Pat McAfee Stuns ‘College GameDay’ Audience With Unexpected Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 10:06 AM ET

ESPN's "College GameDay" aired live from Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday morning ahead of a Big 12 game between the No. 17 Cincinnati Bearcats and the No. 24 Utah Utes.

Utah fans were out early for the start of the show, kicking off at 7 a.m. local time. They brought the energy before they cheered on their team in hopes of improving to 7-2 on the season.

As always, Pat McAfee brought the energy and fed off the crowd. The crowd began cheering "take it off" as McAfee contemplated removing his polo shirt and jacket.

McAfee then stood up on top of his chair and said, "Gotta do it." He then sat shirtless in the cold weather.

ESPN "College GameDay" analyst Pat McAfee.© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We got two hours and 55 minutes left up here, and I think what you're going to see is a atmosphere that resembles the football team that they put on the field," McAfee said. "It's a tough team. They're filled with dogs. Dampier, their running back, is back, and he's gonna be running everybody over. It's a beautiful time in Utah. Thank you for joining us. Let's have a Saturday morning."

The sun hasn't come out yet and Utah's already making Pat take his shirt off pic.twitter.com/ggmEwd7X5W
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 1, 2025