For Pat McAfee, College GameDay is finally coming home.
ESPN announced Sunday that it would be taking its college football morning show to Pittsburgh for the first time in 20 years ahead of the No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers’ matchup with No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
It’s the first time GameDay will be in Pittsburgh since 2005 (for a matchup against Notre Dame as well). The choice is especially notable for McAfee, who joined GameDay as a full-time analyst several years ago. The West Virginia grad and former Indianapolis Colts punter grew up in Plum, a suburb of Pittsburgh.
“Gonna be close to Rivers Casino.. gonna have to remain very discipline[d] or that kick on Saturday is gonna be for $20,” said McAfee on X. “Can’t wait to celebrate the sh*t aht of the city The McAfees hail from…now speaking of hail… Pitt folks.. Let’s get LAHD on Saturday.”
McAfee was in the Steel City in April for his Big Night AHT, with an announced crowd of 12,582 fans in PPG Paints Arena.
It seemed unlikely GameDay would consider this game just a couple of months ago. Notre Dame started the season 0-2, while Pitt didn’t have a lot of expectations heading into the season. However, the Irish have rattled off seven straight wins, while Pitt is in the hunt for the ACC title.
The game is set to kick off at 12 p.m. ET on ABC.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.