''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC'' (branded for sponsorship purposes as ''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC presented by
Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in McLean, Virginia with operations primarily in the United States. It is on the list o ...
'') is an American weekly presentation of
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
broadcasts of
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA)
Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
games that are produced by
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 ...
, and televised on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. Games are presented each Saturday evening starting at 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...
/6:30 p.m.
Central Time during the college football regular season, which has been the case since 2017 (some weeks until 2015 saw no game on ABC, due to Saturday evening
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
coverage
Coverage may refer to:
Filmmaking
* Coverage (lens), the size of the image a lens can produce
* Camera coverage, the amount of footage shot and different camera setups used in filming a scene
* Script coverage, a short summary of a script, wri ...
or to avoid competition with the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
; ESPN would then carry that week's high-profile game instead, with ESPN2 carrying a secondary game usually seen on ESPN/ABC). The ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football coverage began in 2006, as both
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 ...
and
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
are owned by
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
. It is ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases (outside where another networks carries the game), the city and/or campus of that night's game is where that day's ''
ESPN College GameDay'' had originated.
, the primary broadcast team for half the games includes
play-by-play announcer
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
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 ...
and analyst
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Edward Herbstreit (; born August 19, 1969) is an American sportscaster and former college football player. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's '' College GameDay'', a television program covering college football, and he also provides color c ...
, with
Holly Rowe
Holly Rowe (born June 16, 1966) is an American sports telecaster currently working for the sports television network ESPN. Rowe is best known as a sideline reporter for college football games which are telecast on ESPN. Rowe made Utah Jazz team ...
as sideline reporter.
Kevin Negandhi
Kevin Negandhi (born March 20, 1975) is an American sports anchor for ESPN's ''SportsCenter'' as well as ''ESPN College Football on ABC''.
In addition to hosting ''SportsCenter'', he also hosts ''Baseball Tonight'', ''College Football Live'' and ...
,
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 ...
, and
Dan Mullen
Dan Mullen (born April 27, 1972) is a former college football player and coach, and current television analyst with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and ESPN.
He served as the head football coach at Mississippi State University from ...
host the studio
halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of div ...
. Negandhi also provides in game updates throughout the game. Other ESPN broadcast teams may also occasionally appear for regional (and some national) telecasts.
Overview
''Saturday Night Football'' premiered on September 2,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, with a game between the
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...
and
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Rambl ...
. While
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
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 ...
have aired college football games on Saturday nights for decades, this program marks the first time that a collegiate sports broadcast has officially been part of any major broadcast television network's primetime schedule.
Twelve weeks of regular season games were televised during the three-month college football season in 2006, 2007 and from 2009 to 2011; the
Dr. Pepper
Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Europe ...
Big 12 Football Championship Game
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 20 ...
closing out each season until a conference realignment in which four university football programs left and two others joined the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
resulted in the Championship Game being discontinued after the 2010 event (the Big 12 Football Championship Game returned in 2017, however, it did not return to ABC until 2018, when the network aired the game in the afternoon instead of in primetime). With the college football season being extended by one week, ABC televised thirteen weeks of games in 2008, closing with the
2008 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2008 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game was held on December 6, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and pitted two of the divisional winners from the Big 12 Conference: the Missouri Tigers, winner of the North division again ...
on December 6. With the loss of the Sprint Cup Series to
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
and
or AND may refer to:
Logic, grammar, and computing
* Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses
* Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition
* Bitwise AND, a boole ...
NBCSN
NBCSN was an American sports television television channel, channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated t ...
, ''Saturday Night Football'' expanded its seasonal game schedule full-time to 13 weeks beginning in 2015, starting with the
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
.
Games from the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
, the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
, the
old Big East Conference, the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
, the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
, the now-defunct
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
and the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
have aired on ''Saturday Night Football'', as well as non-conference games in which teams from these conferences were either playing at home or a neutral-site game to which ABC holds the television rights. All
BCS/
CFP and Power 5 conferences have appeared on ''Saturday Night Football'', as the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
has had its teams featured in 21 non-conference games.
Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...
,
Utah State
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
,
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
,
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
,
UConn
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...
,
UCF
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
,
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
SMU,
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
, and
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
are the only Group of 5 teams to be featured on "Saturday Night Football" to date, with the latter four teams being featured when they were members of the BCS-aligned Big East or American Athletic Conference.
In recent years, following the loss of some broadcast rights of the Pac-12 Conference to
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
in 2012, the Pac-12's Saturday Night Football appearances have been limited to non-conference games, especially home games against
Notre Dame and games against the Southeastern Conference, as well as road games against conferences that still have broadcast rights with ABC.
Besides Pac-12 and Big Ten games, ABC makes most of its game broadcast selections or options twelve days prior to the game (with some being made six days beforehand). This allows ABC to 'flex' the most compelling game it has the rights to broadcast into the ''Saturday Night Football'' slot. As a result, the Saturday night game is usually ABC's "game of the week". Beginning in 2024, ABC will have the option to feature an SEC game on Saturday Night Football for the first time.
As of the 2016 college football season, all games on ABC are broadcast in the 16:9 letterbox format on both the SD and HD feeds.
As ESPN has signed new contracts with various conferences to produce college football coverage, the network has begun branding its coverage of select conferences to which it has rights. This branding was first seen on SEC broadcasts in 2011, which became the "SEC on ESPN". ACC broadcasts followed suit in 2012 becoming the "ACC on ESPN". In 2018, the network started branding games aired on ABC as the "ACC on ABC", even though the ACC on ESPN logo is still used for replay wipes. Similarly, all Pac-12 games broadcast under the branding of "Pac-12 on ESPN" or as the "Pac-12 on ABC". In 2016, a new contract brought conference branding to Big Ten telecasts as well, which air on both ESPN and ABC. While Big Ten games that air on ESPN cable channels are branded as the "Big Ten on ESPN", games airing on ABC are now branded as the "Big Ten on ABC". While the program is still officially part of ESPN College Football which is reflected when talent appears on screen, the Big Ten on ABC logo and branding is used for intro, program IDs, and replay wipes. Similarly, because of the new ESPN-Big 12 deal, games featuring teams from the Big 12 will appear on the network under the "Big 12 on ESPN" or "Big 12 on ABC" brand, with replay wipes having the Big 12 on ESPN brand logo. Similarly, with the American Conference, games with teams from the American will appear under the "American Conference on ESPN" or "American Conference on ABC" brand. This is the first time any regularly schedule sporting event outside of the National Spelling Bee has carried any ABC branding since 2006.
The
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
(formerly the Cowboys Classic) became the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' beginning in 2011; however in 2013, the matchup between the
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
and
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
served as the opening game with the Classic matchup between
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
and
TCU being broadcast on ESPN. The Classic served as the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' again in 2014 (that year, involving the
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...
and
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. ...
), in 2015 (
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...
and
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...
) and in 2016 (Alabama Crimson Tide and
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
). In 2017, the
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
(between the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the third ranked Florida State Seminoles; which was later described as the ''Greatest Opener of All Time'') served as the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' (first time since 2010), while the Advocare Classic featuring the
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
and
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
aired in the 3:30 ET timeslot. In 2018, the
Camping World Kickoff
The Camping World Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium. The game, a collaboration between Florida Citrus Sports and ESPN Events, debut ...
(between the new look Louisville Cardinals and the defending 2017 national champion Alabama Crimson Tide) served as the ''Saturday Night Football'' season premiere. The Advocare Classic, between the 2017 ACC Runner-Up
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...
and
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
, aired the next night in primetime, as it served as the ''Sunday Night Kickoff game presented by
NHTSA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" relat ...
''. The Advocare Classic returned to ''Saturday Night Football'' in 2019, with the
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conferenc ...
facing the
Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
, for the first time since the
2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. The finale of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series was pl ...
, in which Auburn won 27–21.
