ESPN Networks’ Thanksgiving Weekend CFB Schedule Announced

Corutesy: ESPN

ESPN is giving football fans plenty of ways to pass the time safely at home this Thanksgiving weekend.

Approximately 16 of college football’s Top 25 ranked teams are scheduled to face off this weekend in an extensive broadcast schedule across the ESPN networks. This weekend’s schedule is set to launch at noon Friday on ABC, with No. 20 Texas hosting No. 15 Iowa State.

Over on ESPN3, Liberty, which has surprised many fans and other teams this season, will host UMass, also at noon.

Following the conclusion of the Iowa State – Texas game, No. 25 North Carolina will host No. 2 Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. South Florida will host in-state rival UCF in an American Athletic Conference matchup, also at 3:30 p.m., on ESPN.

No. 9 Oregon will visit in-state rival Oregon State at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN to round out the day’s college football broadcast schedule.

The action continues at noon Saturday with 10 games set to take place across the ESPN networks. Michigan will host winless Penn State on ABC, while No. 6 Florida will play host to Kentucky on ESPN2. No. 12 Indiana will host Maryland at noon on ESPN2.

The ACC Network will feature a conference matchup between N.C. State and Syracuse. Meanwhile on the SEC Network, Missouri will host Vanderbilt.

ESPN3 will offer two options at noon: Georgia Southern at Georgia State, and Ball State at Toleo.

East Carolina, which won its second game of the season last week, will host Southern Methodist University (SMU) as one of three games featured at noon Saturday on ESPN+. The other two games slated to stream in the noon time slot on ESPN+ are: Bowling Green at Ohio, and Northern Illinois At Western Michigan.

The gridiron action will continue well past noon into the evening, with the #7 ranked University of Cincinnati on the road against Temple at 4 p.m. ET on ESPNU. #4 Clemson is scheduled to host Pittsburgh at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

No. 14 Oklahoma and West Virginia will headline the weekend’s schedule on ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One. Coverage is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET.

This weekend’s full college football broadcast schedule is noted below.

DateTime (ET)Game/TalentNetwork
Fri, Nov 27NoonNo. 15 Iowa State at No. 20 Texas
Matt Barrie, Mike Golic Jr., Kris Budden
ABC
 UMass at LibertyESPN3
3:30 p.m.No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 25 North Carolina
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Katie George
ABC
 UCF at South Florida
Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer
ESPN
7 p.m.No. 9 Oregon at Oregon State
Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Shelley Smith
ESPN
Sat, Nov 28NoonPenn State at Michigan
Dave Pasch, Mike Golic Sr., Paul Carcaterra
ABC
 Kentucky at No. 6 Florida
Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Quint Kessenich
ESPN
 Maryland at No. 12 Indiana
Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Jerry Punch
ESPN2
 NC State at Syracuse
Wes Durham, Roddy Jones
ACC Network
 Vanderbilt at Missouri
Dave Neal, DJ Shockley, Taylor Davis
SEC Network
 Georgia Southern at Georgia StateESPN3
 Ball State at Toledo
Michael Reghi, Devin Gardner
ESPN3
 SMU at East Carolina
Lincoln Rose, LaDarrin McLane
ESPN+
 Bowling Green at Ohio
David Wilson, Ryan Cavanaugh
ESPN+
 Northern Illinois at Western Michigan
Dan Gutowsky, Marcus Ray
ESPN+
1 p.m.Miami (Ohio) at Akron
Anthony Lima, Jerod Cherry
ESPN3
 UTEP at RiceESPN3
3 p.m.South Alabama at Arkansas StateESPN3
 No. 23 Louisiana at Louisiana-MonroeESPN3
 No. 16 Coastal Carolina at Texas StateESPN+
3:30 p.m.Colorado at No. 19 USC
Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill, Allison Williams
ABC
 Pittsburgh at No. 4 Clemson
Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Todd McShay, Molly McGrath
ESPN
 No. 11 Northwestern at Michigan State
Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, Taylor McGregor
ESPN2
4 p.m.No. 7 Cincinnati at Temple
John Schriffen, Rene Ingoglia
ESPNU
 Louisville at Boston College
Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Eric Wood
ACC Network
 Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
SEC Network
7 p.m.LSU at No. 5 Texas A&M
Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden
ESPN
 Kansas State at Baylor
Jason Benetti, Andre Ware, Ian Fitzsimmons
ESPN2
 Duke at Georgia TechESPN3
7:30 p.m.No. 14 Oklahoma at West Virginia
Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy, Holly Rowe
ABC
 No. 13 Georgia at South Carolina
TV: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Alyssa Lang
Radio: Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones
SEC Network/ESPN Radio
8 p.m.Troy at Appalachian State
Bill Roth, Dustin Fox
ESPNU
 Virginia at Florida State
Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Katie George
ACC Network
10:30 p.m.TBD at Washington
Beth Mowins, Kurt Morrison, Stormy Buonantony
ESPN

Note: Not all digital games are exclusive

More information on the ESPN networks’ college football coverage is available online along with all of the latest college football news at:

Websitehttp://www.espn.com/college-football

Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/CFBonESPN

Twitterhttp://twitter.com/espncfb

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Networks’ Week 11 College Football Broadcast Schedule Announced; ‘CGD’ To Air Live From Augusta

Courtesy: ESPN

A dozen of the NCAA’s Top 25 college football teams are on the ESPN networks’ broadcast schedule this week.

The networks’ Week 11 broadcast schedule was announced Monday. This week’s schedule gets off to an early start tonight with a matchup between Kent State and Bowling Green on ESPN2. Coverage is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET. Miami (OH) and Buffalo continue the MAC action tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The networks’ schedule continues Wednesday with two more games at 8 p.m. ET. The first of the night’s games — Toledo at Western Michigan — will air on ESPN. The other — Central Michigan at Northern Illinois — will air on ESPNU.

No. 7 Cincinnati (which fell from No. 6 to No. 7 in the AP standings over the weekend despite a dominating win over Houston and despite being the AAC’s only undefeated team at 6-0, 4-0) will host East Carolina University at 7:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.

Big 10 foes No. 13 Wisconsin and Maryland will headline this week’s schedule at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night on ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One.

Another key matchup in this week’s schedule is a showdown between Notre Dame and Boston College. Game coverage is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The ESPN networks’ full broadcast schedule for Week 11 of the 2020 college football season is noted below.

