Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and some of the “College GameDay” crew have their visits to Utah down to a science at this point.
Saturday will mark the sixth time that “GameDay” has been on the campus of the University of Utah as the long-running ESPN college football pregame show broadcasts live from Presidents Circle from 7-10 a.m. MDT.
“We had such a great crowd that morning when we were here a couple of years ago and (Utah coach) Kyle (Whittingham) riding in on the Harley and it was just an electric environment. I expect the same thing,” Davis said Friday.
“Tomorrow’s a huge game and these are some of the best fans in college football and they’ve been very supportive of the show and we can’t wait to give them a good scene tomorrow morning and let them help make the scene.”
As is always the case when “GameDay” is in town, there will be plenty of Utah fans in the background of the set with signs and flags as the show previews the day’s matchups.
“The MUSS (Utah’s student section) has only gotten bigger and I think as we’ve seen a lot, these fan bases have grown because of what an experience it is here, how great it is at home, especially for a night game. It’s very embracing and it’s awesome. Awesome fan base,” “GameDay” contributor “Stanford” Steve Coughlin said.
While the trip to Utah isn’t a new experience for the “GameDay” crew, which visited Salt Lake City in 2004, 2010, 2015, 2016 and most recently in 2023, one new cast member who has a bit of history with the Utes is making his SLC “GameDay” debut.
That would be former Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose Crimson Tide lost 31-17 to Utah in the 2009 Sugar Bowl as the Utes polished off a perfect 13-0 season.
“We got a meeting later on today and I think it might come up and we’ll get a feel about it,” Coughlin said.
A member of a different undefeated Utah team — Alex Smith, who quarterbacked the BCS-busting Utes to a 12-0 season and a Fiesta Bowl win in the 2004-05 campaign — will be on hand as the celebrity guest picker.
“We are so excited to have him. He’s such a great dude, great ambassador for football generally and Utah specifically, and it’ll be really fun to have him on the show. We look forward to it,” Davis said.
In 2004, Smith threw for 2,952 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 631 rushing yards and 10 scores. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist and was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Sports Illustrated’s National Player of the Year.
Smith now works at ESPN as an NFL analyst and appears on the network’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” pregame show, which Coughlin is also involved in.
“I love Alex Smith, being able to work with him nowadays and being around him …I think the world of him. I’m so happy he’s able to do this tomorrow,“ Coughlin said.
“If not the two coaches you’ve had since he played here (Meyer and Whittingham) it’s him (in terms of importance to Utah’s program). He started this whole thing and it’s really, really cool that this all comes together this weekend here with a monster game at stake.”
As for the present Utah team, ranked No. 24 and 3-2 in conference play, Saturday’s game against No. 17 Cincinnati is a must-win for the Utes to stay alive in the Big 12 championship race.
“I think it’s a desperation game for Utah. The deck is already stacked a little bit against them because of potential in terms of getting to the Big 12 championship game, but it’s certainly not over,” Davis said.
“Cincinnati has built a little bit of a margin for error in the conference race. Utah no longer has any, so I think that gives us a great environment and it’s an opportunity for Cincinnati to validate its status as a College Football Playoff contender and certainly a Big 12 championship contender and it’s an opportunity for Utah to stay in it and hope that they get a little help here and there and maybe get another shot at one of the two teams that beat them.”
Utah is a 10.5-point favorite over Cincinnati. The Utes’ defense will have their hands full with Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who has thrown for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns on 65% accuracy with only one interception and rushed for 425 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
On the other side, what does Davis think the Utes’ offense needs to do?
“I mean, got to get the quarterback run going, hit some explosive plays. I mean, that’s when this offense is at its best. I’m assuming even though that might be dangerous, that Devon (Dampier) is going to be able to play,” Davis said.
“This is a different deal from last week (against Colorado) . Not that Cincinnati is the ‘85 Bears or anything on defense, but I think they’re better than what they might’ve seen a week ago at Utah. But I think they’ve got to get the quarterback run game going, and if they do that, I think they can have a chance to be successful and they’ll open up some opportunities for explosive plays, too.”
Fans can attend “College GameDay” for free and tickets are not required. Full details on how to attend and watch “GameDay,” which is broadcast on ESPN, are here.