Excitement builds as ESPN's 'College GameDay' sets up at Western Michigan

By Madison Bennett | MLive

KALAMAZOO, MI - Set-up for ESPN's College GameDay has officially begun and students are abuzz on Western Michigan University's campus.

"You get to be brought up with Big 10 teams that you normally don't get recognition with," WMU senior Vincent Scarpaci said.

The pre-game show announced on Sunday that they'd be visiting Western Michigan during their football game against the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Broncos, 10-0, stand with Alabama as the only two top division teams left undefeated in the country.

College GameDay is set to take place at the Sangren Pedestrian Mall on WMU's main campus. The area will open two to three hours prior to the start of broadcast at 9 a.m.

"I think it's awesome because that shows our school is constantly growing," WMU freshman Bayli Brook said of Saturday's event.

This will be the second time College GameDay has visited a Mid-American Conference school, the first being Bowling Green in 2003, when the Falcons hosted Northern Illinois. At the time, WMU football Head Coach P.J. Fleck was a receiver for NIU.

"I think it's great for obviously the university and the community," WMU President John Dunn said Wednesday.

Dunn said Kalamazoo's time in the limelight will allow visitors and people throughout the nation tuning in on Saturday to learn about the city and the university.

"It's actually nice that they care about Kalamazoo," Christopher Wallace, a junior at WMU said.

Wallace praised Fleck for putting the spotlight on the community. "P.J. Fleck doesn't always just take the credit," he said.

During the Broncos weekly press conference, Fleck took a moment to encourage people to come out and visit the city of Kalamazoo.

"This is not for P.J. Fleck, this is for you," Fleck said at the press conference. "That's what's cool about this."

Fleck and the WMU football team will host a pep rally in downtown Kalamazoo's Bronson Park Friday evening. The event is free and open to the public and will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Western Michigan Broncos will take on Buffalo at Waldo Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 3:30 p.m. For ticket information, visit wmubroncos.com/tickets. 

This post originally appeared Nov. 17, 2016 on MLive.com.