''College Football Live'' is a show that airs weekdays during the college football season on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
or
ESPN2, and
ESPNU
ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the Hears ...
. Its premiere was on Monday, July 23, 2007.
Wendi Nix
Wendi Nix (born September 17, 1974) is an American anchor and sports reporter for ESPN.
Professional
Nix is the former co-host of ESPN's number one program, ''NFL Live''. Nix primarily handles coverage for NFL and college football games featurin ...
serves as the lead host, and it also features ESPN college football analysts
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Michigan, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior. Howard w ...
,
Joey Galloway
Joseph Scott Galloway (born November 20, 1971) is an American former professional football player who is an analyst with ESPN. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Galloway was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the ...
,
David Pollack
David M. Pollack (born June 19, 1982) is a former professional American football linebacker who played in two seasons in the National Football League (NFL), having suffered a career-ending injury in the second game of his second season. He play ...
, Trevor Matich and others. ''College Football Live'' also features Live interviews with college coaches and players.
Format
As previous host
Rece Davis mentioned in the opening of the debut, ''College Football Live'' aims to be the most fan-interactive show on television, featuring email questions and video segments sent in by fans on every show. After the opening music and graphics, the show shifts into the ESPN side studio and Davis and the analysts open the show debating a top story of the day. After their segment has completed, they send it to
Joe Schad
Joe Schad (born c. 1974) is a reporter, writer, analyst and broadcaster focused on college football and the NFL for more than 20 years. In July 2016, Schad announced he would begin covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at the Palm Beach Post.
S ...
or another insider on the situation who gives their take on it and breaks other information. Then, the segment "Live Feedback" takes place and questions sent in by viewers are answered by the personalities. After this segment, there are two rotating blocks, which on some days are two interviews but on other days, could be debate, highlights or breaking news.
At some point during the broadcast, the segment "
EA Sports Simulator" is shown. In this segment, a key game is simulated on the video game ''
NCAA Football 08'' and highlights and score are shown. After this, a short debate segment is held before the closing segment "Extra Points" which is the same as "Live feedback" except done with a timer. As Rece Davis' trademark opening line he says "and here's (random college mascot) to give me the new questions". The show is supposed to be the college version of ''
NFL Live
''NFL Live'' (stylized as ''NFL Live presented by Autotrader'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American National Football League (NFL) studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 3:00 p.m ET on sports cable channel ESPN. Formerly know ...
'', but is actually more similar to ''
NASCAR Now'' in that it focuses more on guests and debate than breaking news. It also is similar to the show in that the analysts do not appear on the whole program and only appear for the debate segments.
''College Football Live'' aired with a new format beginning in 2016.
Samantha Ponder
Samantha Ponder (née Steele; born December 11, 1985) is an American sportscaster who is the host of ''Sunday NFL Countdown'' on ESPN. Prior to hosting Sunday NFL Countdown, Ponder worked as a reporter/host for ESPN college football and as a ba ...
and
Molly McGrath
Molly Anne McGrath (born June 6, 1989) is an American sportscaster and studio host who works as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s college football and college basketball telecasts.
Career
Early sportscasting work (2009–2013)
While attending Bos ...
became its lead hosts on a rotating basis, with Jen Lada,
Adnan Virk and Chris Cotter also anchoring. Instead of the host and contributors all being based in one studio, only the lead host remained studio-based, with analysts and contributors being shown from different locations.
By the day
*Monday: "The Insiders"—weighing in with the latest news, reaction and analysis from the weekend's games; A look back at the best plays of the weekend
*Tuesday: Live interviews with coaches
*Wednesday: "Conference Calls" with college football reporters from around the country.
*Thursday: "Recruiting Trail" with Tom Luginbill providing the latest news on the top high school recruits; Live preview of ESPN's Thursday night game from game announcers
*Friday: Picks and previews of Saturday's top games; College GameDay crew live from the location of Saturday's show; Live preview of ESPN's Friday night game
Segments
*''Senior Thesis''- follows several top senior players through a personal video diary
*''Sound Off''- will feature home viewer-generated video on varopis topics
*''Live Feedback''– Fans post comments online during the program and have them posted live on the air
*''Extra Points''– Analysts answer e-mails and questions at the end of each show
Personalities
Current
Hosts
*
Wendi Nix
Wendi Nix (born September 17, 1974) is an American anchor and sports reporter for ESPN.
Professional
Nix is the former co-host of ESPN's number one program, ''NFL Live''. Nix primarily handles coverage for NFL and college football games featurin ...
