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Tuesday, November 10, 2026

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'College GameDay' visits BYU for the first time in 17 years before Notre Dame game

Host Pat McAfee read from the Book of Mormon and picked BYU, as did Steve Young, while Desmond Howard and Nick Saban picked Notre Dame.

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Provo

ESPN's 'College GameDay' broadcast from BYU's campus in Provo on Saturday morning, ahead of the Cougars' game with No. 2 Notre Dame, the Deseret News reported. It was the show's first visit to BYU in 17 years, and analyst Rece Davis called the crowd 'an elite crowd.' [1] The show's only previous visit to BYU was Oct. 24, 2009. [2][3]

The Deseret News reported that fans had been camping since midweek for the show, and that host Pat McAfee read 1 Nephi 17:36 from the Book of Mormon, drawing cheers. [1]

In the show's picks, Desmond Howard and Nick Saban chose Notre Dame, while Steve Young and McAfee chose BYU, according to the Deseret News. [1]

Sources

3 cited (deseret.com, kutv.com). Paragraphs carry [n] links to their sources.

  1. Deseret News: The sights and sounds of ‘College GameDay’ in Provo ahead of BYU-Notre Dame deseret.com
  2. KUTV: College GameDay returns to Provo for top-10 BYU-Notre Dame game (Oct. 10, 2026) kutv.com
  3. Deseret News: How to attend and watch 'College GameDay' at BYU (Oct. 16, 2026) deseret.com

This story was written by AI from the report by Deseret News, which has the full story. How we write stories.

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