In the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 5th, for the first time, ESPN’s “College Gameday” came to UC Berkeley’s campus. “College GameDay”, which has been traveling to college campuses hosting major games since 1993, showcases the unrivaled fanfare and passion for college football every Saturday. It began as a studio TV show in 1987, but underwent a massive transformation in 1993 and began broadcasting live from campuses. The three-hour show is hosted by some of the most prominent figures in the sport, including former head coaches Nick Saban and Lee Corso, along with former players Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee. They spend most of the show commentating on the sports headlines, analyzing the day’s upcoming games, and featuring heartwarming stories about players and fans from around the country. Towards the end of each show, they give their picks for the games of the day, oftentimes to the approval or dismay of the rambunxious crowd behind them. They are also joined by a guest picker for this segment, most of whom are celebrity alumni from the hosting school. This week’s picker was Marshawn Lynch, a legendary former running back for the Golden Bears and the Seattle Seahawks. Hosted on Memorial Glade, the show propelled Cal to the center of the college football universe that day.
“I’ve been a Cal fan my whole life and it was amazing to see GameDay finally come to Berkeley,” senior Luke Meredith said. “I’ve grown up watching Gameday every Saturday [during football season] and to see it happen here felt surreal.”
With an early start of 6:00 AM, many anticipated an underwhelming turnout. However, the Golden Bear fanbase put any fear to rest, as thousands of students and fans packed the heart of campus to show support for their Golden Bears. Many pulled an infamous all-nighter, camping out from as early as 11:30 PM to the start of the show. Although the fan pit was set to open at 3:30 AM, a sea of restless Cal fans broke through the gates around 11:30 PM in anticipation of the show. Whether they had been camping out all night or showed up right as the show started, the Cal community created an unforgettable atmosphere.
“My friends picked me up at 4:30 in the morning, and it was definitely tough getting up but it was worth it and I’m glad I went,” senior Luke Holden said. “Everyone was excited to be there, which made the atmosphere great.”
Bear territory was previously uncharted by the show, as they had never come to Berkeley in the show’s 30+ year history. Cal was one of just seven major conference schools to have never hosted GameDay (Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, SMU, Syracuse and Virginia have yet to host). Cal had a chance to host College GameDay in the past, but turned it down, the only time that a university has declined. In anticipation of the Cal Golden Bears showdown with the Miami Hurricanes, ESPN looked to send the show out west to the Bay Area. And this time around, Cal gave them the green light. Despite the Golden Bears not being ranked in the top 25, a lack of other high-leverage matchups and the newfound energy around Cal football propelled GameDay to Berkeley. While the Golden Bears ultimately fell short to Miami in a heartbreaking 38-39 loss, the show coming to Berkeley injected newfound energy into a program and fanbase that’s hungry for a winning team.
“I had some questions about coming out here to Berkeley,” co-host Pat McAfee said. “But after experiencing it, it’s very evident that this is one of the best cities in the United States of America.”
