Rich Lyons was awake closer to midnight and dawn on Oct. 5, 2024, got dressed and headed out the door. He picked up a friend on Scenic Avenue in Berkeley at 3:30 a.m., then drove a few blocks to campus. Along the way, they could hear music blasting, courtesy of students who had been up all night.

“Uh, oh,” Lyons thought, “the neighbors are going to be mad.”

After parking, the 12th chancellor of UC Berkeley strolled over to Memorial Glade and was stunned at the sight unfolding in front of him: The ESPN “College GameDay” set was positioned in front of Doe Library, its column lit in blue and gold, with The Campanile soaring in the background.

The Glade itself was bustling with students and fans as college football’s most popular pregame show prepared for its first-ever broadcast from Berke

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