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Saturday's "College GameDay" guest-picker was a carefully guarded secret up until the end of the show.

Until Thursday, in fact, even the guest-picker didn't know.

Standing on the sidelines at Rice-Eccles Stadium before No. 5 Utah kicked off against No. 23 Cal, John Stockton told The Tribune that ESPN expressed its interest on short notice, "and it looked like a great opportunity to come see a great football game."

He flew on a charter flight from Spokane, Wash., with his son, former Westminster guard Michael Stockton, who "gave me any extra research that I needed" for his picks, which included Utah over Cal and BYU over Eastern Carolina.

A graduate of football-less Gonzaga, Stockton said he considers Utah his "home team." The Stocktons are football fans, he said — fairly credible given that his son Houston was a defensive back at Montana.

Earlier Saturday night, Runnin' Utes head coach Larry Krystkowiak tweeted a photo of the Stocktons posing with Michael Doleac and his two boys in Utah's new basketball facility.

"It was fun," Stockton said of the trip. "I enjoyed it."

Commish says no progress on DirecTV

It's a regular routine for Larry Scott at this point, but reporters still ask. Any news on DirecTV?

"No news."

And no news is bad news?

"It is for our fans," Scott said. "It's frustrating for everyone."

It's a sentiment that's a little on the nose for the Pac-12 commissioner and every Pac-12 fan who happens to be a DirecTV subscriber. The San Jose Mercury News reported last month that the conference's talks with AT&T to get on the country's largest satellite TV provider broke down after disagreements over terms, which included at least one play to get an ownership stake in Pac-12 Networks.

In July, Scott had been hopeful for turning a page on a stalemate with DirecTV when AT&T — a corporate partner of the league — acquired it. But three months later, he's humming a familiar sad tune.

"I don't think it's square one, but no progress, no light at the end of the tunnel," he said, meeting with media before Saturday's game. "I thought [the acquisition] would lead to a more reasonable approach, and it didn't."

Special guests

Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, New York Jets outside linebacker Trevor Reilly, San Diego Chargers defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi and former Utah quarterback Scott Mitchell were among the notable guests on the sideline Saturday. The press box also included scouts from the Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins.

mpiper@sltrib.com and kgoon@sltrib.com Twitter: @matthew_piper and @kylegoon