DateTime (ET)Game/TalentNetwork
Tue, Nov 107:30 p.m.Kent State at Bowling Green
Mike Couzens, Cole Cubelic
ESPN2
8 p.m.Miami (OH) at Buffalo
Matt Barrie, Mike Golic Jr., Paul Carcaterra
ESPN
Wed, Nov 118 p.m.Toledo at Western Michigan
Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill, Eric Wood
ESPN
 Central Michigan at Northern Illinois
Mike Corey, Rocky Boiman
ESPNU
Fri, Nov 137:30 p.m.East Carolina at No. 7 Cincinnati
Jason Benetti, Andre Ware, Rocky Boiman
ESPN2
Sat, Nov 14NoonNo. 10 Indiana at Michigan State
Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Holly Rowe
ABC
 No. 12 Georgia at Missouri
Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Quint Kessenich
ESPN
  No. 9 Miami at Virginia Tech
Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Eric Wood
ESPN2
  No. 15 Coastal Carolina at Troy
John Schriffen, Rene Ingoglia
ESPNU
  Wake Forest at North Carolina
Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Katie George
ACC Network
  Vanderbilt at Kentucky
Dave Neal, DJ Shockley, Dawn Davenport
SEC Network
  Coast Guard at Merchant Marine
Dave Leno, Ken Dunek
ESPN3
  Western Carolina at No. 22 LibertyESPN3
  Army at Tulane
Joel Meyers, Brian Kinchen
ESPN+
 2 p.m.South Alabama at No. 25 LouisianaESPN+
 2:30 p.m.Georgia State at Appalachian StateESPN+
 3 p.m.South Florida at Houston
David Saltzman, Stan Routt
ESPN+
  UTEP at UTSAESPN+
  Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas StateESPN3
 3:30 p.m.No. 2 Notre Dame at Boston College
Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Todd McShay, Molly McGrath
ABC
  No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee
Kevin Brown, Mike Golic Sr., Marty Smith
ESPN/ESPN Radio
  Colorado at Stanford
Beth Mowins, Rod Gilmore, Shelley Smith
ESPN2
  Memphis at Navy
Clay Matvick, Jay Walker
ESPNU
  Louisville at Virginia
Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Jerry Punch
ACC Network
  Rice at Louisiana TechESPN3
  Texas State at Georgia SouthernESPN3
 7 p.m.Arkansas at No. 6 Florida
Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams
ESPN
  No. 19 SMU at Tulsa
Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill, Ian Fitzsimmons
ESPN2
  Pittsburgh at Georgia TechESPN3
 7:30 p.m.No. 13 Wisconsin at Michigan
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
ABC
  Temple at UCF
Mike Corey, Hutson Mason
ESPNU
  Florida State at NC State
Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Lericia Harris
ACC Network
  South Carolina at Ole Miss
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
SEC Network
 10:30 p.m.California at Arizona State
Dave Flemming, Kirk Morrison, Kris Budden
ESPN2
Courtesy: ESPN

In related news, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will air live Saturday from Augusta, GA, the home of the Masters.

The special edition of ESPN’s CGD will air live from Augusta National Golf Club. The broadcast will preview The PGA’s Masters Golf Tournament and will come specifically from the Par 3 course, the site of the Masters Par 3 Contest. The Masters Gold Tournament was postponed from its normal date in April to Saturday, Nov. 14 as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content, commented on this weekend’s broadcast in a prepared statement.

“Anytime College GameDay travels to a new destination it’s special, and the opportunity to be on the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters is extraordinary,” said Pitaro.  “As this iconic event coincides with the college football season for the first time, we look forward to getting fans ready for a football Saturday, while also showcasing the Masters and the greatest golfers in the world.”

A “virtual pit’ will allow fans to take part in the broadcast from the safety of their own homes. Fans who want to take part in the ‘virtual pit’ can register for a chance for inclusion in the event here.

Rece Davis will anchor the broadcast. Five-time Emmy Award-winning analyst Kirk Herbstreit, Heisman Trophy winner and NFL MVP Desmond Howard, College Football Hall of Fame inductee and former Georgia All-American Georgia undergrad and MBA alum Maria Taylor, and Tom Rinaldi will join Davis for the broadcast. Additionally, Lee Corso will contribute remotely from his home.

Other contributors expected to appear on Saturday’s edition of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot are: Jen Lada, Pat McAfee, and Gene Wojciechowski. Along with appearing on Saturday’s broadcast, Rinaldi will also repot on The Masters for his 13th consecutive year.

This year is the first that ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot has aired from Augusta. However, the program has previously welcomed some well-known college golf athletes. PGA golfer Ricky Fowler (former Oklahoma State golfer), and fellow PGA star Justin Thomas (former Alabama golfer) have appeared on the program.

ESPN will air the first and second rounds of The Masters tournament from 1 – 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 12-13. ESPN will offer expanded PGA coverage this year from Nov. 9-15 on ESPN+, including exclusive practice round coverage on Nov. 10-11, and coverage of Holes 4,5, and 6 on all four days of the tournament. Additionally, SportsCenter will have special coverage from The Masters throughout the week of the tournament.

More information on ESPN’s college football and PGA coverage is available along with all of the latest PGA headlines at:

Websitehttp://espn.com

Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/ESPN

Twitterhttp://twitter.com/espn

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

MAC, PAC-12 Return To Play This Weekend On ESPN’s Networks

Courtesy: ESPN

The Mid-American Conference and Pac-12 will make their official return to play this weekend.

The ESPN networks will have full coverage of the conferences’ return to mark the occasion. It all starts at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday with five games from the MAC spread across the ESPN networks. Western Michigan will face Akron on ESPN3 while Eastern Michigan will be on the road against Kent State on ESPN+.

Ohio will face Central Michigan at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Over on ESPN2, Buffalo will visit Northern Illinois, also at 7 p.m. ET.

Rounding out the evening’s MAC coverage is a matchup of Toledo and Bowling Green at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

PAC-12 RETURN

Courtesy: ESPN

The Pac-12’s return will come in the form of a matchup between Stanford and No. 12 Oregon. The matchup will headline this weekend’s college football schedule. The teams will play live on ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The ACC will open this weekend’s college football schedule as North Carolina State University will host ACC foe No. 11 Miami at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN.

Saturday’s day-long schedule launches at noon with nine games at noon across ESPN’s networks. No. 22 Texas will host West Virginia on ABC. The game will simulcast on ABC Radio.

Another key noon matchup is #25 Liberty visiting Virginia Tech on the ACC Network. No. 18 SMU will visit Temple on ESPN+.

No. 16 Marshall will host UMass at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.

Even more Top 25 matchups follow at 3:30 p.m. ET. No. 10 Wisconsin will host Purdue on ABC while No. 6 Cincinnati will host Houston on ESPN. No. 19 Oklahoma will host Kansas on ESPN2.

Later in the evening, No. 7 Texas A&M will visit South Carolina on ESPN. That game will simulcast on ESPN Radio.

No. 15 Coastal Carolina will host South Alabama at 8 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

The ESPN networks’ full college football broadcast schedule for this week is noted below.

DateTime (ET)Game/TalentNetwork
Wed, Nov 46 p.m.Western Michigan at Akron
Michael Reghi, Dustin Fox
ESPN3
  Eastern Michigan at Kent State
David Wilson, John Gregory
ESPN+
 7 p.m.Ohio at Central Michigan
Kevin Brown, Mike Golic Jr., Quint Kessenich
ESPN
 Buffalo at Northern Illinois
Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill, Taylor McGregor
ESPN2
8 p.m.Bowling Green at Toledo
Mike Couzens, Rocky Boiman
ESPNU
Fri, Nov 67:30 p.m.No. 11 Miami at NC State
Jason Benetti, Andre Ware, Marty Smith
ESPN
Sat, Nov 7NoonWest Virginia at No. 22 Texas
TV: Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy, Holly Rowe
Radio: Marc Kestecher, Ben Hartsock
ABC/ESPN Radio
 Michigan State at Iowa
Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Paul Carcaterra
ESPN
 North Carolina at Duke
Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Alex Chappell
ESPN2
 Arkansas State at Louisiana
Dave Neal, DJ Shockley
ESPNU
 No. 25 Liberty at Virginia Tech
Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Taylor Davis
ACC Network
 Louisiana-Monroe at Georgia StateESPN3
 Tulane at East Carolina
Evan Lepler, Jay Sonnhalter
ESPN+
 South Florida at Memphis
Lincoln Rose, LaDarrin McLane
ESPN+
 No. 18 SMU at Temple
Dave Leno, Ken Dunek
ESPN+
1 p.m.Troy at Georgia SouthernESPN3
2 p.m.Boston College at SyracuseESPN3
2:30 p.m.UMass at No. 16 MarshallESPN+
3 p.m.North Alabama at Southern MississippiESPN3
 Appalachian State at Texas StateESPN+
3:30 p.m.Purdue at No. 10 Wisconsin
Dave Pasch, Mike Golic Sr., Jerry Punch
ABC
 Houston at No. 6 Cincinnati
Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Todd McShay, Molly McGrath
ESPN
 Kansas at No. 19 Oklahoma
Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill, Kris Budden
ESPN2
 Vanderbilt at Mississippi State
Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport
SEC Network
 UTSA at RiceESPN3
 Charlotte at Middle TennesseeESPN+
4 p.m.Arizona at Utah
Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman
ESPNU
 Pittsburgh at Florida State
Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Lericia Harris
ACC Network
 Florida International at UTEPESPN3
7 p.m.No. 7 Texas A&M at South Carolina
TV: Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Quint Kessenich
Radio: Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones
ESPN/ESPN Radio
 UCLA at Colorado
Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, John Schriffen
ESPN2
7:30 p.m.Stanford at No. 12 Oregon
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
ABC
 Tennessee at Arkansas
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
SEC Network
8 p.m.South Alabama at No. 15 Coastal Carolina
Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia
ESPNU
 Louisville at Virginia
Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Katie George
ACC Network
10:30 p.m.Washington at California
Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Allison Williams
ESPN

