ESPN made it abundantly clear that any signs about religion would not be allowed in the pit for College Gameday at BYU. And then head coach Kalani Sitake shared the gospel of Jesus Christ and Pat McAfee referenced the Book of Mormon.
Seems contradictory, no?
It is impossible not to discuss religion when talking about a college football program like BYU. The rule for signs doesn’t make a lot of sense when compared to what aired on television.
ESPN does not allow signs about religion on College Gameday.
College Gameday made its long-awaited return to Provo on Saturday for the first time since 2009 and just the second time ever. Students started to camp out as early as Tuesday. This was the line on Thursday night:
@byu is showing out! Got a little tour of the @CollegeGameDay set tonight and check out this line!! I’m so stoked for Saturday!! pic.twitter.com/Ra7MbVstca
— Bam Bams BBQ (@BamBamsBBQ) October 16, 2026
The Cougars showed up and showed out for the early-morning broadcast.
They also had some of the most creative signs of the season.
Some of them made direct reference to the religious discrepancy between BYU (Mormon) and Notre Dame (Catholic).
Others made reference to LDS policies and guidelines, which prohibit its members from betting on sports.
It is nearly impossible not to reference religion when these two schools get together on the gridiron. And yet, ESPN made it abundantly clear on Friday that religious signage would not be allowed in the pit for College Gameday on Saturday.
Perhaps that was a loose guideline. ESPN established its rules to avoid any potential issues on Saturday. It would be able to remove any offensive signs from the pit if necessary. Everybody outside of the pit was free to do as they pleased.
Kalani Sitake and Pat McAfee made reference to the Church at BYU.
It was interesting to see that College Gameday banned religious signage from the pit given the contents of its broadcast. ESPN said that fans were not allowed to reference religion if they wanted to be up close to the stage.
And then it proceeded to promote the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ…
As you already know, BYU is directly tied to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More than 98% of its student body identifies as Mormon. So does head football coach Kalani Sitake. He took the time to praise the gospel while live on ESPN.
Here is the clip of BYU football coach Kalani Sitake's simple and profound testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ on @CollegeGameDay this morning.
— Peacemaking Saint (@PeacemakingSt) October 17, 2026
Check it out: https://t.co/I1rNk9AvhQ pic.twitter.com/YQDjaGgJoQ
It was a powerful moment on national television. The head coach at BYU should be allowed to talk about his faith!
However, his discussion about religion seems contradictory to the rule on religious signs.
The same can be said about Pat McAfee’s reading from the Book of Mormon. I personally thought it was a fun and lighthearted moment that gave shine to an important part of the BYU experience. Rarely, if ever, does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get that kind of shine on a national broadcast. McAfee took the opportunity to embrace the culture.
I do not see anything wrong with Sitake or McAfee’s religious references. Taysom Hill called it “legendary.”
It would be weird not to mention religion at a school like BYU. You can’t get one without the other. And yet, religious signage was still not allowed in the pit. ESPN’s sign ban seems superfluous given the content of its College Gameday broadcast!