Mark Harlan celebrates 'GameDay' return, but understands fans' late-night fatigue

SALT LAKE CITY — For the second consecutive week, the college football world will descend upon the state of Utah as ESPN's "College GameDay" makes Salt Lake City home for the week.

It's another opportunity to showcase a state that features two football teams ranked in the top 10 and the passion that exists for the sport.

"Anytime we get to show off our campus and our our student body, and everything that's great about Salt Lake City and the University of Utah, I think it's fantastic for the nation to see," Utah head coach Morgan Scalley said.

Saturday marks the seventh "College GameDay" experience for Salt Lake City and is the third trip to the University of Utah over the last four seasons. It's become more common for the show to make Salt Lake City stop each season, which athletic director Mark Harlan said is a testament to the success Utah has had over the years.

"I really want to thank coach Scalley and the staff and this football team for giving us this incredible opportunity with ESPN 'College GameDay' coming in," Harlan said. "I think it's remarkable. There's not a lot of schools out there that have been able to host three of the last four years.

"There's some in the Big Ten and SEC who would dream of that, but we've got it here at Utah, and I think it's a real tribute to this program and how hard they've worked through a coaching change, through new coaches coming in, new players; and here we are 6-0 at pretty much the halfway point."

But for all the excitement that comes with ESPN showcasing a top-15 matchup against No. 14 Houston at Rice-Eccles Stadium, there's a certain drawback that exists out West. The sports broadcast network slated the Big 12 matchup for an 8:15 p.m. kickoff, which often gets flexed to a later 8:30 p.m. due to the game before going long.

Utah has long had a great record in night games at Rice-Eccles Stadium — and some of the most memorable games in Utah history — but Harlan said he'd like to see some more variety in game times for the loyal fans who have to wait all day to see their team take the field.

"Our fans are have been so incredible," Harlan said. "I recognize that as happy as I was, quite candidly, about 'GameDay' coming, I was equally as disappointed that we got another night game on ESPN. I like our record at night, and I know our players love playing at night, but I know that is a sacrifice, and I just want to acknowledge that.

"ESPN is a great partner," he added. "We've talked to them. We've talked to, certainly, Brett Yormark about spreading this out. In our last conference, there was rules about that; that's not the case in this conference. We're honored to play; we're honored to play anywhere. But I do know for the fans, it's tough, and I know it'll be a late night for everybody. So what I would say is this: Come out, enjoy the festivities on Saturday, take a long nap, and come back and bring it."

For Harlan, it's not that Utah is playing a game at 8:15 p.m., it's that they're starting to stack up this season. Utah has already been a part of two late kickoffs on ESPN, including Arkansas in Week 2 and last week's game on the road against Colorado.

And they'll likely have a late-game designation for a high-profile matchup against BYU on Nov. 7, though that won't be known until about a week before kickoff. The day is already stacked with high-profile games around the country in what is dubbed as the best day of the season, so putting two teams from the West at the late slate likely makes sense.

That's a lot for the fans to handle, Harlan said.

"Our biggest financier is ESPN and Fox and they're great partners," Harlan said. "They recognize that this is a lot. This is a lot to have four 8 o'clock games. ... But ESPN had the first pick this week, and they picked the Utes, and that's just where it went. We're complaining about something, but what my concern is really is just the fans. Too many of those start to really add up."

For Scalley, the focus remains on what takes place on the field and nothing else. He said it's "amazing" to have "College GameDay" in town, and they do a lot to not disrupt the day's preparation, but it's about keeping the game itself the focus.

The best thing for the university, Scalley contends, is not the college football show coming to town, it's winning games — especially on the day when the college football world has descended upon the university campus.

"I think the biggest recruiting tool you have is winning games," Scalley said. "That's the biggest recruiting tool you have, and so our players understand that it's all about game day and what they do on the field. And the best thing they can do to maximize the game day, the 'College GameDay' experience is to win, and so we're putting all our efforts into that.

"Yes, we're going to put our best foot forward and make sure that they understand what's important to us, what we hope the country understands what's important to us," he added. "Yes, it can be a lot of fun; but, ultimately, at the end of the day, it's only fun if you win that game, and so our guys are prepared for that."

Details about the events surrounding ESPN "College GameDay" in Salt Lake City will be released in the coming days; however, Friday will be the first chance to see members of the show take part in various events at President's Circle on the campus of the University of Utah.

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