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ESPN College GameDay announces former QB Alex Smith as guest picker for Utah vs. Cincinnati

by: Alex Byington14 hours ago_AlexByington
NCAA Football: Southern Utah at Utah
Aug 29, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Former NFL and Utah quarterback Alex Smith is introduce into the circle or honor during halftime in the game between the Utah Utes and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN‘s College GameDay announced former Utah and NFL quarterback Alex Smith will serve as the celebrity guest picker Saturday during its Week 10 show. That will take place ahead of that night’s Top 25 Big 12 showdown between No. 17 Cincinnati and the 24th-ranked Utes in Salt Lake City.

Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl three times. He was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2020 with the Washington Football Team — now Commanders — two years removed from suffering a horrific compound fracture in his right leg during the 2018 season.

Last year, Smith became Utah’s first-ever player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame after going 21-1 as the Utes’ starting quarterback between 2003-04, including a perfect 12-0 in 2004 under then-coach Urban Meyer. Smith was named a first-team All-American and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting that final season. Smith capped his collegiate career by leading Utah to a 35-7 win over Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl in the program’s only BCS bowl berth — earning the Utes the distinction of being the original “BCS Buster” as a non-automatic qualifier.

The 41-year-old Smith still holds Utah school records for career passing efficiency (164.4), career yards per play (7.19), single-season touchdown passes (32 in 2004) and single-season total touchdowns (42 in 2004). He finished his Utes career with 5,203 passing yards and 47 touchdowns through the air while adding 1,072 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

Rece Davis pushes back on idea ESPN College GameDay is ‘SEC-heavy’

With November on the horizon, ESPN’s College GameDay has put up record TV ratings. The show continues to see a viewership surge ahead of Week 10, which will take place ahead of Cincinnati at Utah.

But host Rece Davis has heard the discussions about whether College GameDay is too “SEC-heavy” this year. He predicted there could be some surprises in store for November.

Davis thinks College GameDay could head toward Big 12 or even American Conference games throughout November. Through the first nine weeks, the show has seen SEC teams play in seven games. But over the final games, he pointed to other notable matchups, starting with Week 10 at Utah.

“There has been some consternation in some quarters that it’s been SEC-heavy,” Davis said Tuesday on The Paul Finebaum Show. “You look at the projected sites for the month of November and I think you’re going to see a lot of Big 12, I think there are some American places that are on the docket and maybe also some potential for really off-the-radar places. We’re still covering the breadth of the sport. And I think a theme of ‘road test’ this week is kind of where we are with Cincinnati – one of the surprises, sort of the opposite of the imploding teams that we’ve talked about, the teams that have sort of quietly gotten themselves in position in the last month of the season. Now, they have to go pass a big road test, and we’ll be there for it.

“I love the fact that people get upset about it. I don’t love that they are upset, but I love the fact that they care enough about watching the show that if we don’t go to where they think we should be, that they raise a ruckus about it. That’s kind of fun.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.