Michigan football, which kicks off its national title defense Saturday night against Fresno State (NBC, 7:30 p.m.), now knows it will have some special guests for its Week 2 matchup.

ESPN announced Saturday morning that its flagship college football show, "College Gameday," will make its next stop in Ann Arbor, for what is expected to be a top-10 showdown between Michigan and Texas, which entered Saturday at Nos 8 and 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, respectively.

All offseason long, publications have circled this game as perhaps the nation's best nonconference contest this season.

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Not only were both teams in the College Football Playoff a season ago, but each brings its own brand power as well as individual star power — Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was on the cover of EA Sports' "College Football 25" along with U-M running back Donovan Edwards.

It’s also particularly notable considering the game is scheduled to be televised on Fox as its "Big Noon Kickoff," and generally ESPN doesn’t like to go to the same site and drive eyeballs away from the game it will be airing opposite its competitor's main draw.

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According to program spokesman Dave Ablauf, the campus site will be the same as the last time College Gameday came to Ann Arbor — Nov. 25, 2023, ahead of U-M's 30-24 defeat of Ohio State — on Ferry Field, next to the athletic facilities by the corner of State and Hoover.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: College Gameday coming to Ann Arbor for Michigan football vs. Texas