The biggest storyline in college football has less to do with any on-field action and more to do with the people who preview and analyze the sport.
ESPN's "College GameDay" analyst Pat McAfee made waves Monday, Oct. 26, after he said he was made to feel "uncomfortable" on Saturday, Oct. 24 during the program's preview of the Week 8 Utah-Houston game in Salt Lake City.
McAfee criticized the University of Utah for sharing a video of students "dogging" him, describing the decision as potentially inciteful against him and pointing to the 2025 shooting death of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah, as a contributing factor to his discomfort.
“The safety and security of our
on-air team, crew and fans is paramount at College GameDay," an ESPN spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. "We are committed to ensuring a safe environment, and given the very real threats that members of our team face, we take issues involving their safety seriously. We support Pat and recognize the very real and valid concerns he has around safety and security.”
Utah also apologized for the video on Oct. 26, saying it "missed the mark" in trying to create "lighthearted engagement" with McAfee back on campus.
The question now becomes whether ESPN will consider returning to Salt Lake City in Week 10 for a potential top-10 rivalry matchup between the Utes and BYU after McAfee said, multiple times, he hopes not to return to Utah's campus.
While the game has massive implications for the Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff races, however, ESPN has more than a few choices to choose from in Week 10 following a foray into Bloomington, Indiana, the week prior.
Here's a look at potential Week 10 locations for "College GameDay":
Possible Week 10 locations for 'College GameDay'
Apart from a return to Salt Lake City for the potential top-10 matchup between the Utes and Cougars, ESPN has several destinations to choose from in Week 10.
The most obvious of those is the historical rivalry between No. 1 Miami and No. 6 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana — a meeting could have been between the top two teams in college football, were it not for a controversial BYU win vs. the Fighting Irish in Week 7. It would be the first visit to South Bend since the 2024 season for "College GameDay."
Elsewhere, ESPN could return to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the second time this season to preview No. 10 Alabama at No. 13 LSU. It is the first meeting between Kalen DeBoer and Lane Kiffin, and a loss could knock either team from playoff contention (both the Crimson Tide and Tigers have two defeats this year, already).
Indeed, the SEC has several potential options for "GameDay," including a rematch of last year's CFP quarterfinal meeting between No. 3 Georgia and No. 12 Mississippi, in Oxford. Another option is Knoxville, Tennessee, where No. 17 Tennessee will host an eighth-ranked Kentucky team in sole possession of first place in the SEC. There's also a meeting between No. 11 Texas and No. 23 Missouri in Columbia.
Here's a comprehensive look at potential destinations for "College GameDay":
- No. 1 Miami at No. 6 Notre Dame
- No. 3 Georgia at No. 12 Ole Miss
- No. 9 BYU at No. 5 Utah
- No. 8 Kentucky at No. 17 Tennessee
- No. 10 Alabama at No. 13 LSU
- No. 11 Texas at No. 23 Missouri
Pat McAfee Utah comments, explained
McAfee on the Oct. 26 episode of "The Pat McAfee Show" took some time to discuss the situation at the University of Utah in Week 8, saying he felt "uncomfortable" during the show.
The issue was less to do with students "dogging him" — they called him "corny" and "creepy" — but that the video was shared on Utah's official platform.
"The university puts that out as I'm about to go out and do an infomercial for the place? And I'm walking in front of thousands of these people. This is how the university feels about it? It's an uncomfortable feeling," McAfee said. "I'm getting a lot of shrapnel from a lot of places. The university is putting this out? That's something I just had never experienced, really in my entire life. So it kind of set me off a little bit. Made me feel a little bit weird."
McAfee also referenced Kirk's shooting death in September 2025, which occurred roughly 43 miles south of the University of Utah's Salt Lake City campus.
"And I thought to myself, 'Has there been anything really scary happening at like a college gathering in the state of Utah recently? Do we think we should be amplifying reasons for why people hate my guts, as a university? I don't know. It was a lot of mixed feelings for me going out there.
"But the university gaslighting ... right before I got out there to talk about your school? Especially with what happened 40 miles south in Salt Lake City a little over a year ago? I did not enjoy that. I was very, very uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will ESPN send Pat McAfee back to Utah? College GameDay has Week 10 dilemma with top-10 Holy War
