SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The college football spotlight shines on Salt Lake City on Saturday as ESPN’s “College GameDay” visits the 13th-ranked University of Utah for its showdown with No. 8 Oregon.
It’s the traveling pregame show’s fifth visit to Salt Lake City and its first since 2016. “College GameDay” will be broadcast live from Presidents Circle at the U. from 7-10 a.m., featuring host Rece Davis, analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee, college football insider Pete Thamel and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims.
The Utes (6-1 overall, 3-1 Pac-12 Conference) host the Ducks (6-1, 3-1) at 1:30 p.m. at sold-out Rice-Eccles Stadium in a nationally televised game on FOX. Utah has won 18 consecutive home games, the third-longest active streak in college football.
Fans are invited to attend the live show free of charge, with “the pit” behind the broadcast desk opening at 5 a.m. at Presidents Circle. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and be in place by 5:45 a.m.
Those who want to attend are encouraged to take TRAX or UTA buses or park for free in designated lots listed here. A shuttle will run on a continuous loop beginning at 4:30 a.m. Saturday between those lots and Presidents Circle.
ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” and “College Football Live” were live from the U. on Friday, with “SportsCenter” also featuring reports from Salt Lake City.
McAfee loaded his guest lineup with Utes, including head coach Kyle Whittingham, who showed up on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle wearing a sleeveless shirt and even arm-wrestled the former NFL punter turned broadcaster.
“We’ve got a protect-this-house mentality, and we take that very seriously,” Whittingham said of the Utes’ success in Salt Lake City.
“I think it starts with the MUSS — the Mighty Utah Student Section,” he said. “The atmosphere in Rice-Eccles starts right there. We’ve got standing room only every week. Like I said, the community is behind us. It’s not the biggest stadium in the country but it is one of the loudest and it provides a huge, huge advantage for the Utes.”
Saturday’s Pac-12 showdown also is Utah’s annual MUSS Appreciation Game to celebrate and recognize the student section that won ESPN’s “Live Mas” Student Section of the Year in 2021.
Utah quarterback Cam Rising and former Utes receiver Steve Smith joined McAfee on campus Friday, while former Utah QB Alex Smith and tight end Dalton Kincaid participated via video interview.
Rising, who previously announced he will not play this season due to a knee injury, unveiled the MUSS-themed helmets the Utes will wear vs. the Ducks during McAfee’s show.
The QB was noncommittal when asked whether he would use a medical redshirt year and return to the Utes next season.
“Everything is on the table for next year, but I’m more focused on this season,” Rising said.
McAfee also announced that Steve Smith would be the celebrity guest predicting games with the “College GameDay” crew Saturday.
“SportsCenter” will begin live reports from Salt Lake City at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, leading up to “College GameDay.”
University of Utah students can camp overnight to be on-site for the first-come, first-served entry into the pit, with lines forming at 6 p.m. Friday. The screening and entry process into the pit will begin at 4:45 a.m. Saturday.
More information about “College GameDay” in Salt Lake City is available here.
