GameDay Primer: Details About Saturday's Historic Day

ESPN's College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will air live from Cal on Saturday – the first time the ultra-popular college football pregame show has ever come to Berkeley.

The show will be staged on Memorial Glade in the center of campus and is open to the public.

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot airs from 6-9 a.m. PT. The "Pit" – the area closest to the stage which can accommodate approximately 400 fans – will open at 3:30 a.m. PT. Guests will be allowed to begin lining up to enter The Pit at midnight early Saturday morning. All fans entering the pit will be screened by ESPN security.

Once The Pit reaches capacity, fans are welcome to gather throughout the Glade to watch the show.

All fans in attendance must follow the University's prohibited items policy. In addition, the following items are prohibited within The Pit: bags (of any kind), food and drinks, pens, pencils, markers, dry erase boards, and signs that do not adhere to ESPN's sign policy. 

Below is additional key information for Saturday:

PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION: The four campus lots listed below will be available free of charge (no permit necessary), but vehicles must be moved by 11 a.m. or they will be ticketed and are subject to being towed.  

Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) Garage

Ellsworth Structure

Genetics Garage

Lower Hearst Structure - Level II

BART will also be providing early-morning service from selected stations that will arrive at the Downtown Berkeley BART Station by 5 a.m. PT. The selected stations are Daly City, Dublin/Pleasanton, 16th Street Mission, Powell, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Orinda, Fremont, Bay Fair, Fruitvale, El Cerrito del Norte, and MacArthur. BART will provide more details, including when trains depart from each station, soon. The campus has established a shuttle service that will run approximately every 20 minutes from the Downtown Berkeley BART station to the Hearst Mining Building from 4-7 a.m. PT to help get fans closer to Memorial Glade.  

FOOD AND DRINKS: The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive free doughnuts, pastries and coffee. Fans will also have the opportunity to receive free breakfast burritos throughout the event. Other food and beverage items will be available to purchase throughout the morning.  

SCHEDULE: ESPN will air live TV spots from Memorial Glade beginning at 4:30 a.m. PT until the show begins at 6 a.m. PT.

Cal Athletics Fund Tailgate Details

 Join us at Cal Memorial Stadium as the Golden Bears face the Miami Hurricanes at 7:30 PM. 

 Our tailgate opens at 4:30 PM on Saturday and ends at 7:00 PM, 30 minutes before kick-off. Complimentary food and beverages will be available while supplies last. 

This week's menu includes:
BBQ Pulled Pork

dry rubbed smoked pulled pork with BBQ sauce
Tri Color Pasta Salad
with italian herbs & dressing

Roasted Carrots
sea salt, olive oil
House Made Coleslaw

Mac & Cheese

4 cheese blend, panko cracker topping

Fresh Baked Cornbread

Remember to get to the tailgate early! Complimentary food and select complimentary beverages are available first come, first serve. A custom cocktail featuring Gold Bar Whiskey, and additional drink options, will be available for purchase. 

To gain entry, please show your CAF Membership Card at the entrance. Please note your CAF Membership Card provides entry for two (2) members of the same household. Children 10 and under are free. You have the option to purchase guest passes for others in your party. If you would like to pre-purchase your pass, you can do so HERE. Guest passes are $20 per guest. For more information about your benefits, go to calathleticsfund.com/membership-benefits.

For our Student-Athlete Alums, display your Young Alum, Cal Casual, or Golden Accelerator CASA Card at our dedicated entrance for access to the Cal Athletics Fund Tailgate. For our Young Alum and Golden Accelerator cardholders, to get your football game ticket, present your card at the Athletic Ticket Office on game day.

The Golden Bears host No. 8 Miami on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. PT at California Memorial Stadium. A limited number of tickets are still available.

**Note from Bear Insider**

With such a large national focus on the game and with the importance of having the top team in the conference on Cal’s home turf, a strong Cal fan turnout to not only GameDay but also Saturday night’s game is imperative to make a statement on a national stage that any future consolidation of top tier programs should include Cal.

Miami has returned a large allotment of the tickets they requested so a strong effort to both attend the game in person and also bring additional fans is of critical importance for Saturday night’s showdown at Memorial.

For additional updates, check CalBears.com and Cal Athletics social media accounts throughout the remainder of the week.