Pat McAfee picks Utah football as national title sleeper after contentious week
Oct 31, 2026, 11:42 AM | Updated: 11:56 am
Pat McAfee along with the rest of the College Gameday crew picked Oklahoma State over BYU. (Chandler Holt, KSL Sports)
(Chandler Holt, KSL Sports)
SALT LAKE CITY — Pat McAfee might not be eager to return to the stage on Utah’s campus, but he apparently believes the Utes could stick around for a while on the national one.
The ESPN personality selected Utah as his national championship sleeper during Saturday’s “College GameDay,” offering a football endorsement after a week dominated by his criticism of the university.
McAfee chose Indiana as his championship contender before turning to the Big 12 for his sleeper selection. His reasoning centered on Devon Dampier’s playmaking ability and Utah’s response against Houston.
“Dampier could go crazy at any time,” McAfee said.
He pointed to Utah’s comeback victory over the Cougars as evidence of the team’s potential, praising the Utes’ ability to respond after falling behind.
The selection placed Utah in a specific category: a team McAfee believes can threaten the established championship favorites. It also brought the conversation back to the field after several days in which his relationship with the university had become the bigger story.
Who are the CFP title contenders and which teams are sleepers? 👀
The crew give their takes 🏆
@ReceDavis | @DesmondHoward | @KirkHerbstreit | @PatMcAfeeShow https://t.co/DLDQhqb6Z7
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 31, 2026
A different message after a contentious week
McAfee’s previous “GameDay” appearance at Utah ended with him picking Houston and telling the crowd he hoped never to see them again. Utah proceeded to beat the Cougars 21–13.
On Monday, McAfee explained that he was upset by a video posted to the university’s official Instagram account featuring students doing impressions of him. He objected to the school amplifying the jokes and said the experience made him uncomfortable before appearing in front of the crowd.
His response drew additional scrutiny when he invoked Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting at Utah Valley University while discussing his discomfort. Utah Valley University and the University of Utah are separate institutions.
Utah deleted the video and apologized, accepting responsibility for posting it and emphasizing that McAfee and the “GameDay” crew remained welcome on campus. Later in the week, McAfee shared a lengthy social media statement discussing threatening messages and the personal toll of online criticism.
Saturday’s selection does not, by itself, resolve that dispute. Even during Monday’s criticism, McAfee expressed respect for Utah’s football team. His championship-sleeper pick gave that assessment considerably more weight.
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The Utes entered Saturday’s trip to Cincinnati ranked No. 6 at 7–0, with the broadcast identifying them as one of three remaining unbeaten FBS teams.
McAfee’s case for Utah was straightforward: a quarterback capable of changing a game and a team that had shown it could respond when challenged.
That is a meaningful endorsement, although championship potential still requires championship execution. Utah’s upcoming stretch includes Cincinnati, BYU and Arizona, giving the Utes plenty of opportunities to strengthen their case.
For a week, the conversation was about whether McAfee wanted to come back to Utah.
On Saturday, he put Utah among the teams worth watching all the way to the national championship.
