Iowa City got an early taste of the weekend circus Friday morning, and if that scene is any clue, College GameDay is walking into a full-blown event on Saturday.
Before ESPN’s flagship pregame show even arrived, “The Pat McAfee Show” turned the pit into a packed-in college football backdrop. University of Iowa students filled the space for the program’s first live broadcast from a college campus this year, and it was also the show’s first trip to Iowa City for a college football stop.
For Iowa alum Ty Schmit, the morning carried a homecoming feel. Schmit, a 2014 graduate, helped steer the conversation toward what game day looks like around Hawkeye football, and he didn’t downplay the atmosphere.
“It’s gonna be a madhouse,” Schmit said on the show about bringing the “Pat McAfee” crew to Iowa City. “There’s nothing like a football Saturday in Iowa City, at Kinnick.”
McAfee’s three-hour set mixed the usual NFL and college football chatter with a couple of notable local guests. Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum joined the program, and Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz also made an appearance. McCollum even handed McAfee an Iowa basketball t-shirt, which replaced the plain black long sleeve shirt he had been wearing.
The emotional peak came when Ferentz took the stage. Schmit, visibly moved, spoke directly to the longtime Iowa coach about what his presence has meant over the years.
“There’s been a lot of change, but the one constant through my entire lifetime is I knew that you were going to be on the sideline on Saturday,” Schmit said, growing emotional alongside Ferentz. “There’s a lot of good memories with my family that you’ve provided.”
Former Alabama coach and current College GameDay cast member Nick Saban also joined the show live and picked Iowa as his “superdog” for the weekend. Saban, who started his coaching career at Michigan State and later worked with Ferentz when both were assistants in the NFL under Bill Belichick, pointed to the formula Iowa needs to lean on.
“Iowa has to do what they normally do,” Saban said heading into Saturday’s game. “They have to shrink the game, control the ball, they have to play really, really good defense … they’re tough, they tackle well and they play together.”
College GameDay will air on ESPN at 8 a.m. Saturday, with McAfee joining the main desk.
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