(2007–2015) (2020–present)
*Kelsey Riggs
*Jen Lada (2016–present)
*Jason Fitz
*Peter Burns (2014–present)
*Matt Schick
Analysts
*
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Michigan, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior. Howard w ...
*
Trevor Matich
Trevor Anthony Matich (born October 9, 1961) is an American football analyst and former center in the National Football League from 1985 through 1996.
Early years
Matich grew up in Sacramento, California. He did not become starter on his high ...
(2007–present)
*
Todd McShay
Todd Marshall McShay (born March 22, 1977) is an American football television analyst and commentator.
Early life
McShay attended North Shore Christian School in Lynn, Massachusetts and then Swampscott High School in Swampscott, Massachusetts, ...
(2007–present)
*
Andre Ware (2007–present)
*
David Pollack
David M. Pollack (born June 19, 1982) is a former professional American football linebacker who played in two seasons in the National Football League (NFL), having suffered a career-ending injury in the second game of his second season. He play ...
(2016–present)
*
Sam Acho
Samuel Onyedikachi Acho (born September 6, 1988) is a Nigerian-American ESPN sports analyst, a nine-year veteran of the NFL, a Vice President of the NFL Players Association, and author of ''Let the World See You: How to Be Real in a World Full ...
(2021–present)
*Harry Lyles Jr. (2021–present)
Contributors
*
Desmond Howard
Desmond Kevin Howard (born May 15, 1970) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Michigan, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior. Howard w ...
¹ (2007–present)
*
Tom Luginbill (2007–present)
*
Mark Schlabach
Mark Schlabach (born in Knox, Indiana) is an American sports journalist, New York Times best-selling author, columnist, and reporter for ESPN.com.
Schlabach joined ESPN.com in July 2006 as a college football and college basketball columnist. He ...
(2007–present)
*
Rod Gilmore
Rodney Curt Gilmore (born January 31, 1960) is an American college football analyst, working for ABC and ESPN since 1996.
Prior to joining ABC and ESPN in 1996, Gilmore worked for Pacific Sports Network, SportsChannel Bay Area and Prime Spor ...
(2007–present)
*
Paul Finebaum
Paul Finebaum is an American sports author, former columnist, and television-radio personality. His primary focus is sports, particularly those in the Southeast. After many years as a reporter, columnist, and sports-talk radio host in the Birmin ...
¹ (2016–present)
*
Greg McElroy
Gregory Vincent McElroy, Jr. (born May 10, 1988) is an American football commentator and former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of t ...
¹ (2016–present)
*
Joey Galloway
Joseph Scott Galloway (born November 20, 1971) is an American former professional football player who is an analyst with ESPN. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Galloway was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the ...
(2014–present)
*
Shelley Smith
*
Booger McFarland
Anthony Darelle "Booger" McFarland (born December 18, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University and wa ...
¹
*Brad Edwards¹
¹ also an analyst
Former
*
Erin Andrews (2010–2012); now with
Fox Sports
*
Bonnie Bernstein (2008);
*
Ryan Burr
Ryan Burr (born March 17, 1978, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a sports television journalist. Burr worked for the NBC Sports Group from 2012 to 2021, with his duties mainly consisting of hosting all programs on Golf Channel and college basketball ...
(2008-2010);
*
Jim Donnan (2007–2014)
*
Doug Flutie (2007–present); now with
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
*
Pat Forde (2007–2011);
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
*
Bob Griese
Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gries ...
(2007–2011)
*
Craig James (2007–2011)
*
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, and analyst. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the New York ...
(2007–2015)
*
Danny Kanell
Daniel Kanell (born November 21, 1973) is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League who is currently employed by CBS Sports, along with Fox Sports 1 and SiriusXM.
He wa ...
(2010–2016);
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
*
Erik Kuselias
Erik Kuselias is an Emmy Award, Emmy award winning television and radio personality and host who currently works for CBS Sports, where he hosts “Sportsline” (the network’s show on sports wagering) and CBS Sports HQ.
A Mensa International ...
(2007-2010); now with
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
*
John Saunders (2007–2016) (Thursday and Friday); deceased
*
Robert Smith¹ (2007–2016); now with
Fox Sports
*
Chris Spielman (2007–2016); special assistant to the owner and CEO of the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
*
Matt Winer (2007–2009) now with Turner Sports
*
Mike Yam
Mike Yam is a studio host for the NFL Network. Previously, he was hired to be the lead studio host for the Pac-12 Network where he worked from 2012 to 2020. Prior to his arrival at Pac-12, he was an ESPN anchor from October 2008 through August 2 ...
