UCLA welcomes ESPN’s ‘College GameDay,’ keeps focus on Oregon

The UCLA shot players volition not person the accidental to enactment successful on-campus festivities that travel with ESPN’s “College GameDay” mounting up connected field Saturday morning, contempt being portion of the crushed the assemblage shot pregame amusement is connected campus.

The Bruins volition alternatively absorption connected their showdown with No. 10 Oregon successful its homecoming crippled astatine the Rose Bowl successful Pasadena, a fewer hours aft the amusement airs from Wilson Plaza connected the Westwood campus.

“We person a edifice connected campus,” Bruins antiaircraft lineman Odua Isibor said. “But we’ll beryllium focused (on the game). … We’re a strict, business-oriented cognition truthful we’ll aftermath up, bash our greeting workouts and consecutive connected a docket to the game.”

The crippled volition aerial connected ABC astatine 12:30 p.m., the earliest commencement for a UCLA crippled this season, but students and fans volition person to beryllium connected field successful the aboriginal hours of Saturday greeting to beryllium a portion of the amusement experience.

“I deliberation it’s cool,” UCLA manager Chip Kelly said. “I deliberation it’s a large accidental for our fans and pupil body, particularly aft past twelvemonth erstwhile cipher could spell to games and present everybody gets to attend.”

UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond suggests radical amusement up to field adjacent to 4 a.m., erstwhile entree to the designated country for the amusement volition open. The amusement volition beryllium televised connected ESPN from 6 to 9 a.m.

Jarmond mentioned successful a statement connected societal media that “there volition beryllium giveaways, escaped food, energy, and tons of bully times to beryllium had.”

“I deliberation it volition beryllium a truly amusive ambiance having ‘GameDay’ there,” UCLA choky extremity Greg Dulcich said. “It volition beryllium truly exciting.”

Dulcich and starting backmost Dorian Thompson-Robinson mentioned they were acquainted with the amusement and person watched it connected juncture astatine a younger age.

“It’s a large deal,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I cognize it hasn’t been done present successful a portion truthful it’s an breathtaking clip for the team, the assemblage and the campus. It should beryllium fun, but astatine the extremity of the time we inactive got to spell retired and triumph the game.”

The amusement has traveled to 8 games involving the Bruins (5-2 overall, 3-1 Pac-12), including 3 against Oregon (5-1, 2-1), but it volition beryllium conscionable the 2nd clip for a UCLA location crippled and the archetypal clip connected campus.

The Bruins clasp a 3-5 grounds successful those games and 1-2 against the Ducks.

The archetypal “College GameDay” sojourn for UCLA was astatine the Rose Bowl, featuring the second-ranked Bruins defeating No. 11 Oregon 41-38 successful overtime connected Oct. 17, 1998. It was besides the archetypal clip the amusement had travel retired for a crippled betwixt 2 Pac-10 (now Pac-12) teams.

With the accidental to person the amusement connected field alternatively of backmost successful Pasadena, UCLA volition person the accidental to amusement disconnected the field and its traditions to a nationalist audience.

The amusement volition besides stock its ain traditions, including a conception that involves the broadcast unit sharing their insights and predictions connected prime games. Lee Corso likes to rally the assemblage connected acceptable erstwhile picking the featured game, successful this lawsuit UCLA vs. Oregon, by reaching nether the table to propulsion retired and deterioration a mascot caput (or different school-related attire) to correspond his pick.

The amusement besides welcomes a personage impermanent picker each week that holds immoderate affiliation oregon transportation to the big university. Country vocalist Kane Brown (Georgia), histrion Ashton Kutcher (Iowa) and New York Giants moving backmost Saquon Barkley (Penn State) person each appeared arsenic guests this season.

The Chargers volition person a bye week this week, creating the anticipation of moving backmost Joshua Kelley (UCLA) and backmost Justin Herbert (Oregon) to articulation the show.

Kelley was connected field Tuesday to sojourn with the squad during practice. He became the eighth Bruin to unreserved for 1,000 yards successful back-to-back seasons successful 2019. Kelley has respective erstwhile teammates, including halfway Duke Clemens, tackle Sean Rhyan and Thompson-Robinson, inactive connected the team.

never a dull infinitesimal with this feline pic.twitter.com/VhxJgfcTR6

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) October 19, 2021

SOMETHING TO PROVE

The San Diego State Aztecs’ Twitter relationship has encouraged its fans to amusement up to the UCLA field connected Saturday greeting to correspond the undefeated Aztecs and “show the federation who’s got the champion shot squad successful CA!”

SDSU fans are encouraged to besides scope retired to the school’s selling section for pre-made signs to question astir during the show.

Ranked No. 22 successful the latest AP Top 25 poll, SDSU (6-0) holds nonconference victories implicit the Pac-12’s Arizona and Utah.

Aztec fans, @CollegeGameDay is coming to Southern CA this Saturday, let's amusement the Nation who's got the champion shot squad successful CA! Bring your @SDSU signs to the 6 americium amusement b4 the Oregon-UCLA game. If you program to be & would similar a pre-made sign, email GoAztecsMarketing@sdsu.edu. pic.twitter.com/D6t6yyhWzO

— San Diego State Aztecs (@GoAztecs) October 18, 2021

TOP BACK

Running backmost Zach Charbonnet is listed arsenic the starting moving backmost connected the Bruins’  two-deep extent illustration for the crippled against Oregon.

It’s the archetypal clip the inferior is listed arsenic the Bruins’ No. 1 moving back, contempt starring the squad successful rushing with 697 yards done the archetypal 7 games of the season.

Charbonnet rushed for 131 yards past week against Washington. Brittain Brown has been listed arsenic the starter and had a 146-yard rushing show against Arizona.