Broadcast teams
2006
*
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 ...
, play-by-play;
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Edward Herbstreit (; born August 19, 1969) is an American sportscaster and former college football player. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's '' College GameDay'', a television program covering college football, and he also provides color c ...
and
Bob Davie, analysts; and
Lisa Salters
Lisa Salters is an American journalist and former college basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O. J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked as a reporter at WBAL-TV in Ba ...
, sideline reporter.
**Ten games: Notre Dame–Georgia Tech, Ohio State–Texas, Nebraska–USC, Notre Dame–Michigan State, Ohio State–Iowa, Oregon–California, Michigan–Penn State, Oklahoma–Texas A&M, Wake Forest–Florida State, and Notre Dame–USC.
*
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts (born June 10, 1951) is an American former football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) throughout his 15-season career (1973-87). After a relatively undistinguished firs ...
, play-by-play;
Tim Brant
Tim Brant (born February 26, 1949) is a retired American sportscaster. Brant most recently worked for Raycom Sports and was formerly Vice President, Sports for WJLA-TV in Washington, DC. He has spent more than forty years covering sports nationa ...
, analyst; and
Jack Arute
Jack Arute III ( ; born September 28, 1950) is an American former sportscaster for the NFL and college sports for Sirius XM Radio. He used to be an auto racing pit reporter and college football sideline reporter for ESPN and ABC, and covered the ...
, sideline reporter.
**Three games: USC–Arizona, Nebraska–Iowa State, and UCLA–California.
*
Mark Jones, play-by-play;
David Norrie
David Doherty Norrie (born November 30, 1963) is a former American major college and professional football player who is best known for his long career as a college football game analyst for ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entert ...
, analyst; and
Stacey Dales
Stacey Dales (born September 5, 1979) is a Canadian former basketball player and a current reporter on the NFL Network. Dales was born in Collingwood, Ontario, and raised in Brockville, Ontario.
Basketball
Before attending the University of Okl ...
, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Arizona State–USC and Virginia Tech–Miami (Fla.).
*
Gary Thorne
Gary F. Thorne (born June 9, 1948) is an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for Baltimore Orioles games on MASN from 2007 to 2020. He has also worked for ESPN and ABC, including National Hockey League, Major League ...
, play-by-play;
Andre Ware
Andre Trevor Ware (born July 31, 1968) is an American sports analyst and commentator and a former American football player. He was the 1989 Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award winner as a quarterback for the University of Houston. He was th ...
, analyst; and
Todd Harris
Todd Harris (born June 4, 1970) is an American sports announcer and reporter for NBC Sports and NBCSN, with current duties focused in Olympic and extreme sports. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in communications ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: Texas–Kansas State.
*
Brad Nessler
Bradley Ray Nessler (born June 3, 1956) is an American sportscaster, who currently calls college football and college basketball games for CBS Sports.
Career
Early assignments
Nessler began his professional broadcasting career sharing play†...
, play-by-play;
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 ...
and
Paul Maguire
Paul Leo Maguire (born August 22, 1938) is a former American professional football player and television sportscaster.
Early sports career
Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio where he was an All State wide receiver and ...
, analysts; and
Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sp ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: California–USC.
*
Mike Patrick
Michael Patrick (born September 9, 1944) is a retired American sportscaster, known for his long tenure with ESPN.
Early career
Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pennsylvania. In 1970, he was ...
, play-by-play;
Todd Blackledge
Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is a former American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 19 ...
, analyst; and
Holly Rowe
Holly Rowe (born June 16, 1966) is an American sports telecaster currently working for the sports television network ESPN. Rowe is best known as a sideline reporter for college football games which are telecast on ESPN. Rowe made Utah Jazz team ...
, sideline reporter (
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 ...
crew).
**One game: Nebraska–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 20 ...
).
2007
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Lisa Salters, and
Chris Spielman
Charles Christopher Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football player and is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker at Ohio State University, ...
, sideline reporters.
