ESPN College GameDay 2015: Location, TV Schedule and Week 6 Predictions

Utah made a major statement with its blowout victory over Oregon two weeks ago to remain undefeated. With that strong start comes increased expectations, as the Utes are now firmly in the playoff conversation. Facing off with the Cal Golden Bears will be another test of championship mettle.

It's clear people around the country are starting to take notice, too. Not only has Utah gained traction in the polls, but the school also gets to host ESPN College GameDay this week. ESPN PR confirmed the selection for the high-profile Pac-12 matchup:

Let's check out all of the important details for the pregame show. That's followed by a preview and prediction for the spotlight contest, which airs on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET Saturday.

ESPN College GameDay Details

Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah

When: Saturday, Oct. 10, at 9 a.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Game Preview

Utah didn't receive a ton of hype coming into the season, going unranked in both the AP and Amway Coaches preseason polls. An opening win over Michigan in Jim Harbaugh's debut brought the Utes back into the spotlight, and they've continued to build on that.

It's led to a rapid rise up the polls to the point where the Utes are getting votes for the top spot. George Schroeder of USA Today is one person impressed with their early resume:

Between those type of accolades and getting to host GameDay, the amount of pressure on the team's shoulders is increasing exponentially. The Utes have gone from playoff long shot to top contenders in only a month, and that can be difficult to handle.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham stated the added attention is a positive for the school but admitted it will test his players, as noted by the school's athletics site:

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It is great for our program and university so we have to be able to handle it. If you want to be a good team, you have to handle the success that you've had and the attention that's being placed on your program. That's part of the deal. You have to be able to block out the noise and continue to stay focused. We have to continue to do the things that have gotten us here. If you get in the mindset where you're worried about the external things and end up paying attention to all of it, it’s going to end up being a distraction so you can't allow that.

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On the flip side, Cal is also unbeaten at 5-0 but is still looking for a marquee win. Over the next three games, the Golden Bears will face Utah, UCLA and USC. That's a remarkably difficult stretch, but it also represents an opportunity to make a serious charge up the rankings.

A year ago, they were 4-1 at this stage before watching their season completely fall apart, finishing the campaign at 5-7. Head coach Sonny Dykes likes the direction of his team and is confident there won't be a repeat performance, per Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle:

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One of the biggest differences is just the depth. This time last year, we were starting to run out of players. The second half of the Arizona game (a 49-45 loss), guys started getting hurt.

Right now, we've stayed remarkably healthy and we have depth at some key positions - depth we didn't have last year. You could see last year we were going to have some issues in the secondary when people got hurt, and (opponents) exploited that down the stretch.

I think this year's team is a lot different. We're a different team defensively, and I think it's going to serve us well.

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Both of these teams are capable of putting up eye-popping offensive numbers. Utah tallied 62 points in its destruction of Oregon, while Cal has scored at least 30 points in every game. Jared Goff has been particularly impressive for the Golden Bears, throwing 15 touchdowns, tied for third-best in the nation.

That's why this game rests on which defense is able to get more key stops in the second half. It's an area where Utah should hold the advantage.

The Utes held the high-flying Oregon offense to just 20 points, seven of which came via a Ducks touchdown during garbage time. The defensive effort was arguably more impressive than the 62 points they scored.

Cal has given up at least 24 points in three straight games, including 44 to an otherwise struggling Texas squad on the road. As a whole, it ranks 63rd in the nation in points per game allowed despite a favorable schedule to this point in the season.

Former Utah lineman and current KFAN radio host Kyle Gunther believes the overall edge is firmly in the Utes' favor despite the added pressure:

One other factor that should help the Utes' cause is the scheduling. It's often difficult to come back strong after an emotional win like the one they had over Oregon. But they had a bye week to celebrate and recover before turning their focus to Cal.

In the end, this should be a competitive game into the second half, but look for Utah to pull away in the fourth quarter to stay perfect.

Prediction: Utah 34, Cal 24