Game Preview

My family and I are coming down from Idaho for the ranked matchup with College GameDay in town. My parents both went to the U, and my dad is in a rough fight with early-onset dementia. My mom asked him what trips he still wanted to take, and the first thing he said was a loud Utes home game. My brother and I figured this was the one.

We’ve got the logistics to the stadium sorted (staying by Courthouse TRAX station), so no worries there. What I’m less sure about is College GameDay itself — when to get there, where to try and post up, train or uber, and any tips for making it manageable with my dad.

Any advice from people who’ve done GameDay here (or big ones in general) would be hugely appreciated:
• What time do you recommend showing up?
• Best spots to be so he can see and feel the atmosphere without a ton of walking/moving?
• Anything we should know about the setup, crowds, or flow of the day?
He lived in Salt Lake for years, but his memory isn’t great anymore, so the little details that make it special are ones we might miss. Thanks in advance for any help.

Interestingly, somehow we played each other twice in 1971.

I work for the Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins Utah and I am looking to buy a USS Salt Lake City commemorative helmets worn by the University of Utah football team during its game against Oregon on November 20, 2021. Does anyone know of where I could possibly find one of these helmets to buy to display here at our home for our veterans.

Im going to my first game in Utah. This might sound like a dumb question but with the bench seating I’ve seen a ton of pictures of people bringing those portable bleacher seats so they have a padded seat with a back. All the pictures I see are the same exact seat. So my question is can I not bring my own in to the stadium? How does it work? Do I have to buy a specific one?

Why does Utah still do the moment of loudness? I’m not sure any of the current staff or players have any connections to Aaron Lowe or Ty Jordan at this point. It kind of feels like it’s just digging up old wounds at this point.

Who will it be? Give me your most unhinged celebrity guest picker guesses.

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2026/10/20/utah-ad-mark-harlan-wants-espn-big/

Thoughts on 8:15 starts.
I love RES after dark, but would prefer 6-7PM over 830. It is surprising the B12 has no rules/protections on how many times a team can be slotted there.
Harlan expresses some concern on the toll it takes on fans.
Any strong opinions?

Every source I look at, regarding the CFP polls, is discussing BYU, SEC, Notre Dame, etc.

Out of the 50 poll reactions and discussion I have looked at this week, only 2-3 of them even mention Utah in passing.

And I am TOTALLY fine with it!

1. This is important: we have earned our place where we are and nobody is shocked by it. This is a long validation to our program.
   
2. We are also “under the radar”. We are highly ranked but the spotlight isn’t on us.

If/when we beat Houston this week…we will be in the red hot spot light with BYU.

What’s up boys, going to come tailgating for the first time this weekend and I know the whole just being beer and walk around but where specifically? And Ik the smith tailgate lot exists and there is tickets but do I need them? Also if I park in the lot I have a pass for and try and walk over to the tailgate lot with a case of beer will I get in trouble? Thanks! Go Utes and let’s go hunt some Cougars 🫡

Houston is here and finally we get to see what this team is made of! Utah may or may not be as dominant as we initially felt, but we are finally getting some questions answered. Defensively we are lacking a consistent pass rush and offensively we are probably not deep enough on the run to consistently lean on Wayshawn, and we have to protect him. That doesn't mean that this isn't one of the most interesting and exciting years I can remember in a long time! We can still squeak out an 11-1 OR 12-0 regular season. The doom and gloom is crazy, this is one of the most fun teams we have had in awhile, it's better to just enjoy the ride. A few big wins and we will be headed into uncharted territory. Big 12 championship and CFP are completely within our control, it's a HELLUVA day to be a Ute!

Bennett brings up a good point. Houston hasn't had a bye week.

I'll add, they are coming to high elevation, cold weather, and a night game at Rice Eccles. If they leave SLC with a win they definitely deserve it.

I think Utah is going to be fired up for the first time this year! Go Utes!

My son and I were talking about our second half issues and the thought occurred to me is that is when we finally see something we need to adjust to.

We have utterly dominated the first half of all of our games. We haven’t had to make significant adjustments at the half. Colorado had like 50 yards of offense at the half. What do you tell your guys at half?

I’m sure our coaches have info and points of instruction at half, but nothing big.

However our opponents have had to make huge adjustments. So they come out with new focus and fire and our coaches and players get the information in the 3rd.

Ideally we learn and adjust faster than we have, but it seems reasonable that this may be a part of what we’ve been seeing.

Nobody is talking about this, but should the game have straight up and abruptly ended right when Wilson was flagged for the illegal forward pass? NCAAF rules say a 10 second run-off happens in the last minute of either half when an illegal play stops the clock. At 4-5 seconds, Isaac does the 5 yards forward pass (which saved our butts). But then not only could they have been penalized the 5 yards from the spot of the penalty, but the game clock should have been wound down to zero. Yet the hail mary attempt was allowed to happen and thankfully didn't work. Thoughts?

ESPN College GameDay headed to Salt Lake City for Houston showdown

It seems we usually lose when GameDay or Big Noon Kickoff comes to Salt Lake. I hope Scalley can turn that around.