Utah Utes football: GameDay says coming to S.L. was 'no-brainer'

SALT LAKE CITY — As far as ESPN's College Football GameDay crew is concerned, this is the place.

This week, anyhow.

Saturday's Utah-TCU game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, featuring two of the top five teams in the Bowl Championship Series standings, will be preceded by college football's premier pregame show.

"GameDay" has set up shop in the stadium's west parking lot, where thousands of fans are expected to watch the show from 7-10 a.m. Several spent the night sleeping in tents alongside the ticket office and extending up 500 South.

Hosting the program is a big deal and a rare one at that. This is Utah's first opportunity since 2004. Showcasing two highly ranked, unbeaten teams — the Horned Frogs are 9-0 and the Utes 8-0 — was where the folks at ESPN wanted to be.

"This was a no-brainer," said show host Chris Fowler. "We don't sit around and think 'Hey, we haven't been to Utah for a while so we better get out there.' You've got No. 3 vs. No. 5 in the BCS. That makes the decision for us.

"Now people in the SEC might not always understand that," he added. "But this clearly is the game to be at."

After taping segments for ESPN programs like "SportsCenter" and "College Football Live" on Friday, Fowler and co-stars Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews answered questions from the Utah media. Lee Corso, who traditionally ends the program by putting on the mascot head of the team he predicts will win, was not available.

"It's great to come to Utah, to Salt Lake City, to give this program some national exposure that I believe it deserves," said Howard, a former Heisman Trophy winner.

Herbstreit had similar thoughts

"They've got it going this year and it's good to be back," he said.

The matchup against TCU, Andrews said, obviously makes it "the biggest game this weekend."

It carries big implications for both teams. A possible BCS berth (perhaps a spot in the championship game) and an MWC title will be within grasp of the winner. It's a big showcase for teams from a non-automatic qualifying conference like the MWC.

"I think it's good," Howard said. "It shows that the landscape in college football is starting to level out."

Herbstreit believes a win would especially benefit the Utes.