While ESPN's College GameDay was very SEC-centric early in the year, it is in the midst of a welcome SEC break. The fan-favorite pregame show was in Provo last week, ahead of a pivotal matchup between Notre Dame and BYU.

The Cougars managed to outlast the Irish, though not everyone was satisfied with the finish.

This week, College GameDay will remain focused on the Big 12, and it will remain in Utah. The crew will be in Salt Lake City to help fans prepare for a battle between 10th-ranked Utah and No. 14 Houston.

Here's a look at what to expect, including scheduling information and predictions for the headline matchup.

College GameDay Week 8

Date: Saturday, October 24

Venue: Presidents Circle, University of Utah campus in Salt Lake

Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET

Crew: Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban

TV: ESPN, ESPNU

Live Stream: Disney+ and the ESPN app

14. Houston at 10. Utah

Date: Saturday, October 24

Time: 10:15 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: ESPN and ESPN app

Line: Utah -6.5

Over/Under: 56.5

Game Preview and Predictions

Saturday night's matchup will be huge for two teams hoping to make a run at the Big 12 Championship this year.

BYU remains at the top of the conference standings and is ranked second in the country after last week's win over Notre Dame. Like BYU, Texas Tech is at the top of the Big 12 standings and has an undefeated record. The Red Raiders are also ranked eighth in the country.

The Utes also sport an undefeated record and could potentially leapfrog Texas Tech with a win over Houston, as the Red Raiders will take on unranked Cincinnati this week. Houston has a 5-1 record and will probably need help to reach the Big 12 Championship Game.

The Cougars certainly can't afford a loss this week. Their first came against Texas Tech, and a second conference loss would be extremely difficult to overcome.

Utah is favored in the matchup for a couple of reasons, one being standout quarterback Devon Dampier. The third-year starter is completing a career-high 68.6 percent of his passes this season and leads an offense that ranks eighth in the nation in points per game (40.2).

The Utes' defense has allowed just 14.8 points per game (11th).

Houston has a potent offense of its own, led by quarterback Conner Weigman, who was last week's Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.

Weigman leads an offense that ranks 13th in points per game (39.3). There's a very good chance that he'll be able to outpace Dampier and deliver an upset victory on the road. Whichever quarterback makes the fewest mistakes is likely to emerge as the victor.

While it would be foolish to discount Weigman, Patrick Overmyer, Re'Shaun Sanford II, and the rest of the Cougars' offense, it is fair to question Houston's 45th-ranked defense. The unit isn't a complete liability, but it hasn't been as consistent as Utah's defense.

The prediction here is that Utah's defense and home-field advantage allow the Utes to win the turnover battle and emerge with their first victory over Houston in six attempts.

Prediction: Utah 31, Houston 23