Pat McAfee normally lives it up at whatever site that College GameDay visits, becoming the life of the party and getting to do the final pick for the game that’s at the site of where the popular Saturday morning pregame show is visiting.
During Week 8, that site was Salt Lake City, Utah, where the undefeated Utes were set to host Big 12 rival Houston in a late night (on the East Coast) battle on ESPN. McAfee was his usual loud and proud self during the live show, with those Utes fans cheering behind the set, like the usual setting wherever College GameDay is.
But McAfee wasn’t feeling Utah. Or at least he wasn’t feeling Salt Lake City, or specifically the University of Utah. Perhaps his feelings toward this particular show setting caused him to pick against the home team, for once, as McAfee went with the visiting Cougars to steal the thunder and spoil the party on Saturday night.
That didn’t happen, of course. McAfee went with Houston, to the expected chorus of boos from the Utah crowd behind the set, but the Utes prevailed after a big fourth quarter, stealing a 21-13 victory to improve to 7-0 this season and rise in the AP poll to No. 6 on Sunday.
Back to McAfee, who on Monday during The Pat McAfee Show told his audience exactly what he thought of the University of Utah. It wasn’t a glowing endorsement, let’s just say that.
“Did not enjoy University of Utah. You know why I didn’t like it mostly? Right before I go out there, I see the University of Utah’s Instagram page. They do an impression of Pat McAfee, and one kid calls me corny, another kid calls me creepy. If these kids would’ve done this on their own blogs, all good, I mean everybody taking shots at me for everything,” McAfee said.
“The University (of Utah) puts that out? As I’m about to go out and do an infomercial for the place. I’m walking in front of thousands of these people, this is how the University feels? It’s an uncomfortable feeling. The University is putting this out? It’s something I never experienced. It kind of set me off a little bit. It made me feel a little bit weird.”
No matter what McAfee thinks of Utah, the undefeated Utes are right smack in the middle of the conversation for a College Football Playoff spot with a No. 6 ranking after that rousing win over Houston on Saturday night. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Utah’s chances to make the elite 12-team field in December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
