College GameDay week 8: Pullman was absolutely glorious

Posted by on Oct 20, 2018 13:08

They said it couldn’t be done.

For the first time in the history of College GameDay, Washington State University hosted Saturday’s most important show.

Excitement began to build last Saturday when Kirk Herbstreit made the shocking announcement on Twitter, and reached a fever pitch earlier this week as the GameDay bus rolled into Pullman, greeted by hundreds of fans.

Expecting upwards of 75,000 people, Pullman officials declared a State of Emergency ahead of the broadcast. This allows the University to utilize city buses for transportation and gives them speedier access to resources if needed. This has never happened before in the history of GameDay. Also unusual, Washington State University President, Kirk Schulz, offered to host overnight guests at his mansion due to capacity constraints at local hotels.

The 6am broadcast opened with a literal bang, as red fireworks graced a pitch black sky. Swaths of fans cheered and sang and whistled to their heart’s content as they waved flags and signs with an intensity I haven’t witnessed before on this show. One thing is clear: there might be better football teams, but no one does GameDay quite like WSU.

Game: #12 Oregon Ducks vs. #25 Washington State Cougars

Location: Pullman. Effing. Washington.

Did Opposing Fans Show Up: No. Cougars fans absolutely dominated the broadcast.

Washington State Flag Status: Practically everyone had a WSU flag this week! The tradition started on October 4, 2003 when WSU alum Tom Pounds took the flag to the set of GameDay in Austin, Texas. Since then it has been shipped and flown to 61 college campuses for 217 weeks and counting.

Trivia:

With this week’s visit to Pullman, how many other Power Five teams have yet to host College GameDay?

Best Sign

The WSU sign game was strong:

There is no “I” in Ducks, but there should be
Rick Astley gave up on Oregon
Famous Cougars: Klay Thompson, Drew Bledsoe, your Mom
Those are great, but the #CJK5H sign, a nod to Mike Leach’s longtime feud with Craig James, wins the prize.

Worst Sign

Frankly, it’s a little early for a shirtless Mike Leach

Wanted: Popcorn Guy

You may remember Popcorn Guy, a WSU fan made famous, nay legendary, in 2013 after a 55-17 loss to Stanford.

GameDay went to great lengths to locate this individual for a feature: hanging wanted signs, talking to students and community members, and even going so far as to contact the police. After all of their efforts, they managed to locate Popcorn Guy, but he did not return their calls. Legend.

You Had One Job Winner: It’s “Titan Up” not Titan Upside Down

Guest Picker: Drew Bledsoe

It was rumored that Klay Thompson would make an appearance, but the Warriors are in the middle of a road trip. Instead former WSU quarterback Drew Bledsoe got the nod.

Corso’s Headgear Pick

In a surprise to absolutely nobody, Corso donned the Cougar head:

Desmond and Bledsoe agreed. Only Herbie picked the Ducks.

Mascot Antics

Butch T. Cougar in a car. Casual.

Probable Week 9 GameDay Location:  

Florida vs. Georgia

Trivia Answer:

Only 11 teams have never hosted College GameDay

This is without a doubt my most favorite episode of GameDay. The fans were amazing, the city was buzzing, and I doubt the show will wait as long before they return to the Palouse.

About Jill Cowan

Jill earned an honorary degree in sports snark from Twitter University. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she spends the fall months at Stanford Stadium. Jill loves flea flickers, Spider 3 Y Banana, and Jim Harbaugh rage. She detests visors and The Wave.

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