The intense atmosphere surrounding Iowa City got even bigger when Pat McAfee brought his crew to town.
ESPN's "College GameDay" announced that it was returning to Iowa City after 20 years, and shortly after, McAfee also decided to join the party. "The Pat McAfee Show" was live from Iowa City on Friday, October 2, with a star-studded group of visitors. Kirk Ferentz was one of those visitors and reflected on his time with the program. Another visitor was McAfee's co-analyst on CGD, and he had nothing but praise for Iowa City and the Hawkeye fans who circled the set.
Nick Saban had high praise for Kinnick Stadium and the Iowa faithful
The Iowa football program has been a hot topic of conversation since defeating Michigan on the road at Michigan Stadium, and everyone was excited to come to Iowa City this weekend. "College GameDay" host Rece Davis admitted he was cheering for the Hawkeyes against the Wolverines so the program would return to Iowa City, and McAfee has been enthusiastic about doing the show from Iowa City all week. A legendary former head coach and one of McAfee's cohorts on CGD stopped by the set on Friday and showered Iowa City and Hawkeye Nation with praise.
"This is always a tough place to play..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 2, 2026
I've been very impressed by this group of people here..
This is the first time I've ever been cheered in Iowa" 😂😂 ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/5qb161fQEb
Nick Saban became a legend during his time in the SEC with LSU and Alabama. Saban was 48-16 with LSU, including three bowl wins, before heading to the NFL and eventually to Tuscaloosa. He took the Crimson Tide program into the stratosphere, finishing with a 201-29 record, six National Championships, and nine SEC championships. After going 2-6 in his first season with Alabama in 2007, the program lost 14 games over the next decade and only 29 total games in Saban's 17 years. Before Saban reached the top of college football, he started at Michigan State and was very familiar with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Saban finished with a 34-24 overall record with the Spartans and was 1-3 against Iowa. That prompted Saban to say Iowa City has "always" been a tough place to play, and he doesn't have many good memories of playing against the Hawkeyes. Saban didn't stop there, saying the program has "great tradition and enthusiasm" from its fans and has had good teams. The crowd showed Saban some love after his comments, showing that they know ball.
Iowa is getting a lot of love ahead of a crucial top-15 matchup against Ohio State, and hearing those words from someone of Saban's status is nothing short of special for the fans and the program. Iowa is starting to turn a corner, and more and more people are realizing the program has been consistently good. If you don't believe Nick Saban, then who will you believe? Iowa is for real, folks.
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