Note: Not all digital games are exclusive

More information on the ESPN networks’ college football coverage is available online along with all of the latest college football news at:

Websitehttp://www.espn.com/college-football

Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/CFBonESPN

Twitterhttp://twitter.com/espncfb

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN’s ‘First Take’ To Preview NFC Wild Card Matchup Live From Texas

Courtesy: ESPN

The National Football League kicks off its post season this weekend, and ESPN will be on hand to cover the first weekend of the playoffs.

The network announced Monday in a news release, that its hit show First Take will air live from Arlington, Texas where the Dallas Cowboys will host the Seattle Seahawks in one of the weekend’s four Wildcard matchups.  The program’s on-site broadcast marks the third time in as many months that First Take will broadcast from AT&T Stadium.

ESPN Vice President of Production David Roberts said in the release, that Friday’s broadcast will be a positive presentation.

“The energy from the fans at the previous shows in Dallas has been truly unique,” Roberts said.  “Add in that the Cowboys will be playing in a win-or-go-home Wild Card showdown this weekend, and it should make for some unforgettable moments between [Cowboys critic] Stephen A. Smith and the Dallas faithful.”

Friday’s broadcast is free and open to the public.  Doors open at 7:30 a.m. CT/8:30 a.m. ET.  The broadcast starts at 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET and runs until 11 a.m. CT/noon ET.  Friday’s event will air live on ESPN and stream live via the ESPN app.

Friday’s broadcast is just one part of an extensive weekend of NFL coverage from ESPN.  The network’s Monday Night Football broadcast team will cover Saturday’s Wild Card game between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans on ESPN.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. ET.

In the college ranks, ESPN will broadcast the College Football Championship live Jan. 7.Clemson and Alabama will compete for college football’s top prize in the game.  Coverage is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET.

More information on ESPN’s NFL post season coverage is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

More information on ESPN’s college football coverage is available online now along with all of the latest college football headlines at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/college-football

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CFBonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espncfb

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN To Offer Extensive Coverage Of 2018 NFL Draft

Courtesy: ESPN

The 2018 NFL Draft is less than a week away, and ESPN will have extensive coverage of this year’s draft from beginning to end.

This year’s broadcast of the draft marks the 39th consecutive year that ESPN will cover the draft.  It all begins with dual coverage of Round 1 next Thursday, April 26 at 8 p.m. from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.  Trey Wingo will anchor ESPN’s broadcast of Round 1.  He will be joined by Draft Analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN NFL Front OFfice Insider Louis Riddick and ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit in his draft debut.

Also scheduled to appear throughout Round 1’s 32 picks are key contributors Todd McShay, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and Suzy Kolber.

On ESPN2, Rece Davis will anchor College Football Primetime at the NFL Draft presented by Courtyard.  The broadcast is a college football themed presentation of Round 1.  Joining Davis for the broadcast will be College GameDay‘s Desmond Howard and David Pollack alongside ESPN college football analysts Joey Galloway and Booger McFarland.  Tom Rinaldi and Maria Taylor will also make appearances on the broadcast.

ESPN will also have reporters embedded with some of the teams throughout Round One.  Josina Anderson will be embedded with the Cleveland Browns while Diana Russini will be in the New York Giants’ camp.  Sal Paolantonio will be with the New York Jets while Jeff Darlington will be with the Buffalo Bills.

Rounds 2 and 3 will be simulcast April 27 on ESPN and ESPN2 while Rounds 4-7 will air April 28 on ABC and and ESPN.  Trey Wingo will anchor broadcast of Rounds 2 – 7.  He will be joined in each broadcast by Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.

The full broadcast schedule for the ESPN networks’ coverage of the 2018 NFL Draft is noted below.

ESPN Programming Originating from the NFL Draft in Arlington, Texas: 

Date

Time (ET)

Show

Network(s)

Thu, Apr 26

6 a.m.

Golic and Wingo

ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS*

3 p.m.

NFL Live Presented by Corona Extra

ESPN

5 p.m.

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot

ESPN

7 p.m.

NFL Draft Countdown presented by ZipRecruiter

ESPN

8 p.m.

2018 NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard

(Round 1)

ESPN, ESPN Radio

8 p.m.

College Football Primetime at The NFL Draft presented by Courtyard (Round 1)

ESPN2

8 p.m.

2018 NFL Draft (Round 1 in Spanish)

ESPN Deportes

Fri, Apr 27

6 a.m.

Golic and Wingo

ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS*

3 p.m.

NFL Live Presented by Corona Extra

ESPN

5 p.m.

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot

ESPN

6 p.m.

NFL Draft Countdown presented by ZipRecruiter

ESPN

7 p.m.

2018 NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard

(Rounds 2-3)

ESPN/ESPN2,

ESPN Radio

7 p.m.

2018 NFL Draft (Round 2 in Spanish)

ESPN App

Sat, Apr 28

12 p.m.

2018 NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard

(Rounds 4-7)

ESPN, ABC

*Golic and Wingo will also be simulcast on ESPN2 from 6-7 a.m. ET.

 

Along with coverage on television, ESPN will offer coverage online and on the radio for those who won’t be near a television during the draft.  Coverage will stream simulcast on the ESPN App.  Extra bonus content will also be available on ESPN+.

ESPN Radio will carry coverage of Round 1-3 starting April 26 at 7 p.m. ET and April 27 at 6 p.m. with Dari Nowkhah at the helm.  Nowkhah will be joined by Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN NFL Front Office Insider Bill Polian, reporter Ian Fitzsimmons and retied NFL star (and current ESPN new York 98.7  FM host) Chris Canty for additional commentary throughout.  Freddie Coleman will host post-draft coverage both nights at 11:30 p.m.

As if all of that coverage is not enough, ESPN Deportes will carry coverage of Round 1 while Round 2 will be available in Spanish via the ESPN App.  Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega and Miguel Pascal will be on hand for the broadcasts.  They will be joined by Alba Galindo and Keneth Garay will have additional commentary along with reporter Carlos Nava who will report live from inside AT&T Stadium.

ESPN International will carry coverage of the draft in Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, The Pacific Islands, Canada (on TSN), and Africa (on Kwese).  All three days of the draft will air on ESPN International in Mexico and Central America, with the first two days being broadcast entirely in Spanish.