**Eleven games: Tennessee–California, USC–Nebraska, Iowa–Wisconsin, USC–Washington, Ohio State–Purdue, Michigan–Illinois, Ohio State–Penn State, Florida State–Boston College, Kansas–Oklahoma State, Missouri–Kansas, and Oklahoma–Missouri (
Big 12 Championship Game
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 20 ...
, with Spielman).
*Dan Fouts, play-by-play; Tim Brant, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Washington State–USC and Notre Dame–UCLA.
*
Terry Gannon
Terrance Patrick Gannon (born November 1, 1963, in Joliet, Illinois) is a sportscaster for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel, currently announcing golf, gymnastics, and figure skating.
Gannon played basketball for North Carolina State University ...
, play-by-play; David Norrie, analyst; and
Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Oregon State–USC and USC–California.
*
Ron Franklin
Ronald Franklin (February 2, 1942January 18, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was employed by ESPN from 1987 to 2011. He was fired by ESPN on January 4, 2011, after making sexist comments to a colleague.[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 ...]
, analyst; and Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
**One game: Texas A&M–Oklahoma.
*
Dave LaMont
Dave LaMont is an American sports commentator, working as a play-by-play man for ESPN since 2004.
Early career
LaMont served as a radio announcer for Miami Hurricanes basketball and baseball from 1998 until 2000, as well as serving as a host a ...
, play-by-play;
Chris Spielman
Charles Christopher Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football player and is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker at Ohio State University, ...
, analyst; and
Quint Kessenich
Quint Elroy Kessenich ( ; born November 22, 1967) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster for ESPN on ABC, ABC and ESPN television covering lacrosse, basketball, football, hockey, wrestling and Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN, horse racing si ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: Boston College–Maryland.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play;
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 ...
and
Paul Maguire
Paul Leo Maguire (born August 22, 1938) is a former American professional football player and television sportscaster.
Early sports career
Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio where he was an All State wide receiver and ...
, analysts; and
Bonnie Bernstein
Bonnie Lynn Bernstein (born August 16, 1970) is an American sports journalist and executive. She has been named one of the most accomplished female sportscasters in history by the American Sportscasters Association. Bernstein is Vice President, Co ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oklahoma–Texas Tech.
2008
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters or
Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sp ...
, sideline reporter.
**Twelve games: Alabama–Clemson (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
, with Andrews), Ohio State–USC (with Andrews), Georgia–Arizona State, Illinois–Penn State, Missouri–Texas, Penn State–Ohio State, Texas–Texas Tech, Oklahoma State–Texas Tech, Boston College–Florida State, Texas Tech–Oklahoma, Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Missouri–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 20 ...
).
*Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and
Heather Cox
Heather Cox (born Heather Schoeny on June 3, 1970) is an American sportscaster who is a sports reporter for NBC. As Heather Schoeny, she played college volleyball at University of the Pacific.
Biography High school
Cox attended Capistrano ...
or Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Michigan State–California (with Cox) and Oklahoma State–Colorado (with Arute).
*
Sean McDonough
Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN and WEEI Red Sox Radio Network.
Early life
The son of ''Boston Globe'' sportswriter Will McDonough, McDonough graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School ...
, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Rob Stone or Erin Andrews, sideline reporter (
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%).
ESPN2 was initially fo ...
crew).
**Two games: Virginia Tech–Nebraska (with Andrews) and California–USC (with Stone).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter (ESPN crew).
**One game: Ohio State–Wisconsin.
*
Mark Jones, play-by-play; Bob Davie, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter (ESPN2 crew).
**One game: Oregon–USC.
2009
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
**Twelve games: Alabama–Virginia Tech (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
), Texas Tech–Texas, Iowa–Penn State, Oklahoma–Miami (Fla.), Michigan–Iowa, Texas–Missouri, USC–Oregon, Connecticut–Cincinnati, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Oregon–Arizona, Notre Dame–Stanford, and Texas–Nebraska (
Big 12 Championship Game
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 20 ...
