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.
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