McAfee Names Utah as College Football Playoff Sleeper

Pat McAfee selected Utah as his College Football Playoff sleeper during College GameDay on October 31, a surprising choice after a tense week involving the university. A Utah video featuring students poking fun at McAfee had circulated online, and he criticized the school for posting it while he was visiting campus for the show.

McAfee said Utah’s comeback win over Houston caught his attention. The Utes had trailed entering the fourth quarter, then shut out Houston in the final period. He backed quarterback Devon Dampier and coach Morgan Scalley, predicting Utah would finish as the Big 12’s best team. The schedule includes a late-season game against West Virginia.

Utah apologized for the video and removed it from its social media feed. McAfee had said he did not want to return to the school, and later raised concerns about hostility toward him at college events. After discussion of a bulletproof vest, he clarified that the suggestion came from a security group. His sleeper pick offered a brief sign of a thaw in the dispute.