).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play;
Craig James, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Three games: Oregon State–USC, USC–Arizona State, and Texas Tech–Oklahoma State.
*Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and
Shelley Smith, sideline reporter.
**Three games: USC–California (with Smith), Oklahoma–Nebraska, and Kansas–Texas (with Smith).
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play;
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is a former American football linebacker and executive. Millen played 12 years in the National Football League for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, ...
, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Texas–Oklahoma State and Georgia–Georgia Tech.
2010
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews, Heather Cox, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Ten games: LSU–North Carolina (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
), Oregon State–Boise State, Stanford–Oregon, Florida State–Miami (Fla.) (with Cox), Oklahoma–Missouri, Oregon–USC, Arizona–Stanford, Nebraska–Texas A&M (with Cox), Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Nebraska–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game
The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 20 ...
) (with Rowe).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play; and Craig James, analyst.
**Four games: USC–Stanford (with Shelley Smith), Ohio State–Minnesota (with
Ray Bentley
Ray Russell Bentley (born November 25, 1960) is a former professional American football linebacker, broadcaster, and author.
Biography
Playing career
Bentley's first three years in professional football were spent with the Michigan Panthers and ...
), Clemson–Florida State (with Jeannine Edwards), and Florida State–Maryland.
*Ron Franklin, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst.
**Three games: Texas–Texas Tech (with Jeannine Edwards), Missouri–Texas Tech, and USC–Arizona (with Shelley Smith).
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Notre Dame–Boston College and Oklahoma State–Texas.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; and Todd Blackledge, analyst.
**Two games: Notre Dame–Michigan State (with Holly Rowe) and Notre Dame–USC (with Shelley Smith).
*
Mark Neely, play-by-play;
Mike Bellotti
Robert Michael Bellotti (born December 21, 1950) is an American college football analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports, ABC. He was with the Oregon Ducks football, University of Oregon's football program for over 20 years serving as offensive coordin ...
and
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 ...
, analysts.
**One game: USC–Oregon State.
2011
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews or Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
**Seven games: Oregon–LSU (
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
), Oklahoma–Florida State, LSU–West Virginia, Nebraska–Wisconsin, Stanford–USC, Kansas State–Oklahoma State (with Salters), and Oregon–Stanford.
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox or Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter.
** Two games: Ohio State–Nebraska (with Edwards) and Washington–Stanford (with Cox).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Craig James, analyst; and
Jenn Brown
Jennifer Lynne Brown (born March 23, 1981) is an American sports broadcaster and television host. A former Division I Collegiate Athlete for the University of Florida, she spent eight years as a reporter and host for ESPN and ''American Ninja W ...
, sideline reporter.
** One game: Clemson–Georgia Tech.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
** One game: Texas Tech–Oklahoma.
*
Mark Jones, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst.
** One game: Notre Dame–Wake Forest.
2012
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Twelve games: Michigan–Alabama (
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
), Notre Dame–Michigan State, Clemson–Florida State, Wisconsin–Nebraska, Florida State–Miami, Notre Dame–Oklahoma, Oklahoma State–Kansas State, Notre Dame–Boston College, Stanford–Oregon, and Notre Dame–USC.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Nebraska–Ohio State, Texas–Kansas State.
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Baylor–Texas.
2013
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Eleven games: Georgia–Clemson, Notre Dame–Purdue, Kansas State–Texas, Wisconsin–Ohio State, Ohio State–Northwestern, Florida State–Clemson, Miami–Florida State, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Stanford–USC, Baylor–Oklahoma State, Duke–Florida State (
ACC Championship)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Shannon Spake
Shannon Spake (born July 23, 1976) is an NFL reporter and NASCAR host for Fox Sports. Previously, she worked for ESPN where she contributed to ''SportsCenter'' to give pre and post-game reports, and also worked as a sideline reporter for SEC on E ...
, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Michigan–Connecticut, UCLA–USC.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**One game: Penn State–Ohio State.
2014
*
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 ...
, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox, and
Tom Rinaldi
Tom Rinaldi is a reporter for Fox Sports. He previously contributed to ESPN's tennis coverage at Wimbledon and the US Open, ESPN's golf coverage, ''SportsCenter'', ''Outside the Lines'', '' College GameDay'' and '' Sunday NFL Countdown''. H ...
, sideline reporters.
**Nine games: Florida State–Oklahoma State (
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
), Tennessee–Oklahoma, Clemson–Florida State (with Rinaldi), Notre Dame–Syracuse, Nebraska–Michigan State, Notre Dame–Florida State (with Rinaldi), Ohio State–Michigan State, Florida State–Miami, Florida State–Georgia Tech (
ACC Championship)
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Three games: Ohio State–Penn State, USC–UCLA, Oregon-Oregon State
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
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, ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: Illinois–Ohio State
*
Bob Wischusen
Robert Wischusen (born October 1, 1971) is an American sports commentator who is currently a hockey, college football and basketball voice for ESPN and the radio voice announcer for the New York Jets on WEPN-FM.
Biography
Early life and career
Wi ...
, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oklahoma State–Kansas State
2015
*Chris Fowler or
Rece Davis
Rece Davis (born }) is an American sports television journalist for ESPN/ESPN on ABC, ABC. Davis works as an anchor on ''SportsCenter'' and serves as host of various other programs on the network, including ''College GameDay (football TV program ...
, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
**Eleven games: Wisconsin–Alabama (
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
), Oregon–Michigan State (with Davis), UCLA–Arizona, Notre Dame–Clemson, Miami–Florida State, Penn State–Ohio State, Ohio State–Rutgers, Notre Dame-Temple, Oklahoma-Baylor, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State (with Rinaldi), North Carolina-Clemson (
ACC Championship, with Rinaldi)
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Minnesota-Ohio State, TCU-Oklahoma
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Todd McShay, sideline reporter.
**One game: Stanford–USC
2016
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst;
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 ...
and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters,
Jerry Punch
Gerald Punch (born August 20, 1953) is an American auto racing and college football commentator working for ESPN, as well as a physician. Punch also does local radio spots in Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox Cou ...
and
Marty Smith
Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won t ...
pit reporters (
Battle at Bristol
The Battle at Bristol was an American college football game played at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on Saturday, September 10, 2016, between the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies. It holds the recor ...
only)
**Thirteen games: USC-Alabama (
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
), Virginia Tech-Tennessee (
Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, with Davis, Punch and Smith), Stanford-UCLA, Louisville-Clemson (with Rinaldi), Florida State-Miami, Ohio State-Wisconsin, Ohio State-Penn State, Clemson-Florida State, Nebraska-Ohio State, Michigan-Iowa, Oklahoma-West Virginia, Clemson-Virginia Tech (
ACC Championship)
*
Joe Tessitore
Joseph William Tessitore (born January 1, 1971) is an American sportscaster for ABC and ESPN. He leads ESPN's world championship fight broadcasts as the blow-by-blow broadcaster for Top Rank Boxing on ESPN, serves as a play-by-play announcer f ...
, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: USC-Stanford, Florida-Florida State
2017
* Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst;
Maria Taylor Maria Taylor may refer to:
* Maria Taylor (sportscaster) (born 1987), American sportscaster
* Maria Taylor (musician) (born 1976), American musician
* Maria Jane Taylor (1837–1870), British missionary to China
* Maria Madeline Taylor
Maria Made ...
and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters
**Thirteen games: Florida State–Alabama (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
, with Rinaldi), Oklahoma–Ohio State, Clemson-Louisville, Penn State-Iowa, Clemson-Virginia Tech (with Rinaldi), Michigan State-Michigan, Michigan-Penn State (with Rinaldi), Georgia Tech-Clemson, Virginia Tech-Miami, Notre Dame–Miami (with Rinaldi), UCLA–USC, Notre Dame–Stanford, Miami-Clemson (
ACC Championship, with Rinaldi)
*
Steve Levy
Steve Levy (; born March 12, 1965) is an American journalist and sportscaster for ESPN. He is known for his work broadcasting college football, ''Monday Night Football'' and the National Hockey League.