Only the first day of the draft will be carried in Spanish throughout South America, save for Brazil, where the first two days will be broadcast in Portugese. All three days will be broadcast live across the Caribbean and Pacific Rim.

All broadcasts will be simulcast online via broadband players in Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands.  Viewers in the Caribbean and Spanish-speaking Latin America can stream the draft online via ESPN Play.

More information on the ESPN networks’ coverage of the 2018 NFL Draft is available online now along with all of the latest NFL headlines at:

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Early Details For 2018 MEAC/SWAC Challenge

COURTESY: ESPN Events

ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, has added another matchup to its already extensive 2018 college football broadcast schedule.

The network has added the MEAC/SWAC Challenge to its annual college football broadcast schedule.  The early season game is a matchup of teams from two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  This year’s showdown will pit N.C. Central (MEAC) against Prairie View A&M (SWAC) Sept. 2 at Pete Petit Field at Georgia State Stadium.

The game is one of a number of games owned and operated by ESPN Events.  Terms of the deal between ESPN and other involved parties will see ESPN carry the game for the next three years on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, the traditional opening weekend of the annual college football season.

2018 marks the 14th year that the MEAC/SWAC Challenge has been held.  It also marks the return of the game to a neutral field instead of either team’s home field.

Adding to the interest of this year’s game is that it will be played in the same city as the Celebration Bowl, which features the MEAC and SWAC champions facing off in a bowl-season opening championship game.  This year’s Celebration Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 15 at Mercedez Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.  It will be played live on one of ESPN’s networks, which will be announced at a later date.

John Grant, ESPN Events’ Celebration Bowl Executive Director said in a recent interview that placing the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in the same city as the Celebration Bowl made common sense.

“In addition to being a hotbed for college football fandom, Atlanta is a culturally diverse city, with a rich history of HBCU education and excellence,” Grant said.  “To begin the HBCU football season in the same city it concludes in, will give fans two vibrant touchpoints for the excitement and pageantry of these matchups.”

MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas and SWAC Interim Commissioner Edgar Gantt both agreed.

“I am proud to continue this extraordinary event that showcases the excellent student-athletes and coaches from both the MEAC and the SWAC on a national stage,” Thomas said.  “We have a tremendous partnership with ESPN and we appreciate all of their efforts on behalf of both conferences.”

Gantt echoed those sentiments.

“The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is a great contest that our coaches and student-athletes look forward to competing in year after year,” Gantt said.  “ESPN Events has done a wonderful job in making sure the MEAC/SWAC Challenge is a first-class event that ultimately sets the stage for the road back to Atlanta.”

More information on the MEAC/SWAC Challenge is available online now at:

 

Website: http://www.meacswacchallenge.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MEACSWACChallenge

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MEAC_SWAC

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

 

ESPN Networks Announce College Football Week 2 Broadcast Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN and its networks have announced their broadcast schedules for the second week of the 2017 – 18 college football season.

The networks have a full slate of games for Week 2 that will be capped off Sept. 9  on ABC by a matchup of No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 2 Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday Night Football presented by Wells Fargo.  No. 3 Clemson will host No. 13 Auburn at 7 p.m. on ESPN the same night.

Saturday night’s schedule is only part of the ESPN networks’ Week 2 college football schedule.  Sam Houston State was on the road Thursday against Prairie View A&M on ESPN.

Memphis and UCF are scheduled to face off Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU as a result of Hurricane Irma.  Over on ESPN2, No. 11 Oklahoma will be on the road against South Alabama beginning at 8 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule starts at 10:30 a.m. ET as South Florida faces UConn on ESPNNEWS due to the impacts of Hurricane Irma.  The Cincinnati Bearcats are scheduled to face No. 8 Michigan live on ABC beginning at noon. Also scheduled for high noon are matchups between North Carolina and No. 17 Louisville on ESPN; Iowa at Iowa State on ESPN2; Northwestern at Duke on ESPNU and a number of other games.

The networks’ full schedule for the weekend is noted below.

ESPN’s Networks Week 2 Schedule as of 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7

Date

Time (ET)

Game

Network

Thur, Sept. 7

7:30 p.m.

Sam Houston State at Prairie View A&M
Eric Clemons, Jay Walker

ESPNU

Fri, Sept. 8

6:30 p.m.

Memphis at UCF

ESPNU

8 p.m.

No. 11 Oklahoma State at South Alabama
Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath

ESPN2

Sat, Sept. 9

10:30 a.m.

No. 21 South Florida at UConn
Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia

ESPNEWS

Noon

Cincinnati at No. 8 Michigan
Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams

ABC

No. 17 Louisville at North Carolina
Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill

ESPN

Iowa at Iowa State
Jason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer, Julia Stewart-Binks

ESPN2

Northwestern at Duke
Mike Couzens, John Congemi

ESPNU

Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
Taylor Zarzour, Andre Ware, Olivia Harlan

SEC Network

Tennessee-Martin at Ole Miss
Mike Morgan, Barrett Jones, Richard Cross

SEC Network Alternate

Northern Colorado at No. 22 Florida
Joel Meyers, Brian Kinchen,

SEC Network +

Louisiana-Monroe at No. 10 Florida State

ACC Network Extra

12:30 p.m.

Jacksonville at Georgia Tech

ACC Network Extra

1 p.m.

Wake Forest at Boston College
Robert Lee, Matt Chatham

ACC Network Extra

3 p.m.

UAB at Ball State
Jim Barbar, Hutson Mason

ESPN3

3:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh at No. 4 Penn State
Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

ABC

Fresno State at No. 1 Alabama
Adam Amin, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

ESPN2

Indiana at Virginia
Dave Weekley, John Gregory

ESPNU

San Jose State at Texas
Lowell Galindo, Ahmad Brooks, Kris Budden

Longhorn Network

Howard at Kent State
Michael Reghi, Jerod Cherry

ESPN3

Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois
Jordan Bernfield, Marcus Ray

ESPN3

Savannah State at Appalachian State
Brock Bowling, Stan Lewter

ESPN3

Austin Peay at Miami (Ohio)
Jeff McCarrigher, Bobby Carpenter

ESPN3

Villanova at Temple
Greg Mescall, Tyoka Jackson

ESPN3

Middle Tennessee at Syracuse
Doug Sherman, Doug Graber

ACC Network Extra

Delaware at Virginia Tech
Drew Fellios, Forrest Conoly

ACC Network Extra

4 p.m.

Indiana State vs. No. 25 Tennessee
David Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport

SEC Network

Alabama A&M vs. Vanderbilt
Mark Neely, Jay Walker, Desmond Purnell

SEC Network Alternate

Louisiana at Tulsa
David Saltzman, George Wrighster

ESPN3

New Hampshire at Georgia Southern
Matt Stewart, Wayne Gandy

ESPN3

6 p.m.

South Dakota at Bowling Green
Dan Dutowsky, Watson Brown

ESPN3

Alabama State at Troy
Tiffany Greene, Rene Nadeau

ESPN3

Marshall at NC State
Kevin Fitzgerald, Dustin Fox

ACC Network Extra

6:30 p.m.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Akron
David Wilson, Travis Tannahill

ESPN3

7 p.m.

No. 13 Auburn at No. 3 Clemson
Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay

ESPN

South Carolina at Missouri
Anish Shroff, Mike Golic, Jr, Roddy Jones

ESPN2

Nicholls at Texas A&M
Roy Philpott, Tom Ramsey

ESPNU

North Texas at SMU
David Raymond, Stanford Routt

ESPN3

Toledo at Nevada
Trey Bender, Jay Taylor

ESPN3

7:30 p.m.

