Sep. 14—Five national media outlets are broadcasting live from the University of Colorado Boulder this weekend in anticipation of Saturday night's Rocky Mountain Showdown between the CU Buffs and Colorado State University Rams, and the university is taking extra steps to prepare.
Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show will be broadcast at Farrand Field at CU Boulder for the second week in a row. ESPN's "College GameDay" will also be set up on campus at the Business Field near the Leeds School of Business.
The last, and only, time "College GameDay" has been to CU Boulder was in 1996. This is the first time Colorado has hosted both college football pregame shows on the same day and the seventh time in history both shows have picked the same game anywhere in the country.
CU Boulder spokesperson Steve Hurlbert said having the two broadcasts presented a unique situation for the university because the "Big Noon Kickoff" stage was already set up on Farrand Field. Hurlburt said a walk-through was conducted with ESPN on Monday and it was determined that the Business Field would be the ideal location.
"It has a great view of the Flatirons and plenty of space to accommodate a crowd, very similar to Farrand Field," Hurlburt said.
Hosting two national pre-game shows is a massive endeavor, Hurlburt said, and it has taken the entire campus working together to make it happen. Almost every department on campus has been involved.
The CU Boulder Police Department will be staffing both shows and fans who want to come watch are encouraged to park in either the Regent or Euclid Parking Garages. Those are the only two lots that will be open and not reserved for gameday parking.
Fans are welcome to park in the Regent or Euclid Parking Garages for free until noon. If they want to stay throughout the day and for the game, it'll cost $30. If fans leave their cars all day without paying, they'll be subject to a $60 ticket.
"Both of these shows really feed on the energy of the crowd, so we're hoping as many people as possible show up to both shows because it's a great showcase for CU and the city of Boulder," Hurlburt said.
CU Boulder Student Affairs has been communicating with students extensively about being responsible and reminding them of the ramifications of poor behavior. The energy of the students was a major reason why Fox decided to come back after last week, Hurlburt said, and he's anticipating students will provide a great atmosphere for both broadcasts on Saturday.