Early life and career
Levy went to Jo ...
, play-by-play,
Brian Griese
Brian David Griese ( ; born March 18, 1975) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third r ...
, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter
**Two games: Utah-USC, Texas Tech-Oklahoma
2018
*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
**Thirteen games: Louisville-Alabama (
Camping World Kickoff
The Camping World Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium. The game, a collaboration between Florida Citrus Sports and ESPN Events, debut ...
), Ohio State-TCU (Advocare Showdown), Stanford-Oregon, Ohio State-Penn State (with Rinaldi), Notre Dame-Virginia Tech, Wisconsin-Michigan, Ohio State-Purdue (with Rinaldi), Texas-Oklahoma State, Clemson-Boston College, Cincinnati-UCF, Notre Dame-USC, Clemson-Pitt (
ACC Championship)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
**One game: Penn State-Pittsburgh
*Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter
**One game: Oklahoma-Texas Tech
2019
*Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, Sean McDonough, or Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor or Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
**Thirteen games: Auburn–Oregon (
Advocare Classic
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic was an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season. It was played in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys from 2009 to 2021. The game was orig ...
), LSU–Texas (with Davis), Clemson–Syracuse (with McDonough), Oklahoma State–Texas, Nebraska–Ohio State, Michigan State–Ohio State, Michigan–Penn State, Michigan–Notre Dame, Memphis–SMU, Clemson–NC State, Baylor–Oklahoma, Arizona State–Oregon, Boise State–Washington (
Las Vegas Bowl
The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the ...
, with Wischusen and McGrath)
*Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, and Molly McGrath or Maria Taylor, sideline reporters.
**Two games: Colorado–Utah, Clemson–Virginia (
ACC Championship, with Taylor)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
**One game: Iowa–Penn State
2020
*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor,
Allison Williams, Molly McGrath, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporters.
**Nine games: Miami-Louisville (with Williams), Florida State-Miami (with McGrath), Miami-Clemson (with Williams), Michigan-Minnesota (with Taylor), Ohio State-Penn State (with Taylor), Stanford–Oregon (with Taylor), Wisconsin-Michigan (with Rowe), Oklahoma State–Oklahoma (with Rowe), Clemson-Virginia Tech (with Taylor)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Todd McShay, and Allison Williams or Molly McGrath, sideline reporters.
**Three games: Clemson–Wake Forest (with Williams), Oklahoma-Iowa State (with McGrath), North Carolina-Florida State (with McGrath)
*
Dave Pasch
Dave Pasch (born August 11, 1972) is an ESPN announcer, covering the NBA, college football, and college basketball. He is also the radio play-by-play voice of the Arizona Cardinals.
Personal life
Pasch grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, to parents ...
or Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
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 ...
, analyst; and Allison Williams or Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
**Two games: USC–UCLA (with Pasch and Williams), Tulsa–Cincinnati (2020 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game, AAC Championship, with Tessitore and Rowe)
*Beth Mowins, play–by–play; Kirk Morrison, analyst; and Stormy Buonantony, sideline reporter
**One game: Utah–Washington
2021
*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst;
Holly Rowe
Holly Rowe (born June 16, 1966) is an American sports telecaster currently working for the sports television network ESPN. Rowe is best known as a sideline reporter for college football games which are telecast on ESPN. Rowe made Utah Jazz team ...
, sideline reporter.
**Six games: Georgia-Clemson, Auburn-Penn State, West Virginia-Oklahoma, TCU-Oklahoma, Penn State-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
**Four games: Washington-Michigan, Indiana-Penn State, Michigan-Nebraska, Oregon-Utah
*Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Ohio State-Indiana, Notre Dame-Virginia
*Mark Jones, play-by-play; Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Oregon-Washington, Pittsburgh-Wake Forest (2021 ACC Championship Game, ACC Championship)
*Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
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 ...
