ESPN College GameDay coming to Utah

Fans hold signs in the crowd during ESPN’s College GameDay Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Utah hosts Washington in a Pac-12 showdown. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

by: Dana Greene

Posted: Oct 22, 2023 / 03:06 PM MDT

Updated: Oct 22, 2023 / 03:07 PM MDT

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Fresh off its thrilling win over USC on Saturday, ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to Salt Lake City for #13 Utah taking on #8 Oregon at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The popular pregame show is returning to Salt Lake City for the fifth time in school history (2004 vs. BYU, 2010 vs. TCU, 2015 vs. California, 2016 vs. Washington) and is set to showcase a top-25 matchup in what is set to be the 81^st straight sellout in Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The ESPN College GameDay set will be planted in the heart of campus, located on President’s Circle off University St. with the show going live from 7-10 a.m. MT. The stage will be located on the lawn facing east, while Utah fans will gather behind the set with the Park Building in the background with admission to the set on Friday and Saturday being free.

On Friday, Oct. 27, fans will have the opportunity to welcome the College GameDay crew to Salt Lake City with ESPN airing shows live from President’s Circle. Fans can watch Sports Center, Get Up, First Take, The Pat McAfee Show and College Football Live.

ESPN will air multiple segments on Saturday, Oct. 28, starting at 5:45 a.m. MT, going live for ESPN College GameDay at 7 a.m. MT. The first 500 students will receive first access to The Pit based on queuing order, starting at 5:30 a.m. MT.

Starting at 6 p.m. MT on Friday, Oct. 27, students can begin lining up at President’s Circle to start the queuing process. Only University of Utah students will be allowed to camp at President’s Circle on Friday evening with all tents and equipment needing to be cleaned up by 5 a.m. MT Saturday. There will be no alcohol in the camping area.

Fans can start queuing in the pit for the show early Saturday morning. Items prohibited in the pit included bags of any kind, food, drinks, pens, pencils, markers or dry erase boards or any signs on sticks.

One of the most beloved traditions with College GameDay is the making of signs. Fans are asked to keep signs appropriate with no vulgar language. For fans entering the pit, signs can’t be on poles or oversized. All signs brought in to Saturday’s taping will be inspected before entry and must abide by the sign policies that ESPN has put in place.