ESPN analyst Pat McAfee opened College GameDay in Salt Lake City on Saturday by defending the chaos of college football, insisting the sport offers the best atmosphere anywhere after Utah fans once again pushed him to go shirtless.

McAfee refused the “take it off” chants before giving in. “I guess the energy of college football is not supposed to be one where the suits get upset if a man ends up shirtless at 7 a.m. in Utah,” McAfee said.

Why did Pat McAfee go shirtless?

“The University of Utah Instagram actually posted something last night,” McAfee said. “One kid said that I should stop taking my shirt off in front of college kids. It’s creepy.”

The former Indianapolis Colts punter told the crowd, “I am not a puppet anymore,” but the pressure won out. “When you’ve got thousands of people yelling at you to take your clothes off, I don’t know what you’re supposed to do,” McAfee said.

His promise of a “fully shirted” broadcast didn’t last. Utah fans also got him shirtless five minutes into last November’s GameDay visit for Cincinnati.

At Iowa on Oct. 3, his shirt got stuck on his arms during his final pick until former Alabama coach Nick Saban helped yank it free. McAfee has defended the routine before, saying last November that “the shirtless are sending a message.”

His shot at “the suits” carries history, too. In January 2024, he accused ESPN executive Norby Williamson of trying to sabotage “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Big 12 stakes for Houston, Utah

McAfee framed Saturday night’s game as a conference statement. “Four of the top 14 teams in the country reside in this conference,” he said. “And today is another time to make a statement that the Big 12 is a big problem for the Big Ten and the SEC.”

The latest AP poll has BYU at No. 2, Texas Tech at No. 8, Utah at No. 10 and Houston at No. 14.

No. 14 Houston (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) visits No. 10 Utah (6-0, 3-0) at 10:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Utes own the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 games, and the Cougars’ lone loss came against Texas Tech.

Utah is hosting GameDay for the seventh time and is 3-3 in those games. GameDay host Rece Davis picked Houston to end the streak.

Is college football the best atmosphere?

The Utah fans asked and @PatMcAfeeShow listened, tarps off before the sun is up! 😂 pic.twitter.com/aFT0CheaGV

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 24, 2026

“It’s supposed to be the best atmosphere in all of sport, no matter what country you’re in,” McAfee said. “College football is the best. The fans are the greatest.”

Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium hit 130.3 decibels during the Volunteers’ 26-10 win over Alabama on Oct. 17, the highest scientifically verified crowd noise reading in college football history.

Utah fans packed Presidents’ Circle for a 9 a.m. ET broadcast, more than 13 hours before kickoff.