pat Chambers and the Penn State men’s basketball team for their efforts last year to recruit College GameDay. After some fan engagement on Twitter revealed Davis’ love for ice cream, the team sent Creamery ice cream to woo Davis and his crew to State College.

Davis did let slip a little treat toward the end of his blurb about Penn State. As he was getting ready to reveal his number one choice, Davis hinted that “we might be there soon” in reference to Penn State.

Whether it’s for another White Out against Ohio State, or for Wisconsin or Michigan State, it’s hard to think College GameDay won’t be returning. After witnessing the biggest game in Beaver Stadium last season in a White Out to remember, Davis might just be telling the truth.