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 2 Ohio State
TV: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
Radio: Bill Rosinski, Dusty Dvoracek, Ian Fitzsimmons

ABC and ESPN Radio

Chattanooga vs. No. 12 LSU
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic

SEC Network

8:30 p.m.

No. 14 Stanford at No. 6 USC
Marc Kestecher, David Norrie

ESPN Radio

9 p.m.

UNLV at Idaho

ESPN3

10:15 p.m.

Utah at BYU
Mike Patrick, Tommy Tuberville, Paul Carcaterra

ESPN2

10:30 p.m.

Boise State at No. 20 Washington State
Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich

ESPN,

Houston at Arizona
Clay Matvick, Kirk Morrison

ESPNU

 

Due to Irma’s projected path, this weekend’s game between No. 16 Miami and No. 10 Florida State has been canceled. Indiana and Virginia will face off in place of that game.

Louisiana-Monroe and No. 10 Florida State has also been impacted by Irma.  It has been pushed up to a noon start time Saturday as a non-exclusive game on ACC Network Extra.

Northern Colorado and No. 22 Florida has also been impacted by Irma.  It has been moved to noon Saturday and will be streamed exclusively on the SEC Network+.  Along with that move, Chattanooga at No. 12 LSU has been moved from SEC Network Alternate to SEC Network.

The last of the games currently affected by Irma is Saturday’s game between New Hampshire at Georgia Southern.  That game has been moved to a 4 p.m. start time and will be played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.  It will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

More information on the ESPN networks’ College Football Week 2 coverage schedule is available online now along with all of the latest college football news at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/college-football

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CFBonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/espncfb

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Week 1 NFL Broadcast Schedule

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has announced the broadcast schedule for the opening week of the National Football League’s 2017 – ’18 season.

The network will open Week 1 with Samantha Ponder and Rex Ryan making their debut appearances on Sunday NFL Countdown Sept. 10.  The three-hour program will air at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN and will also feature appearances by analysts Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss and Charles Taylor.  Also expected to appear for the broadcast will be ESPN Insiders Chris Mortensen, Louis Riddick, Adam Schefter and senior fantasy sports analyst Matthew Berry.

Sal Paolantonio will have all of the latest pre-game reports on the Eagles-Redskins matchup while Diana Russini is scheduled to report on the Raiders – Titans showdown. ESPN Radio will carry the prior game live Sunday at noon as part of a double header schedule that also includes a live broadcast of the Colts and Rams at 4 p.m.

Jeff Darlington and Dan Graziano will report on matchups between the Jags and Texans and the Steelers and Browns respectively.

Josina Anderson will be on site for the Seahawks and Packers while Jim Trotter will have all of the latest pre-game headlines from the site of the Giants – Cowboys matchup. Graziano’s appearance and that of Russini will be debut appearances for each reporter on Sunday NFL Countdown.

Monday Night Football rounds out ESPN’s Week 1 NFL coverage with a special double header schedule on Sept. 11. The first game on the night will see the Vikings playing host to the Saints in Minneapolis while Denver will host San Diego in the night’s second game.

Sean McDonough will have the call for the night’s lead-off game and will be joined in the booth by Jon Gruden for more commentary.  Lisa Salters will be on the sidelines with all of the latest news and interviews throughout the game.

Beth Mowins will make her MNF debut as she calls the night’s second game, which is set to start at 10:15 p.m. ET.  She will be joined by Ryan for additional commentary.  ESPN Deportes’ Sergio Dipp will be on the sidelines for all of the game’s latest news and interviews.

ESPN2 will carry a Spanish simulcast of MNF while both games will be streamed online via the ESPN app.

Before Monday night’s first kickoff, Suzy Kolber will host a two-hour edition of Monday Night Countdown beginning at 5 p.m. ET.  She will be joined by Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson and Steve Young live from US Bank Stadium for additional commentary.

ESPN NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and Louis Riddick will join them live from ESPN’s studios in Bristol, CT.  Features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck will be in Denver and will present a profile on former Chargers Public Relations Director Bill Johnston.

Johnson made the difficult decision during the offseason to vacate his position with the team so that he could stay in San Diego as his wife battles Huntington’s Disease, which she has battled since 1999.  According to the Mayo Clinic, Huntington’s Disease is a genetic disease that causes brain cells to degenerate over time, causing problems with the patient’s “functional abilities” and “usually results in movement, thinking and psychiatric disorders.”

Along with all of its coverage on television and radio, ESPN Magazine’s brand new 2017 NFL Preview Issue, due to hit newsstands Sept. 8 will have projections for every team in the league.  Fantasy Football Now will have up-to-the-minute reports from every game Sunday, too.

More information on ESPN’s Week 1 NFL coverage is available online along with all of the latest NFL headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.espn.com/nfl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NFLonESPN

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPNNFL

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

ESPN Announces Major League Soccer 2017 Season Broadcast Schedule

Courtesy:  ESPN/ESPNFC

Courtesy: ESPN/ESPNFC

ESPN has announced its Major League Soccer 2017 broadcast schedule.

ESPN and its family of networks will broadcast 31 MLS games this season.  The networks’ schedule opens Sunday, March 5 as the Orlando City SC takes on the New York City FC.  Broadcast begins at 5 p.m. ET.

ESPN’s broadcast of the game marks the first time that Orlando’s soccer team will have played a full game in the new Orlando City Stadium.  ESPN Deportes will simulcast the game, which will feature a number of the league’s top international stars.  They include Brazil’s Kaka, Italy’s Antonio Nocerino (Orlando), Spain’s David Villa and Italy’s Andrea Pirlo (New York City).

Games will be broadcast each Sunday through June. On ESPN and its networks.  Each game will be simulcast on ESPN Deportes.  ESPN will present a special Friday broadcast of Real Salt Lake City FC vs. the Orlando City SC on June June 30 at 9:30 p.m. Games will vary between Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the remainder of the season.  The full schedule for the ESPN networks’ coverage of the MLS 2017 season is noted below.

ESPN’s 2017 MLS Schedule

(Schedule Subject to Change)

Date Time (ET) Match Networks
Sun, March 5 5 p.m. Orlando City SC vs. New York City FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, March 12 5 p.m. Minnesota United FC vs. Atlanta United FC ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
Sun, April 2 9 p.m. Portland Timbers vs. New England Revolution ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
Sun, April 9 4 p.m. Orlando City SC vs. New York Red Bulls ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Fri, April 14 7 p.m. Philadelphia Union vs. New York City FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, April 23 4 p.m. Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sat, May 6 4 p.m. Seattle Sounders FC vs. Toronto FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, May 14 4 p.m. Portland Timbers vs. Atlanta United FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, May 21 5 p.m. Minnesota United FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, May 28 5 p.m. Atlanta United FC vs. New York City FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sat, June 3 5 p.m. Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sat, June 17 1 p.m. New York City FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, June 18 5 p.m. Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, June 25 4 p.m. Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Fri, June 30 9:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake City FC vs. Orlando City SC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sat, July 1 7 p.m. Sporting Kansas City vs. Portland Timbers ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Fri, July 21 7 p.m. Orlando City SC vs. Atlanta United FC ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
Sat, July 22 4 p.m. Minnesota United FC vs. New York Red Bulls ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sat, July 29 TBD Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, July 30 2 p.m. Toronto FC vs. New York City FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Aug 6 4 p.m. Portland Timbers vs. Los Angeles Galaxy ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Aug 13 6 p.m. Atlanta United FC vs. Minnesota United FC ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
Sat, Aug 19 4 p.m. Atlanta United FC vs. Los Angeles Galaxy ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Fri, Aug 25 7 p.m. New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Aug 27 4:30 p.m. Montreal Impact vs. Toronto FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Sep 10 1 p.m. Columbus Crew SC vs. Sporting Kansas City ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Sep 17 1 p.m. New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Sept 24 1 p.m. Sporting Kansas City vs. Los Angeles Galaxy ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct 1 1 p.m. Philadelphia Union vs. Seattle Sounders FC ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct 15 3 p.m. TBD – Week 33 Flexible Scheduling ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Oct 22 4 p.m. TBD – Decision Day ESPN, ESPN Deportes

