Spirits high at 'GameDay' ahead of Temple v. Notre Dame

Independence Mall began roaring with activity before dawn Saturday morning as Owls fans made their way to the set of ESPN's "College GameDay," in town to preview the evening's Temple vs. Notre Dame game.

Fans, clad in cherry and white gear, bustled down Market Street, filling the chilly morning air with cheers to crowd around the set at Fifth and Market for the show's 9 a.m. to noon airing.

Temple supporters came toting colorful signs with slogans recalling Manti Te'o's imaginary girlfriend scandal, poking fun at Brian Kelly's taste in movies (and cheesesteaks), and unfavorably comparing Notre Dame's famed Rudy to fictional Philly folk hero Rocky.

Even the politicos participated: Philly GOP mayoral candidate Melissa Murray Bailey's husband, Sean, proudly displayed a giant cardboard cutout of his wife's head, replete with Temple Owl stickers on her cheeks.

Dan Feder, a Temple fan and alumnus who first got to the site at 3:45 a.m., was excited for what this means for the school.

"I think it's good for the [football] program," he said. "Three things I wished to see out of Temple was to beat Penn State, get ranked, and GameDay, and it all happened in one year. It's the greatest thing ever."

Jennifer Tucker, of Philadelphia, works at Temple and could also feel the energy. "I just feel like the school is on this upward trajectory like rankings, the football team," she said. "It's so exciting for the city and for everyone that goes there, works there. You can feel the spirit on campus. It's just awesome."

Interestingly, very few of the people sporting Notre Dame fan wear were actually Notre Dame students, or Notre Dame alums.

So what's the draw?

Irish.

"I'm a third-generation Irish Catholic," said Kyle Brennan, 30, from Drexel Hill. "When they came over and found there were the Fightin' Irish, they started rooting for them."

Same with Moran Barr, 29, from West Chester. "It started with my grandfather and trickled down," she said. But, her Irish roots were being tested by her loyalty to Philadelphia.

Barr wants Notre Dame to win, no doubt, but "it wouldn't be the worst thing to lose to Temple," she said. "If we're going to lose, we'd at least have sports pride for the city."

John Cronin, 31, of Long Island, a graduate of Notre Dame's law school, is actually worried about Saturday's game. He's not worried about Notre Dame. He's worried about himself.

"I try to pick the worst game of the year to go to, because I find watching games so stressful," he said.

So, early on, he bought tickets for the Notre Dame Temple football game, figuring on a pleasant weekend in Philadelphia, an easy win for the Fighting Irish, and a nice relaxing time at the game.

"Now, I'm going to be stressed out," he said. "I'm not the type to break something."

"I'll be more the type that will cry."

Cronin is couch surfing with friends, so he's not doing as much as he could for the economic development side of the Temple vs. Notre Dame game.

But Notre Dame graduate Brian Shea, in from upstate New York near the Canadian border, is fulfilling all the expectations of the city's tourism marketing organizations by spending lots of money.

Hotel, bars, restaurants, gasoline.

"Door to door, I'll probably spend $2,000 to $2,500," he said, heading to lunch at the Reading Terminal Market after Saturday's ESPN College GameDay at Independence Mall.

Brisk business

"ESPN has been masterful at monetizing this show and getting the kids excited about what otherwise be a couple of talking heads," said Mark Brousseau, a Temple fan and the owner of a York-based marketing business company attending his first ESPN College GameDay.

"This is actually a three-hour infomercial for Temple," he said.

In marketing circles, everyone talks about viral marketing, but Brousseau's company doesn't use it much, since he's primarily marketing business-to-business, while ESPN's marketing is direct to consumers.

"This really demonstrates the power of viral marketing," he said, ticking off the brands — Home Depot, the sponsor, Coca Cola, giving away drinks and probably most ingenious, Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut distributes giant wooden spatulas used to get hot pizzas out of a hot oven — the perfect size for the day's trademark irreverent signs. The best ones show up on television, more advertising for Pizza Hut.

"Even the political candidates realize the power of bringing their signs to this event," he said.

Glenn Gordon, of Absecon, N.J., said his Halloween, Notre Dame vs. Temple long-sleeved T-shirts, priced at $5, were selling. "It's Halloween, Notre Dame, Temple. It's a freak show, really, a once in a life-time event," he said.

Good business, but not as good as Barack Obama's inauguration. "That was $10,000 in a day," he said.

But who will win?

ESPN broadcaster Lee Corso toyed with the predominantly pro-Temple Game Day crowd waiting for the pinnacle moment – when he dons the hat of the team he picks to win the game.

The morning's crispness had given way, with enough warmth in the air to let the eau-de-beer smell on the mall lawn drift up in an affable way, as the crowd cheered and booed good-naturedly depending on which athlete came on the giant screen near the platform.

The Philly Phanatic did a great job mimicking the serious body language used by the broadcasters as they explained their prognostications for the day's college games around the country.

Finally, it was time for Corso to make his call and the crowd actually quieted, briefly, to listen.

"I would love to pick Notre Dame," Corso began, "because there's nothing I'd rather do than an Irish jig." But, he said, he had a feeling about Temple, and the crowd's mood seemed to brighten. And, he pointed out, as did many sign holders, that the Pope had picked Philadelphia.

No sooner did Corso mention the Pope than he popped a leprechaun's hat on his head, the beacon for Notre Dame's fighting Irish.

Of course, Corso was booed, although a gaggle of Fighting Irish recent grads, all female, pointed out that Corso was a wise man.

Either way, everyone was really ready to get out there by that time and repair to nearby bars for a few more drinks. Across Sixth Street, Independence Beer Garden was packed.

- Inquirer staff writer Jane Von Bergen and Philly.com staff writers Joanne Caruso and Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this story