ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to Utah for the fifth time in program history as the No. 13 Utah Utes take on the No. 8 Oregon Ducks. Utah is coming off of a big road win against USC, taking down the Trojans in Los Angeles.
College GameDay
For the first time since 2016, Salt Lake City will host college football’s premier pre-game show. Utah first hosted College GameDay in 2004, defeating BYU 52-21. The Utes are 2-2 with College GameDay in town, defeating BYU and California and losing to TCU and Washington.
“For the community and the university, it’s awesome,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Bringing exposure to our brand and the university and the community in general. It’s a win across the board.”
U student Ryan Rutherford said this is “an opportunity that’s rare. I don’t think I’ll be able to go as a student ever again. It’s the place to be Saturday, the biggest event in the nation.”
College GameDay will bring even more excitement to the MUSS, one of college football’s best student sections. The MUSS won the Taco Bell Live Más Student Section of the Year in 2021 and has provided Utah with a strong advantage at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
“The energy the MUSS brings to the game is unmatched and has undeniably helped our team through some of our toughest home games over the last few years,” U student Lindsey Thompson said. “College GameDay being here is going to amplify our excitement and hunger for a win against one of our biggest rivals.”
The Show: ESPN College GameDay will air live from President’s Circle from 7-10 a.m. MT on Saturday. SportsCenter will begin Saturday’s lineup at 5:45 a.m. MDT. Coverage will also be provided on Friday, with The Pat McAfee Show from 10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. MDT and College Football Live from 1:30 p.m.-2 p.m. MDT.
When and Where: Overnight camping is allowed for University of Utah students, with queuing beginning at 6 p.m. MDT on Friday. The first 500 students will gain access to the pit, beginning at 4:45 a.m. MDT on Saturday.
Gameday Preview
Following the College Game Day festivities on Saturday, the Utes will kick off down the street at Rice Eccles Stadium against the University of Oregon. After a defiant win on the road against the University of Southern California last week, the Utes must face the No. 8 Ducks to preserve their unbeaten streak at home.
In the last meeting between the two teams, Oregon defeated Utah by a slim margin at 20-17 in November of last year. However, this is the only recent loss the Utes have seen against the Ducks, as the team took down Oregon by over 25 points in both regular Pac-12 play and the Pac-12 championships in 2021.
“They are athletic,” Ja’Quinden Jackson said of the Ducks earlier this week. “They are big and strong and we have a lot of work to do this week to fix some mistakes. We will take it a day at a time to get right.”
With Cam Rising, Lander Barton, and Brant Kuithe definitively out for the remainder of the season, Kyle Whittingham has made some alterations when it comes to the lineup. After being upgraded to QB1 with the absence of Rising, Bryson Barnes is slated to start against the Ducks with Nate Johnson reserved as an alternate. Barnes was the recipient of the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Week following the team’s victory over USC, where he recorded a career record of 235 passing yards and three of the four touchdowns for the Utes.
The Utes will kick off on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. MDT. The game is serving as the program’s annual MUSS appreciation match and is anticipated to be Rice Eccles Stadium’s 81st consecutive sellout. The game can also be streamed on FOX and ESPN 700.
