ESPN’s College GameDay will be part of the festivities leading up to Alabama’s Aug. 30 season opener against Clemson in Atlanta.

The Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Dome. Before the game, Centennial Olympic Park will be open for a day-long celebration of college football. It is free to the public.

GameDay, ESPN’s popular preview show, will broadcast from Atlanta starting at 9 a.m. Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will break down the season openers and set the stage for the Alabama-Clemson prime time game on ABC.

From 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., fans can visit the ESPN Kickoff Week Festival and the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff FanZone, both at the Park. Interactive games, and food and beverage areas should help fans pass the time leading up to kickoff.

ESPN’s College Football Live show will broadcast from the park on Thursday and Friday before the game at 2:30 p.m.

“This event is going to be the Daytona 500 of college football,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president in a press release. “We think we’ve created the biggest and best celebration to start the college football season. And we’re going to host this event every year capped off by a great match-up of two premier teams.”

Goode moves to DB
Alabama head coach Nick Saban said redshirt freshman running back Demetrius Goode will work at defensive back.

“It’s something he wanted to do,” Saban said. “We talked about doing it before, but basically it’s going to be a little bit of a work in progress for him to catch up with some of the other guys right now. He’s excited about learning and we’re excited about teaching him.”

Freshmen get a look
Saban said Tuesday that coaches continue to look at freshmen at linebacker and wide receiver.

Regarding linebackers Jerrell Harris, Courtney Upshaw and Don’ta Hightower, Saban said, “All three guys are learning and probably grinding a little bit right now. But they all make plays, and they all show flashes of having ability.”

Touted receivers Julio Jones and B.J. Scott have worked hard to contribute, the coach said.

“B.J. and Julio both make plays, play fast, in good shape, both tough guys. I think that’s very helpful,” Saban said. “They’ve shown some maturity out there in what they’re doing. And they’ve certainly had a lot of turns. ...

“It’s a little simpler, maybe, to play receiver than it would be to play, say linebacker, if you wanted to make a comparison. So those guys have made nice progress and they’ve shown ability to make plays, and hopefully they’ll continue to make plays so they can help us.”

Alabama was back on the field twice on Wednesday, working out at 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The team practices again today at 2:30 p.m. and will work twice on Friday before holding its first scrimmage on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Beisbol news
Alabama’s baseball team will play an exhibition series in Havana, Cuba, from Dec. 13-19.

Tide coach Jim Wells said Alabama will play three games against a group of college all-stars from Havana.

The NCAA and the State Department have approved the trip. The games will not count towards Alabama’s 56-game schedule during the 2009 season.

“This will be the opportunity of a lifetime for the players, coaches and staff that will participate in this event,” Well said. “The trip to Havana will be a valuable educational tool for all of us involved, plus it will give us the opportunity to play baseball against some of the very best collegiate players in Havana.”

Tide basketball will face Oregon
Alabama will face Oregon in the eight-team 2008 EA Sports Maui Invitational on Nov. 24.

The game will tip at 11 p.m. The Tide and Ducks will play the winner and loser of the North Carolina vs. Chaminade game the following day.

Other teams in the tournament are Texas, St. Joseph’s, Notre Dame and Indiana.

Tide fans can link on the basketball page of Alabama’s official website, http://www.rolltide.com for travel packages for the Maui Invitational.