ESPN College GameDay will not travel to Salt Lake City next week. With BYU undefeated and rising to No. 9 in the AP Poll, next Saturday’s matchup between BYU and Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium was a prime opportunity for the national pregame show to highlight the intense rivalry known as the War Santa. However, Utah’s recent struggles have put into question whether this matchup will finally receive the coveted GameDay coverage. Despite these concerns, many hoped that the historical importance of the rivalry and BYU’s national rise would justify a GameDay visit. That was not the case.

Rece Davis announced Saturday that the popular college football pregame show will head to Baton Rouge for Alabama-LSU in Week 11.

“Next week, Baton Rouge,” he said. “Alabama and LSU, if not there is always a lot at stake. This is a virtual elimination game. The crimson tide and the tigers. We will be there.”

The historic rivalry between the Tigers and Crimson Tide has huge implications within the SEC, and ESPN is well aware of the intensity and viewership these games attract. However, as BYU continues to make waves in the Big 12, there will come a time when GameDay can use this moment to celebrate its resurgence and draw renewed national attention.

The BYU-Utah rivalry, while electrifying, hasn’t played out often on a national scale. BYU’s last GameDay appearance was in 2009 against TCU, where they came up short, contributing to their 0-3 record in GameDay featured games. This statistic, shared with teams like Arizona and Arizona State, is a sore point for Cougars fans.

For BYU, this game is more than just another rivalry matchup; It is a fundamental step to stay at the top of the Big 12 standings. Meanwhile, the Utah Utes, despite recent challenges, are poised to upset BYU’s momentum in this trap game. With the 10:15 pm ET start on ESPNFans across the country will witness a high-stakes clash between two historic programs.