When College GameDay announces its next destination on Nov. 3, there is a chance that all eyes will be on Salt Lake City.
With BYU undefeated and ranked No. 9 in the latest AP poll and and Utah hosting the latest iteration of the rivalry between the Cougars and Utes, next Saturday’s game at Rice-Eccles Stadium seems to be a prime candidate for GameDay.
The rivalry game may have even been a shoe-in, if not for the Utes’ recent struggles.
According to the latest projections, though, BYU vs. Utah isn’t the most likely destination for the beloved college football show. Other contenders to host GameDay, in order of likelihood per multiple projections, are:
- The No. 16-ranked LSU Tigers (hosting No. 14 Alabama).
- The Virginia Tech Hokies (hosting No. 11 Clemson).
- The No. 18-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers (hosting Virginia).
- The No. 19-ranked Ole Miss Rebels (hosting No. 2 Georgia).
- The Texas Tech Red Raiders (hosting No. 23 Colorado).
What is in BYU and Utah’s favor with College GameDay
Despite the competition, there are reasons to believe that GameDay could chose the contest between the Cougars and Utes to highlight.
GameDay hasn’t visited a Big 12 site this season yet, whereas the show has gone to an SEC site five times already. The show has also gone to a Big Ten site four times, and an ACC site (or matchup) twice.
That alone gives BYU-Utah a chance, though Texas Tech-Colorado is in a similar position.
The Cougars being unbeaten is significant. All but one other game that registers as College GameDay worthy-next weekend will have teams that have lost at least one game each, and in many cases, more than one game each.
The only other undefeated team that would have a GameDay worthy contest is Pitt, but the Panthers have a tall test this weekend with a trip to Dallas to play No. 20 SMU.
Lose that game, and Pitt falls off the radar quickly.
Every other notable game next week features two teams that have both lost games, even if they are games between historically significant rivals.
Take LSU-Alabama. Normally the rivalry game between the Tigers and Crimson Tide is must-watch television, but already both teams have two loses and are on the outside looking in when it comes to SEC title contention.
What works against BYU and Utah with College GameDay
Hurting the Cougars and Utes is their membership in the Big 12.
Although one of the Power 4 conferences, the Big 12 has clearly taken a position as the least notable conference among the top tier leagues, at least in the eyes of ESPN and GameDay this season.
The priority for the show has clearly been SEC or Big Ten matchups, with the only exceptions being a Week 0 game that featured Florida State (at the time the Seminoles were considered a national title threat) and another early season game that saw undefeated Miami travel across the country to take on Cal.
So even though GameDay hasn’t had a Big 12 game yet this year, clearly that hasn’t been a priority.
Additionally, Utah’s recent struggles aren’t doing the rivalry game any favors. The Utes were considered a genuine threat to make it to the College Football Playoff to start the season, but a three-game losing streak has ended all hopes of them contending for anything at this point, be it a CFP berth or the Big 12 title game.
Throw in the uncertainty at quarterback for the Utes — will it be Isaac Wilson or Brandon Rose against BYU — and there is real reason to believe that the BYU-Utah game won’t have too many fireworks, even with the heated nature of the rivalry.
BYU and Utah’s history with College GameDay
For BYU, it may be for the best if the Utes don’t host College GameDay next weekend.
BYU hasn’t had a GameDay game since 2009 against TCU, but the Cougars have a pretty dismal record with GameDay contests. The Cougars are tied for the worst record all-time, in fact, with Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, at 0-3 when GameDay comes to town.
Utah has a much more recent history with GameDay, having hosted the show just last season when the Oregon Ducks were in Salt Lake City.
Utah didn’t win that game — Oregon left with a dominant 35-6 win — which was the fifth GameDay game for the Utes in their history.
GameDay has been a part of the rivalry between the Utes and Cougars once before, when Utah hosted BYU in 2004. That game featured a dominant performance by the Utes, who rushed for 354 yards and five touchdowns in a commanding 52-21 victory.