Pat McAfee didn’t take long to turn College GameDay in Salt Lake City into another full-body referendum on college football’s chaos.
Utah fans pushed the ESPN analyst toward another shirtless moment on Saturday, and McAfee eventually gave in after initially swatting away the “take it off” chants. He used the scene to make his case for the sport’s atmosphere, saying, “I guess the energy of college football is not supposed to be one where the suits get upset if a man ends up shirtless at 7 a.m. in Utah,”
He also referenced the online chatter surrounding his routine. “The University of Utah Instagram actually posted something last night,” McAfee said.
“One kid said that I should stop taking my shirt off in front of college kids. It’s creepy.”
McAfee told the crowd, “I am not a puppet anymore,” but the resistance didn’t last. The pressure from the Utah fans won out. “When you’ve got thousands of people yelling at you to take your clothes off, I don’t know what you’re supposed to do,” McAfee said.
The shirtless call-and-response has become familiar territory for McAfee. Utah fans got him shirtless five minutes into last November’s GameDay stop for Cincinnati, and at Iowa on Oct. 3 his shirt got stuck on his arms during his final pick until former Alabama coach Nick Saban helped yank it free. McAfee has defended the bit before, saying last November that “the shirtless are sending a message.”
His jab at “the suits” wasn’t out of nowhere, either. In January 2024, he accused ESPN executive Norby Williamson of trying to sabotage “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Saturday’s appearance also became a broader pitch for the Big 12. McAfee pointed to the league’s top teams and said, “Four of the top 14 teams in the country reside in this conference,” before adding, “And today is another time to make a statement that the Big 12 is a big problem for the Big Ten and the SEC.”
The latest AP poll backs up that point with BYU at No. 2, Texas Tech at No.
8, Utah at No. 10 and Houston at No. 14.
That No. 14 Houston squad, which is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play, visits No.
10 Utah, which is 6-0 and 3-0, at 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Utah’s 12-game winning streak is the longest in the nation, and Houston’s only loss came against Texas Tech.
This is Utah’s seventh time hosting GameDay, and the Utes are 3-3 in those appearances. GameDay host Rece Davis picked Houston to end the streak.
McAfee also leaned into the environment around the show itself. “It’s supposed to be the best atmosphere in all of sport, no matter what country you’re in,” he said.
“College football is the best. The fans are the greatest.”
Utah fans were out in force for the 9 a.m. ET broadcast in Presidents’ Circle, showing up more than 13 hours before kickoff.
Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium still holds the highest scientifically verified crowd-noise mark in college football history at 130.3 decibels, set during the Volunteers’ 26-10 win over Alabama on Oct. 17.
In Other News...
Pat McAfee Changes GameDay Contest After Viral Drama At Houston Spotlight
A familiar ESPN College GameDay wrinkle landed in Utah when a $1 million kicking attempt drew plenty of attention after a previous $3 million winning kick by a BYU student made the contest one of the seasons more talked-about sidelines. The promotion is built around a raffle and a field-goal try, with sponsors and donors helping fuel the cash prizes, and it has become one of those college football moments where the pageantry can briefly overshadow the game itself.
This time, the spotlight fell on a Utah student taking her shot in front of a national audience, and the miss only added to the tension around a contest that has already produced its share of dramatic swings. With high-value attempts continuing to pop up across the college football season, the setup has been as much about the anticipation as the outcome, and this latest try only sharpened the question of whether the next one might finally cash in. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Next Opponent Just Changed The Feel Of This Halloween Showdown
Cincinnati didnt just beat Texas Tech, it turned the Big 12 race on its head and gave the league a result it will be talking about for a while. The Bearcats, unranked going in, knocked off No. 8 Texas Tech behind a career-best 173 rushing yards from Cole Tabb and four touchdown passes from JC French IV, then celebrated on the field after landing their first home win over a top-10 opponent since 2006.
For Utah, the timing matters. The Utes now head into a Halloween night trip to an unbeaten Cincinnati team that suddenly has plenty of momentum and a crowd that has every reason to believe this is a statement season in the making. What looked like a tricky road test already had intrigue, but the win over Texas Tech changed the tone around it in a big way. [Read more 🡒]
Dalton Kincaid Just Gave Utah Fans Another Reason To Love USC Week
Dalton Kincaid gave Utah fans a familiar little jolt of joy on the October 24 edition of ESPN College GameDay, once again putting USC in his crosshairs. The former Utes tight end, now with the Buffalo Bills, used his appearance to revisit the kind of October memories Utah supporters still savor, the kind built on hard-fought wins over the Trojans and the sort of atmosphere that tends to linger long after the final whistle.
Kincaid also took a side in USCs upcoming matchup with Wisconsin, backing the Badgers to pull the upset even with the Trojans listed as a slight favorite. For Utah fans, it was another reminder that Kincaid has never been shy about where he stands in this rivalry, and another reason to enjoy USC week a little bit more than usual. [Read more 🡒]