What ‘College GameDay’ hosts said about Utah

“College GameDay” host regaled the assembled media on Friday morning by telling the story of his first trip to Salt Lake City.

Davis was in town to cover the 1997 NBA Finals between the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls, hosting ESPN Radio’s coverage of the title series.

“So I was here for the (1997) game, not for the one where Michael Jordan cheated, pushed Bryon Russell. Not that one where the offensive foul should have been called. But I was here for the Jordan ‘Flu Game,’ which was something,” Davis said.

Talk about endearing yourself to an audience.

“College GameDay” is back in town for the fifth time in University of Utah history as No. 13 Utah hosts No. 8 Oregon, and a large number of fans are expected to rise early in the morning and brave cold temperatures to be part of the show at Presidents Circle, which starts at 7 a.m. MDT on Saturday.

Gavin Gough, the university’s associate athletics director for facilities, operations and capital projects, said the goal was to make everything as smooth and easy as possible for the “GameDay” crew, and that’s been the case so far.

“The way that we’ve been treated here by everyone at the University of Utah, we were sort of semi-joking, but not really, up in the office earlier. We’re like this place might be the No. 1 overall seed in terms of the reception, the hospitality, the cooperation, because this is a big undertaking,” Davis said.

Sure, there might be some pandering going on there, but the folks making things happen behind the scenes at the university level this weekend will no doubt be happy to hear it.

A story about how former Jazz forward Karl Malone once asked Davis to go pig hunting with him provided a nice segue for Davis to talk about Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes, who grew up on a pig farm.

“I shouldn’t be, but probably a little bit, to be honest, especially when he struggled in the early part of the season,” Davis said when asked if he was surprised with Barnes’ play the last two games.

“I said last week that after they had that game in hand and sort of let it get away with the fourth quarter and punt return and turnover, that most teams would’ve kind of come apart, frustrated or some anxiety that would surface. ... And yet he came out there, calmly made plays, made the huge run that showed extraordinary toughness, which sort of epitomizes this entire program,” Davis said.

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• What Dan Lanning and Kyle Whittingham are saying ahead of Utes-Ducks matchup

• A look at the hand-painted helmets Utah will wear against Oregon, plus what the Ducks are wearing

Despite a laundry list of injuries, the Utes are 6-1 as they prepare to host the Ducks, who have an identical record, in a massive matchup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MDT. Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has been generating some “Coach of the Year” buzz for the Utes’ ability to keep winning despite a host of key players on the sideline, and Davis added his voice to the chorus.

“I mean, there are a lot of guys who are deserving but none more deserving than him, if they continue to finish. ... I think it would be hard to find a better candidate than what he’s been able to do up to this point. But you could say that for a lot of seasons for his career,” Davis said.

Desmond Howard, the former Heisman Trophy winner, also gave his endorsement of the longtime Utah coach.

“This is one of those programs that I personally like just because I like Kyle Whittingham. I like his style. I’m an old-school type of dude. He’s an old school type of coach, so I respect the physicality that they bring to the gridiron,” Howard said.

Utah two-way star Sione Vaki is certainly a long shot, to say the least, to get invited to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, but as a Heisman winner and voter, Howard said Vaki has an opportunity to keep showing his skills in front of a national audience with big games against Oregon and Washington coming up.

Utes on the air

No. 13 Utah 6-1)
vs. No. 8 Oregon (6-1)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MDT
Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: Fox
Radio: ESPN 700/92.1 FM

“So he has an opportunity now. I mean, he is coming from behind. Let’s keep it a hundred. He’s coming way from behind. But if he’s able to do some things, maybe he’ll get an invite, but he has some games coming up where people will really be paying attention, like tomorrow,” Howard said.

If Friday’s “Pat McAfee Show” crowd is any preview of what it’ll be like for “College GameDay” on Saturday, expect a boisterous crowd of red-clad fans behind the set.

“They’re passionate. They love their school, they’re knowledgeable. They’re into the show and into football, which is always a big plus for us coming here,” Davis said.