, analyst; and Laura Rutledge, sideline reporter.
**One game: Utah State-Oregon State (2021 LA Bowl, LA Bowl)
2022
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst: Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Seven games: Notre Dame–Ohio State, USC–Stanford (with Davis), Wisconsin–Ohio State, NC State–Clemson, Clemson–Florida State, TCU–Texas, Notre Dame-USC
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
**Three games: Clemson-Boston College, Michigan State-Michigan, Clemson-North Carolina (2022 ACC Championship Game, ACC Championship)
*Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
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 ...
, analyst; and Katie George (sportscaster), Katie George, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Minnesota-Penn State, Florida State-Miami
*Mark Jones, play-by-play; Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Michigan State–Washington
*Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oklahoma State-Oklahoma
*Tom Hart, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter.
**One game: SMU–BYU (2022 New Mexico Bowl, New Mexico Bowl)
Schedules
''All rankings are from that week's AP Poll, and that week's College Football Playoff, CFP rankings since 2014.''
2006 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either October 21 or October 28 to avoid competing with the 2006 World Series, World Series.''
2007 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, NEXTEL Cup Series races.''
2008 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
2009 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 12 or October 17 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
2010 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 11 or October 16 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
2011 schedule
Notes:
* 1) ''ABC did not air games on either September 10 or October 15 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
* 2) ''Many of the markets scheduled to receive the Texas Tech–Oklahoma game on October 22 instead saw Washington–Stanford, as a thunderstorm delayed the start of the game, and most affiliates stuck with the latter even after the storm cleared. The Texas Tech–Oklahoma game was seen on ESPN2 after the Alabama-Tennessee game, expect in Big 12 markets, where it aired on ABC.''
2012 schedule
''ABC did not air Games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
2013 schedule
''ABC did not air Games on either September 7 or October 12 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
2014 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series races.''
2015 schedule
2016 schedule
2017 schedule
2018 schedule
2019 schedule
2020 schedule
2021 schedule
2022 schedule
Standings
Nielsen ratings
Top 10 Regular Season Games
Seasonal
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''Saturday Night Football'' on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
.
Theme music
At the time the Saturday night package began in 2006, ABC Sports was integrated with ESPN, resulting in ESPN production concepts being applied to ABC-televised sports events. As a result, during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the theme music used for the ''ESPN College Football'' and ''College GameDay (football), College GameDay'' broadcasts was used on ABC's college football telecasts – including ''Saturday Night Football'' – with the exception in both years being the Rose Bowl Game, Rose Bowl, during which it used the bowl game version of the network's 1998-2005 sports theme (a cut that had traditionally been used in broadcast intros). ''Saturday Night Football'' games began using the bowl version of the 1998-2005 theme as well in 2008, continuing through the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.
The intro theme was updated in 2011, with the main theme music being changed to a different cut of the 1998-2005 bowl game theme (one that had usually been used during studio shows in the past). Bowl Championship Series games aired on ESPN during this period were produced identically to ''Saturday Night Football'' productions, and used this same theme music arrangement.
In 2012, the theme for all college football telecasts on both ESPN and ABC was changed to a heavily updated version of yet another one of ABC's 1998-2005 themes (this one had usually been used for intro teasers in the past). However, unlike previous ''SNF'' themes, this theme was a completely new recording, using the tune of the 1998-2005 song as the base.
In 2015, ABC began using the same theme used by all ESPN college football productions since the 2014-15 New Years' Six bowl games.
See also
* ''College Football Final''
* ''College Football Scoreboard''
* ''College GameDay (football TV program), College GameDay''
* ''ESPN College Football on ABC''
* ''ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime''
* ''ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime''
* ''ESPN2 College Football Saturday Primetime''
References
External links
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Weekly listings for the 2006 through 2010 college football seasons
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{{College football on television
2006 American television series debuts
2010s American television series
2020s American television series
ABC Sports
American Broadcasting Company original programming
College football television series
English-language television shows
Saturday mass media