This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Set your alarm clocks for before dawn next Saturday.

The Utes will be hosting College Gameday, ESPN's flagship college football program, at Rice-Eccles Stadium for its game against Cal on Oct. 10.

After several media outlets reported that ESPN had chosen Salt Lake City as its next destination, the College Gameday Twitter account sent out a confirmation: "Hey @Utah_Football, we'll see you in a week." ESPN also sent out mobile alerts on Saturday evening confirming the location, and Utah athletics accounts acknowledged the announcement was official.

Since Utah knocked off Oregon on Sept. 26 and ascended to a No. 10 ranking, Utah fans have been buzzing about the possibility of an appearance on College Gameday. Producer Lee Fitting told ESPN radio host Paul Finebaum this week that Utah-Cal was probably the "frontrunner" in the middle of the week.

The Golden Bears likely helped the case by beating Washington State 34-28 at home on Saturday afternoon, maintaining a 5-0 record. The Utes will test their own 4-0 record against Cal, which fell 49-27 in its last visit to Utah.

Utah is also battling history: The Utes' last appearance on College Gameday was a top-10 tilt against Mountain West rival TCU in 2010. The home team was pulverized by the Horned Frogs, 47-7.

There's already a packed schedule for Saturday's game: The Utes are unveiling new artificial turf, the team has will wear throwback uniforms, and the Crimson Club is inducting new members to the athletics Hall of Fame, including the 1998 Runnin' Utes, Jamal Anderson, George Seifert and Alex Jensen.

Twitter: @kylegoon