 

More information on the ESPN networks’ coverage of the MLS 2017 season is available online now along with all of the latest MLS headlines at:

 

 

 

Website: http://www.espnfc.us

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNFC

 

 

 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Folwer, Herbstreit Talk College Football Championship, Dynasties, More With Media

Courtesy:  ESPN

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has released the transcript of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit’s recent discussion with the media about Monday’s college football championship.  The pair opened the discussion with a talk on Alabama’s domination in the college football realm.  From there, the discussion turned to talk of offensive coordinators, the Heisman vote, and players’ skills among much more.  The full transcript of the conference is included below.
The College Football Playoff National Championship title game will be once again be called by Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit. The duo participated in a media conference call today to discuss the matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson, which will take place Mon, Jan. 9, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Transcript of the conference call is available below.

 

  1. Could both of you comment. Alabama is obviously extending their run to nearly a decade. We’ve seen dynasties come and go. How much is too much of one team dominating the conversation? Do you feel like people are getting bored with Alabama being here every year? Or does it make for more drama that someone has to try to knock them off?

 

CHRIS FOWLER: Maybe the answer is both. I think anytime any team rules the top of a sport, or any individual for that matter, a certain percentage are going to get fatigued. On the other hand you get an opportunity to frame something that is among the most incredible stories in the history of the sport.

You’re not supposed to be able to dominate at the top any more the way Alabama has done. They’ve defied conventional wisdom by doing that.

On the one hand you’re describing an incredible reign, sustained achievement. On the other hand, there are many people, even within the SEC, that would like to see a fresh story, new people at the top.

That’s what makes it so difficult to do what they’ve done. You wear a huge target and you wear it year after year and you manage that and you overcome that.

So in one respect you turn up to a game like this, one of the major plot lines is marvelling at what Alabama is continuing to do. Not that there has always been this many games, but nobody has ever gone 15-0 at the highest level of this sport. They have a chance to do it, as Clemson did last year. Five in eight years, that’s not supposed to happen.

On the other hand, you have this dynasty. Plenty of people I’m sure would love to see them toppled and love to see someone else take over. That happens throughout sports, throughout history.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: Speaking for myself, I enjoy it in sports, just being a fan of sports, whether it’s college basketball, even Chris following tennis with some of the individuals that get on like a Roger Federer type of run, a Tiger Woods in golf, what we used to see with maybe a team like Bobby Bowden and Florida State, now with what we’re seeing with Nick Saban, some of the Nebraska teams in the ’90s.

I can just speak for myself. I love it. I love when we have a program that raises the bar and that everybody is aiming for. We kind of mock it and tease it, Hey, we want ‘Bama kind of thing. Yet when I think you talk to the coaches and players in this sport, whether it’s in the SEC or around the country, they see that coach and they see that brand. That’s who they’re trying to bring down.

Whether the viewers at home get tired of Alabama, I guess it’s up to each individual. For me personally, I really enjoy it.

 

  1. With all the supposed drama over the OC, seems like at Clemson, a couple of names that people didn’t know, like Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott have done a remarkable job these couple of seasons following Chad Morris, which Dabo could have gone out and gotten anybody to take that position. What do you think of the job they’ve done? And Dexter Lawrence, what has he brought to the line as such a young guy on Clemson’s side of the ball?

 

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I would just say I’m glad you brought that up because you’re right. Seems like the next few days, a lot of talk about Lane and Sark. Unless you’re really a diehard Clemson fan, what has gone on notice was initially Dabo Swinney looking around and bringing in Chad Morris.

If you looked at how their offense was evolving, they were okay, but they weren’t as consistent. I think that game against West Virginia was maybe a wake-up call for them in that bowl game.

When they brought in Chad Morris and that offensive style, they brought it to a whole different level. When it looked like they got things going, you’re right, he had an opportunity to become a head coach. A lot of us wondered what direction he might go.

The proof is in the pudding. What Tony and Jeff have been able to do, that offensive staff, they’ve been blessed to have Deshaun Watson to help them. They are cutting edge. They’re innovative. I thought the game they had against Ohio State is a classic example of what they’ve been able to do in attacking a team’s weaknesses, being innovative and creative, having a quarterback that understands it. They’re doing it at a very fast pace.

I think that’s the exciting matchup for me personally in this game, not just Deshaun Watson, but it’s going to be Tony Elliott, Jeff Scott and Deshaun in that offense.

After what they did to this defense a year ago, matched up now against Nick Saban, you’re already hearing the Alabama players come out saying, We were embarrassed, this time it’s going to be different, they’re going to get the real Alabama.

I think we all want to see the real Alabama defense against Deshaun Watson. Those coordinators have done a hell of a job.

CHRIS FOWLER: What’s interesting, too, they’re both ex-Clemson walk-ons. When they sit in a room together, they finish each other’s sentences. Very interesting dynamic. Sometimes the co-offensive coordinator thing, which has become a little bit en vogue, it’s difficult, problematic. But those guys’ personalities blend very well.

Obviously their styles during the week and on the day of the game blend very well. I’d echo what Kirk said about the creativity. When you have a month to prepare, Urban Meyer and his staff – rightfully so – have gotten a ton of credit. A lot of brainpower in that Ohio State defensive side of the ball, with Schiano helping out, Bill Davis as a consultant, Fickell, of course.

It was a mismatch in terms of creativity, innovation and preparation for that game on Clemson’s side. It was a masterful game plan, play calling. Of course the execution, but Watson really helps. I’m glad you brought it up as well. Those guys have gotten not nearly enough credit.

For Lawrence, I thought Dexter had a quiet game. You always expect to call his number a lot. We have done Clemson a bunch this year and marvelled at this guy. You can’t look at him and think this is actually a true freshman. What was he like in high school a year ago? How fearsome would it have been to carry the ball against that guy? He’s broken in.

I think the productivity, to use the scout’s phrase, which means just a whole bunch of tackles. You’re not supposed to have that many tackles at that position. You’re not supposed to have that many tackles as a true freshman.

You put those two together, it’s one of the most startling defensive seasons that I’ve ever seen because of the nature of the position and his youth and how well he’s played it.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: Fourth on the team in tackles, which again, you don’t see that for a defensive lineman. His personality for a young guy in this world of five-star recruits, high profile, kind of what’s in it for me, me, me, he just kind of has fit into that group seamlessly with Watkins up there, Wilkins, who is a high-profile guy a year ago. Ferrell is another freshman that’s playing well for them. Austin Bryant. They have a big-time, high-level group there they just keep rotating big bodies in there. You’d think he’s been there for three years the way his personality has been in there.

CHRIS FOWLER: They have a way to chart efficiency. The number of impact plays per snap. He’s number one on the team for that. That says a lot. They refer to tackles or pressured or batted balls. In that metric, he’s number one on the defense, which says a whole lot, given the quality of players they have over there.

