The show: ESPN’s College GameDay will air Saturday morning from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and it will take place in President’s Circle. There will be live hits shown on ESPN throughout the day on Friday, including one live half hour show from the location at 11:30 a.m.
When and where to be: Fans will be allowed to enter the GameDay set starting at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. The first 500 people in line will receive an entry into the “pit” for the show.
Camping out: Fans are allowed to start camping out for a spot in the “pit” on Friday at 4:00 p.m. The actual line for the “pit” will start to form early Saturday morning.
Events: Assuming the same from last year’s GameDay, there will be carnival-like games on Friday in President’s Circle. Events last year included decorating signs, free giveaways, photo opportunities, etc.
What to wear: Fans are encouraged to dress up in Halloween costumes.
What to bring, what to leave at home: Signs are permitted. No signs on sticks, food or drinks, or backpacks or purses will be allowed.
History: For the fourth time in school history and for the second year in a row, Utah will be hosting ESPN’s College GameDay prior to Saturday’s matchup between the Utes and the Washington Huskies.
In 2015 the Utes were 4-0 when they were taking on the Cal Bears. Utah was ranked No. 5 at the time and Cal was No. 23. Utah won the game 30-24 .
Previous to that, College GameDay visited Salt Lake City in 2010 when Utah played TCU. The No. 5 Utes lost 47-7 to the No.3 Horned Frogs.
The first time Utah hosted the show was in 2004. The Utes beat their rival BYU 52-21.
Expectations for Washington vs. Utah: The Washington Huskies are entering the game as the No. 4 team in the country. The Utah Utes are currently ranked No. 17.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham expects the fans to be loud and he is hoping the day ends with the same results as last season — a win.
“It’s great to be recognized and we’re elated GameDay is coming to town,” Whittingham said. “We handled it well last year and we’re hoping it’s the same this year.”
Troy Williams watched GameDay quite often when he was growing up and he thinks it is a great way for the team to get its name out there.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to go out there and show people what we can do on national stage,” Williams said. “It’s a great accomplishment for our team and we’re looking forward to it and we’re excited.”
Game time: The game is set to start at 1:30 p.m. at Rice Eccles Stadium.
@kbrenneisen