ESPN’s “College GameDay” is heading to Salt Lake City for Week 8, and the guest picker will be Buffalo Bills tight end and former Utah standout Dalton Kincaid.
The announcement came on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
For the second straight week, the show is setting up at the University of Utah, this time live from the President’s Circle before the Utes’ Big 12 matchup with Houston.
“College GameDay” airs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. (9 a.m. - noon ET/ 6 a.m.-10 a.m. PT) on ESPN.
Rece Davis will host for his 12th season, with Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban at the desk. Pete Thamel, “Stanford Steve” Coughlin, Jen Lada and Jess Sims also are part of the 2026 college football season cast.
Utah head coach Morgan Scalley will join the show live on set ahead of the home game against Houston.
Elsewhere on the broadcast, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal will appear live from the field before the No. 1 Hurricanes face Pittsburgh at 11 a.m. (noon ET/9 a.m. PT) on ESPN.
The show’s “GameDay Film Room” with Nick Saban will focus on the keys behind No. 12 Kentucky’s success.
“College GameDay” will also feature Bob Chesney mic’d up during UCLA’s practice this week.
Among the feature stories, Auburn head coach Alex Golesh will be the subject of “Russian Roots: The Journey of Alex Golesh.” Jen Lada reports on Golesh’s path from a communist state in the Soviet Union to becoming a head coach in the United States after his family left Moscow with $400 in 1991 when he was seven years old.
Jess Sims will report “Cowboy Up,” a piece on Utah defensive coordinator Colton Swan, who balances football with rodeo work and ropes steers in his spare time.
Another feature, “Just the Two of Us,” looks at the way Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin are sharing quarterback duties for Utah and helping power one of the most productive and entertaining offenses in football.
The show will also revisit the wild Week 7 that saw five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 lose for the first time in the poll’s 90-year history. Ryan McGee reports on the opening left behind for a new group of contenders and the possibility of college football parity.
In Other News...
Auburn Suddenly Has A Staff Question Fans Can't Ignore
Marylands decision to fire Mike Locksley has a ripple effect that Auburn fans cannot really ignore, even if the move happened far from the Plains. The two programs are connected in a way that matters for recruiting, and Auburns staff already has a Maryland link in defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, who previously coached there. When a coaching search opens up, especially at a place tied to current Auburn personnel, the conversation around who stays, who leaves and who follows a coach can start immediately.
Durkin could draw interest for Marylands head coaching job, and that possibility alone creates uncertainty for Auburn as it tries to hold together its recruiting board. The situation also cuts the other way, since Locksleys background includes Alabama ties and real recruiting experience, which could make him a candidate for Auburns coaching staff. For Auburn, the timing is awkward, because any movement at Maryland could affect commitments and relationships the Tigers are trying to protect. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has A Real Shot At A Five-Star Pass Rusher
Marylands decision to move on from Mike Locksley has quickly put one of the nations top defensive prospects back on the radar, and Auburn is a school worth watching. Zion Elee, the five-star edge rusher currently at Maryland, was recruited heavily by the Tigers and has existing ties to the program through his former high school, giving Auburn a familiar lane if he decides to explore a transfer.
For Auburn, the appeal is obvious. Adding a player with Elees pass-rushing upside would be a major boost for a defense that can always use more disruption off the edge, and the timing could work in the Tigers favor ahead of the 2027 season. Nothing is official yet, but the coaching change at Maryland has opened the door for speculation, and Auburn now looks like a real destination to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Faces A Huge Jordan-Hare Test After The Georgia Shocker
Auburns upset of No. 1 Georgia changed the mood around the program in a hurry, and now the Tigers get another major measuring stick at Jordan-Hare Stadium. LSU comes in with a chance to spoil the post-Georgia buzz, and Auburn will again look to Byrum Brown to help carry the momentum from one of the biggest wins of the season.
The matchup brings more than just the usual SEC pressure, too. LSU has had its own issues away from home in recent road games under coach Lane Kiffin, which gives Auburn a chance to turn the crowd and the setting into an edge if it can back up last weeks breakthrough. The question now is whether the Tigers can turn one huge win into the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]