 

  1. This game with Clemson’s offense versus this Alabama’s defense is almost the irresistible force paradox. Can Clemson move the ball on this Alabama team, and what are they going to have to do to be able to do that? Alabama, it’s so hard to score on them. Then we’ve seen so many teams kind of ascend to this height, but is Clemson one of the teams that is built for sustainability? Has Dabo built the kind of program where they might not win five of eight, but can they make multiple trips into the College Football Playoff?

 

KIRK HERBSTREIT: Number one, there’s so many things there. Clemson’s offense has an ability, because of the system and the quarterback, to score on anybody that they play, providing that Deshaun is kind of on. Last year he was, what, 30 of 47, for 405 yards and four touchdowns against them. They had ample amount of time to prepare for them.

When I watch ‘Bama, the one thing they’ve kind of been spoiled with, is they have an ability to stop the run, and keep two safeties deep to prevent any kind of deep passes downfield. That’s kind of an oxymoron in today’s college football, when you have an ability to keep two safeties back, and also at the same time stop the run. They did it against Washington. Did not have a quarterback run game.

If they do that against Clemson, you’ll see Deshaun Watson run it 20 to 25 times until they get out of that look, then they can start to throw the football.

That will be a little bit of a game within the game, is how Alabama is going to try to play with their safeties, and whether or not they can stop the run and take away the deep ball at the same time.

If they’re effective in doing that, Clemson will punt, like Washington did, almost every series. You got to make them pay for that would be the big thing.

Then just getting Deshaun Watson into his flow, which means to me running and throwing. I expect him to carry it at least 20 times in this game. I think the matchup on the perimeter against Humphrey and Averett, the other corner, will go a long way in determining how this game goes as well.

The ball is going to have to get out fast because of that pass-rush. That means the receivers have to work their tails off to get open and get separation.

CHRIS FOWLER: I don’t see why they wouldn’t move the ball and score points. Alabama came off a shutout in last year’s semifinal. Clemson lit them up. They didn’t have Mike Williams or Deon Cain in that game. When you look at Monday night, the two most dangerous receiving weapons potentially, Cain isn’t as productive or consistent as Leggett, but he certainly has the ability, those guys weren’t even out there last year, especially Williams, who is a complete difference maker.

Deshaun, as Kirk said, has to be sharp, pre-snap, post-snap, process things as quickly as he did against Ohio State, which is a serious challenge. At times they made it look really easy, but it isn’t easy to do what he did. His mind works very quickly. The execution is amazing, as good as we’ve seen in this sport.

He throws picks, that’s what he has to be worried about. You cannot get baited into interceptions. You cannot give Alabama a defensive touchdown. Every opponent goes into the game saying the same thing, yet they fall prey to it. Washington makes a bad decision, throws a ball out there in the flat. Anderson takes it back to the house. It’s a different game right before halftime. That’s the kind of mistake that teams make again and again with them.

Deshaun has made them pretty frequently. They overcame a couple of interceptions. That’s not a good formula to try to do against Alabama.

I think that there’s probably some sleepless nights and some anxious moments on the Alabama side as they get ready for this offense, knowing what happened last year.

Clemson’s program, you watch how Clemson is recruiting. You watch how they recruit in the region. Even to get into recruits somewhat nationally. They have a fertile recruiting area around there.

What they have to sell is a little bit different. They sell it in a different way than some programs. It really is this people first, family, loving environment. Yes, you can win a championship. Yes, you can get to the NFL. But you’re not going to come here and be a cog in the wheel. You’re not going to be a piece in the process. You’re going to be an individual that we look after and take care of and nurture.

I think that’s a message that seems to resonate really well to parents and players. Clemson has a whole lot to sell. I think he and his staff are recruiting as well as just about anybody. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be sustainable.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I think they’ve reached that status of an elite program. It’s been five or six years now that they’ve been able to recruit consistently. They have a brand-new, multi-million dollar facility which they’re moving over to which will be great to kind of continue. You know how it is with facilities, kind of showing the commitment to the program.

The big thing will be just continuing to get quarterbacks, which they’ve done. They have some guys that already signed, a guy who is a junior, a verbal.

Dabo has a way about him. It’s very, very real. I think parents feel that when they talk to him. I think he has a pretty good track record of recruiting at a very high level, graduating kids, taking care of them.

For him, if you bust your tail, aren’t a five-star recruit, you’re a walk-on, you do everything right on and off the field, he’s going to play you. He does it. That word gets out. So it’s not just about the Deshaun Watsons. It’s about the entire roster. It’s hard to keep an entire roster happy and win at the same time.

I think because of his personality and appreciation for top to bottom on the roster, being a former walk-on, he has a really unique ability to relate to every single guy on the team. That to me, with the resources that they have, the facilities that they now have, there’s no reason that Clemson is going to go away anytime soon.

 

CHRIS FOWLER: That’s a great example. Look at this year’s team. I’ll give you a couple quick examples. Gallman, not highly recruited. Jordan Leggett, not highly recruited. Boulware, barely recruited. Renfrow, walk-on. Mike Williams wasn’t a six-star guy either. His talent is obvious. Deshaun, obviously everybody wanted.

The team is built around guys with different kind of backgrounds. Yeah, they have plenty of the five-star guys, they’ll continue to get them. They’ll also continue to get guys that maybe aren’t as heralded and just really developing. I think those guys will always have a place in Clemson’s program.

Then you look at what happened with Watson graduating in three years, Williams graduating, Leggett graduating all in December, all as juniors. You just throw that out there to parents and players and say, This isn’t spin, this is reality. It’s a very strong selling point.

 

  1. Nick sort of downplayed the change in offensive coordinator based on Alabama’s ability to game plan and script certain situations. How legitimate is that excuse or defense? As an offense, how do you expect Sarkisian and Jalen to respond when things don’t go necessarily as planned?

 

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I think the thing that at least I’ve heard him talk about is, he feels like it’s being blown out of proportion because it’s kind of business as usual as far as the workweek. The preparation for any college offense, I think sometimes we tend to lock in on who the coordinator is. When you get behind closed doors, you realize there’s five or six guys kind of watching film together, formulating a plan together, all that. Sark has been obviously around. That’s why I think he’s saying it’s business as usual.

I think the major difference that even Nick Saban can’t predict is going to be the four hours on Monday night. Steve Sarkisian hasn’t been the quarterback coach or the running back coach or kind of normal involvement as an assistant coach. He’s been an offensive analyst. I don’t even know what that means. But I know there are some limitations on Saturdays in the fall what he can and can’t do.

Now you go from that role to you’re standing on the sideline calling the plays in an up-tempo offense with a true freshman quarterback. To see that won’t be potentially a factor one way or the other is not right. Of course it is.

It might be better, by the way. We don’t know if it’s going to be better or worse. It’s without question going to be different. He hasn’t even called plays in a scrimmage. Now he’s calling plays in a national championship. I’m talking about this offense. Obviously he’s done it at Washington and USC. By the way, he’s more than capable of doing it.

In these circumstances with this offense, we’ve never seen it. So it’s definitely a big storyline during the game itself.

I think Mike Locksley’s role and what he’s allowed and not allowed to do, he’s been an integral part behind closed doors and dealing with a true freshman quarterback in Jalen Hurts. With this system, where Alabama used to be more power football. Now it’s more up-tempo, quarterback run game, which is right where Mike Locksley has been most of his coaching career.

Both of them are going to be involved in a very unique way in this preparation without Lane Kiffin being there.

