ESPN’s “College GameDay” is spending a second straight weekend in Utah, and that has put Utah-Houston at the center of college football’s price chart.
After last weekend’s stop at BYU, the show is heading about 45 miles north for No. 10 Utah’s matchup with No.
14 Houston at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The get-in price sits at $254 on TicketData.com, the highest of any game involving teams in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
That number is up 12% over the last three days and could still move as Saturday approaches.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MDT on ESPN. Fans in Salt Lake City should see mostly clear skies, with only a slight chance of light rain and temperatures in the mid-40s.
The three-hour “GameDay” broadcast will begin at 7 a.m. MDT from campus, giving the Utes a national showcase before a home crowd. Utah enters the game unbeaten and ranked 12th nationally in total defense and ninth in total offense, according to ESPN, while Houston brings a potent offense that ranks 10th in total offense.
That combination adds some real bite to a game already carrying plenty of attention. Utah was pushed hard last weekend after building a 13-0 halftime lead against Colorado, only to see the Buffaloes answer with 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.
The Utes still escaped with a 27-24 win behind Devon Dampier’s three touchdown passes and a late defensive stop. Against a Houston team that can score, Utah will need a steadier four quarters to keep its unbeaten run alive.
The Utah-Houston matchup tops a Week 7 slate loaded with AP Top 25 games. No.
7 Ole Miss at No. 19 Texas has the second-highest ticket price at $230 on the same site, down 28% over the previous three days.
Other notable prices around the country include No. 11 Tennessee at South Carolina at $157, No.
18 LSU at Auburn at $149 and No. 6 Indiana at Michigan at $134.
BYU’s road trip to UCF comes in at a much different number: $60 for the No. 2 Cougars, even after their win over Notre Dame. That price is up 30% over the previous three days.
The gap is striking compared with last Saturday, when BYU-Notre Dame was among the priciest tickets in the country at around $429 on Wednesday. ESPN’s show was at BYU then, where the early crowd, Cosmo’s energy and the campus atmosphere helped set up the Cougars’ 28-24 upset of then-No. 2 Notre Dame at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Now the spotlight shifts north, with Utah getting its own turn in front of the cameras at President’s Circle in the heart of campus. For the Utes, the timing matters, too: they’re unbeaten, they’re facing a ranked conference opponent and they have an opportunity to build their College Football Playoff résumé before a Nov. 7 matchup against rival BYU.
With “GameDay” staying in Utah for a second straight week, Salt Lake City is once again the place college football wants to be.
In Other News...
Houston Gets Timely Defensive Lift Before Massive Utah Test
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Mayo has been one of Houstons more important playmakers in the defensive rotation, and his presence matters even more with Utah coming in as a team that can force opponents to stay sharp snap after snap. For the Cougars, getting him back in the mix adds stability at a position group that will be under the microscope from the opening series. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces A Rare Chance To End A Brutal Road Drought
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For Houston, the stakes go beyond a single game result. The Cougars are staring at an opportunity to break through against elite road competition and chip away at long-standing history that has hung around the program for years. It is the kind of challenge that tends to say plenty about where a team stands, and maybe even more about where it is trying to go. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Added A New Threat To Its Big 12 Push
The Big 12 has reached its midpoint with three teams still unbeaten in conference play and the race starting to sharpen around every weeks results, including Houstons own place in the picture. The Cougars showed they can still shape the league conversation behind Conner Weigmans passing in a tight road of sorts against Oklahoma State, while BYU kept building its case with a win over Notre Dame despite dealing with injuries.
For Houston, the bigger takeaway is that the leagues newest threat is not looking like a one-game wonder. Texas Tech has also flashed more consistent offense, while teams such as Oklahoma State, Baylor and Arizona State have been forced to fight through defensive issues and recent losses that are beginning to matter in the standings. If the Cougars are going to stay in the hunt, they will need to keep matching that level of production as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]