Even an Alabama legend was in awe of Oklahoma’s CFP environment

The lights went out at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and Nick Saban and Pat McAfee stopped dead in their tracks.

ESPN College GameDay was inside Memorial Stadium for the last hour of the show before the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners' rematch with No. 9 Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday night. Once the crew went inside the stadium, though, the show was somewhat derailed because of how loud OU fans were inside The Palace on the Prairie.

Nick Saban and Pat McAfee couldn't believe the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium

At one point, the lights went out at Memorial Stadium for a laser show on the surface of Owen Field. After already acknowledging the crowd before, Pat McAfee then absolutely lost his mind when things went dark other than the lights from phones.

"We got the fireflies buzzing here at Norman," McAfee said. "I do love everything about it. It is special. This is what college football has that no other sport in the United States of America has. First-round home-team advantage very real."

The show even briefly paused to enjoy the electric moment inside Memorial Stadium.

After getting a taste of what Sooner Nation had even before kickoff, legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban acknowledged the difficult task ahead for his Crimson Tide.

“God bless Alabama playing in this environment," Saban said.

Sooner Nation and even outsiders also shared how unbelievable the environment was early in Memorial Stadium for the first home playoff game in OU history.