ESPN exposure impacts recruitment

EUGENE, Ore - They're back!

ESPN College Gameday will set its stage in Eugene Saturday, their third visit in three years.

This puts USC and Oregon in the limelight as they duke it out on Halloween night.

"Oh my gosh I am so excited for this game," says Duck fan Lauren Bruhm.

Students tell KVAL tickets ran out in just a matter of minutes.

ESPN's College Gameday is a nationally televised show that highlights the must-see college football game of the week. This week: #10 Oregon versus #4 USC.

"I think it's great," says Oregon Coach Chip Kelly. "And the more notoriety we can get it's great for the University."

The school gets paid up to 300 thousand dollars from ESPN for airing the game. Gameday's appearance does not an any extra payments but athletic officials say the exposure is priceless.

"It's without a doubt a boom, I think, for recruiting," says Dave Williford with the Oregon Athletic Department. "But it's not limited to athlete recruiting but the general student population."

Athletic officials say the stage might be on campus this year, or somewhere outside Autzen Stadium.

While this Halloween game might fall on a frightful night, fans tell KVAL taking on USC doesn't scare them one bit.

"There is nothing this student body is looking forward more to right now than beating USC," says fan Michael Palmer. "I'm just glad Gameday is showing up and we're getting some recognition about who we are."