(2011);
Pac-12 Network
The Pac-12 Network (P12N; also sometimes referred to as Pac-12 Networks) is an American sports-oriented digital cable and satellite television network owned by the Pac-12 Conference. The network's studio and production facilities are headquart ...
*
Rece Davis (2007–2015) (host of ''
College GameDay'')
*
Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler (born ) is an American sports broadcaster for ESPN, who serves as the play-by-play announcer for '' Saturday Night Football'' on ABC and ESPN’s tennis coverage. He is also known for his work on '' College GameDay'', which he h ...
(2010–2015);
Saturday Night Football
''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC'' (branded for sponsorship purposes as ''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC presented by Capital One'') is an American weekly presentation of prime time broadcasts of National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
*
Dari Nowkhah
Darius Behzad "Dari" Nowkhah (born June 23, 1976) is the lead anchor at SEC Network, an American sports television network. On August 21, 2014, The SEC Network began airing, and Nowkhah was chosen to be the head anchor. Nowkhah hosts extensive coll ...
(2007–2015);
SEC Network
*
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN).
With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was one of the original members ...
(2007–2015) ; the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network and radio play-by-play voice for the
Las Vegas Raiders.
*
Jonathan Coachman (2009–2015);
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
*
Mark May (2007–2015)
*
Lee Corso (2007–2015); ''
College GameDay''
*
Samantha Ponder
Samantha Ponder (née Steele; born December 11, 1985) is an American sportscaster who is the host of ''Sunday NFL Countdown'' on ESPN. Prior to hosting Sunday NFL Countdown, Ponder worked as a reporter/host for ESPN college football and as a ba ...
(2016) (host of ''
Sunday NFL Countdown
''Sunday NFL Countdown'' (officially ''Sunday NFL Countdown presented by Snickers'') is an American pregame television program that covers the NFL action for that week. The show airs on ESPN in the United States and TSN in Canada from 10 a.m. to ...
'')
*
Adnan Virk (2016–2017); now with
DAZN and
MLB Network
*
Brock Huard
Brock Anthony Huard (born April 15, 1976) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). His older brother Damon also played quarterback at the University of Washington and had a career in the NFL, while his yo ...
(2008–2018); now with
Fox Sports
*
Emmanuel Acho
Emmanuel Chinedum Acho (born November 10, 1990) is a Nigerian-American former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) and is currently working as an analyst for Fox Sports 1. He played college football at Texas before being dra ...
(2019); now with
Fox Sports
*
Ed Cunningham
Ed Cunningham (born August 17, 1969) is an American sports announcer, film producer, and former professional American football player.
Following his career in the National Football League, Cunningham worked as an commentator for different medi ...
(2007–2016)
*
Cassidy Hubbarth
Cassidy Hubbarth (born September 19, 1984) is an American television anchor. Hubbarth formerly hosts ESPN2's ''NBA Tonight'' and also anchors ESPN's ''SportsCenter and College Football Live.''
Early life
Hubbarth was born in the Chicago area to E ...
(2016–2019); Host & reporter for
NBA on ESPN & #HoopStreams on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.
*
Joe Schad
Joe Schad (born c. 1974) is a reporter, writer, analyst and broadcaster focused on college football and the NFL for more than 20 years. In July 2016, Schad announced he would begin covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at the Palm Beach Post.
S ...
¹ (2007–2016); covering the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
and the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
at the Palm Beach Post.
*
Ivan Maisel
Ivan Maisel is a national college football writer.
Career
An alumnus of Murphy High in Mobile and Stanford University, Maisel began his career at The Atlanta Constitution in 1981, where he covered Clemson's unlikely run to the national champi ...
(2007–2021); national college football writer for On3.com and book author
*
Marcus Spears¹ (2016–2018);
NFL Live
''NFL Live'' (stylized as ''NFL Live presented by Autotrader'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American National Football League (NFL) studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 3:00 p.m ET on sports cable channel ESPN. Formerly know ...
*
Rachel Nichols (2007–present)
*
Ryan Leaf
Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also p ...
(2019–present)
*
Todd Blackledge (2007–present)
*
Kirk Herbstreit (2007–present)
*
Jesse Palmer
Jesse James Palmer (born October 5, 1978) is a Canadian television personality, sports commentator, actor, and former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons in the early 2000s. ...
(2007–present)
*
Joe Tessitore (2016–present)
Producers
*Scott Harves (2007–2009)
*Tom Engle (2009)
*Michael Epstein (2009–2011)
*James Dunn (2011–present)
References
USA Today Article announcing creation of showCollege Football Live Stream
External links
*
{{ESPN original programming
ESPN original programming
American sports television series
2010s American television series
2007 American television series debuts
College football studio shows
2020s American television series