College GameDay is in Salt Lake City for Utah vs Houston
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- College GameDay is in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 24.
- The show previews 10th-ranked Utah against 14th-ranked Houston.
- Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is the guest picker.
ESPN's College GameDay is in Salt Lake City today. The show comes live from the University of Utah. It previews a big Big 12 game on Saturday night.
The game is 10th-ranked Utah against 14th-ranked Houston. Kickoff is at 10:15 at night ET on ESPN. The show airs in the morning, from 9 to noon ET.
What happened
GameDay is staying in Utah for a second straight week. Last week the show was in Provo for BYU against Notre Dame. BYU's win over Notre Dame closed that show.
This week the show moved to Salt Lake City. It broadcasts from the University of Utah's President's Circle, according to the AL report. Rece Davis hosts the show in his 12th season in the role.
The guest picker is Dalton Kincaid. He is a tight end for the Buffalo Bills. He played for Utah from 2020 to 2022.
ESPN announced the pick on Thursday. The news came out on The Pat McAfee Show. Kincaid joked about his own picks on that show.
He said he went 1-10 in his tight end room last week. He said he has an uphill battle this week. He also said he wants to top Steve Young.
Young was last week's guest picker in Provo. He went a perfect 10-10 on his picks. That set a high bar for Kincaid.
Kincaid made his name at Utah. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2022. The Bills took him with the 25th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He made his first Pro Bowl last season. He is now in his fourth season with Buffalo. The Bills are on a bye week, so he is free this weekend.
Utah head coach Morgan Scalley will join the show live on set. The show will also feature Utah's quarterbacks. Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin will get segments, according to the AL report.
Utah defensive coordinator Colton Swan will get a segment too. Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban join Davis on the cast.
Why it matters
This is a top-15 clash in the Big 12. It is the first top-15 Big 12 game this season, according to On3. The winner gains ground in the Big 12 race.
The winner also gains ground in the College Football Playoff race. Both teams can still reach the 12-team field. A loss would hurt that path a lot.
Utah is 6-0 overall this season. Utah is 3-0 in Big 12 play. The Utes have scored at least 27 points in all six wins.
Utah beat Colorado 27-24 last Saturday. That win came on the road in Boulder. It kept Utah's perfect start alive.
Houston is 6-1 overall this season. Houston is 3-1 in Big 12 play. The Cougars have won four games in a row.
Houston's only loss came at Texas Tech. That game ended 28-26 on September 18. Quarterback Conner Weigman led that late push.
Houston has scored at least 27 points in all four wins since then. The Cougars are a real threat on the road. Utah will need a full game to beat them.
This season has already had wild results. Auburn stunned Georgia 27-24 in one upset. GameDay picks draw eyes because any top team can fall.
Star players draw eyes too. Arch Manning's benching at Texas was one big story this season. Kincaid's return to Utah is another one.
What happens next
The show runs on Saturday morning on ESPN. Fans in Canada can watch on TSN2. The show starts at 9 in the morning ET.
Kincaid will make his picks at the end of the show. He will pick the Utah game last, as guest pickers do. The crowd in Salt Lake City will react to each pick.
Then the focus shifts to the night game. Utah and Houston kick off at 10:15 at night ET. The game airs on ESPN from Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah wants to stay perfect. Houston wants a road win over a top-10 team. The result will shape the Big 12 race for weeks.
A Utah win keeps the Utes in control. A Houston win shakes up the whole race. Either way, GameDay picked the right spot this week.
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