CHRIS FOWLER: Interesting, too, you mention the true freshman quarterback. It’s his 15th game, but it’s a championship game. Anybody that played them will say the feeling is different. Even though you’re poised and mature for your age, it’s a championship game against a very complicated defense, a defense that is known for throwing a whole bunch of stuff at people. They’ve confused far more experienced quarterbacks than Jalen Hurts in the past with what Venables does.

I think you can expect another aggressive, grab-bag approach that doesn’t make it easy on the quarterback. I think if they can’t line up and smash you, Scarbrough can’t make 120 yards after contact like he did the other day, it certainly makes the play-caller’s chore a little more difficult.

I think it’s fascinating. I really do. If Sarkisian hadn’t been on a big stage in a pressure situation you’d be more concerned. What Kirk said is right. There is rush when you call plays. There is unfamiliarity with the system when you jump into a system and do it for the first time and it’s in the ultimate game. I don’t care who you are. But at least he has been there in a big moment.

What’s interesting is we’ve seen plenty of circumstances where it’s almost play calling in the name of vanity. I don’t think Saban wants that. I think there was not much tolerance for that when a play-caller goes in there and tries to get ‘too cute,’ or call plays to show how smart you are. I don’t think that’s what Sark is going to be charged with doing, even though it’s his very first time doing it on a massive stage.

You have to call plays around what’s going to work best with the personnel you have on offense against that defense. That does require some discipline, it really does, because Clemson doesn’t make it easy on you.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: Your point about how do you call the game to the best of your ability. If you watched their game against Washington, as much as they struggled with continuity, self-destructing with penalties, they did a good job with the special teams of pinning Washington inside the 10 yard line a number of times.

As a play-caller in a game like this, as good as Clemson’s defense is, sometimes a punt is okay. Sometimes playing field position and relying on that Alabama defense to try to get a short field with a turnover, especially with Deshaun Watson sometimes turning the ball over through the air, that’s sometimes okay.

That will be a big message I would think to Jalen Hurts this week, is throwing it away, not taking sacks, not turning the ball over, punting the ball and playing field position. Worst case is not necessarily a bad thing for ‘Bama with the defense and special teams that they have.

CHRIS FOWLER: What’s so fascinating is we just don’t know how well they’re going to stop Clemson’s offense. The chore becomes different. If it doesn’t become a field position kind of game, you have to open it up. Then it becomes more interesting what they’re calling on offense.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: He’ll call the play, like any coordinator will, based on the flow of the game, how well their defense is holding up, field position, things like that.

 

  1. I’ve been banging this job for a couple years now. I’d like to ask you guys, why has there not been more public pressure for reform when it comes to the timing of the Heisman vote? A lot of people out there think that Deshaun Watson should have been back-to-back Heisman winner, let alone the winner this year with the way Lamar Jackson finished. It’s not just Watson. You have 2005 Reggie Bush against Vince Young. A lot of people thought that Vince Young might come out on top if the vote came out after that game. Baker Mayfield, the way he played against Auburn. Most coveted award in all of sports. Why can’t we have the vote after the most important game has been played?

 

CHRIS FOWLER: I mean, they’ve done it 82 years, and they’ve done it this way. It’s tradition. Obviously when the award was conceived, post-season play wasn’t what it is. I don’t think that they see any need to shift it.

Your argument is passionate. You definitely have a horse in the race in your mind. I think if you looked at year’s past, sure the winner might have been different had it been different after the bowls or the playoffs. That would have happened quite a lot over the years.

The voting is done at the end of the season. In some ways there’s a fairness to it in that you do have a chance to be involved in the award, even if your team isn’t in a major bowl or in the playoff.

Listen, I think you can have whatever opinion you want. I don’t reveal my vote. Obviously enough people felt that Lamar Jackson had done enough throughout the totality of the season to survive some turnovers and some losses down the stretch. Clemson fans obviously wouldn’t agree.

Having said that, as brilliantly as Deshaun plays, stats become a big part of evaluating a player. You could argue too much. But he threw a lot of interceptions, a lot of interceptions for someone who would have won the Heisman, regardless of how productive he is.

A few of the picks early in the season might have gotten in the way of people voting for him. Who knows what went into their decisions.

To your point, I don’t think that’s going to change. I think they’re going to continue to award the trophy at the end of the regular season.

 

  1. I would like to know what are some of the key matchups that you all believe can determine the outcome of Monday’s game? Also, do you think there are any experiences that Clemson can draw on so that they can possibly pull out an upset from last year?

 

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I think the biggest matchup is going to be Deshaun Watson against the defense in general, the coverage, the multiple coverages. Obviously the offensive line is going to have to help out, the receiver’s going to have to win. I think in general Nick Saban’s mind and angst after last year’s performance, how he decides to defend Deshaun Watson is going to be a great matchup.

I think if you’re looking for just one-on-one type of stuff, we talked about Mike Williams, Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow who had a huge game last year against these guys. They match up favorably.

If you’re going to attack Alabama in any way, you’re going to do it through the air. These guys have the quarterback and receiver to give them a chance to be effective with some downfield passers. The receivers against the secondary. Deshaun against Nick Saban I think is going to be a great matchup. Then with all the talk about Sark coming in to take over, it’s not just going up against any defense, he’s going up against a defense right now of Brent Venables that’s coming out against a shutout against Ohio State and is probably playing with as much confidence if not more confidence than any defense in the country, including Alabama.

Specifically on that side of the ball, I would say, to me, the Alabama offensive line, which is not your traditional dominant offensive line, especially on the inside, how do they hold up against a really, really good defensive front from Clemson I think is another matchup that could go a long way in determining how the game goes.

CHRIS FOWLER: I like that matchup, too. I think you look at Alabama’s offensive line, it’s very left-handed. Robinson over there. Pierschbacher is a good guard. But Clemson’s guys, the rotation we talked about earlier, which is basically four sophomores, a couple freshman, one junior and one senior who keep each other fresh, all of them can make impact plays. All of them cannot just eat up blocks, but invade the backfield when they need to. It’s hard to do that against ‘Bama.

I think if you looked at this offensive line, the very high standards they have at that program would not rank as one of the great ones they had. Opponents would tell you that.

I think it’s a terrific matchup. If you can clog the middle, let the linebackers run, do what they do behind you, it forces Alabama into some uncomfortable situations.

I like that matchup, too.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: I think as far as experience, last year’s experience is the best experience that gives them confidence. I mean, in their minds they blew the on-side kick, they let a kickoff return get out from Kenyan Drake. But I think in their minds they probably gained more confidence in standing in the middle of the rain going toe-to-toe with Alabama for four quarters than anything else that they can look at on film.

They’ve been there, they’ve done that. They competed. They didn’t secure things in special teams. They ended up losing the game. But it wasn’t as if they got blown off the field and had to regroup and think, Oh, my gosh, what are we going to do this time. They were right there stride per stride, had a quarterback play out of his mind in that game. I think a lot of us left that stadium thinking Deshaun Watson is a bad man, including Nick Saban.

Alabama won the trophy, but Deshaun Watson won a lot of people’s hearts that night, for sure. If I’m a Clemson player, I’m looking at that film knowing that I can play with Alabama.

 

  1. With Deshaun’s propensity to throw interceptions, Alabama’s ball hawking defense, say Deshaun throws two or three interceptions, Alabama takes one back to the house, how much of an impact do you think that will have on the outcome of the game?

 

CHRIS FOWLER: I don’t know. Study the impact of pick-sixes in most games. It’s extremely favorable for the defense that can create one.

I don’t know. I’d defer to Kirk in how able Watson is able to change what has become a pretty frequent pattern. He trusts his guys to make plays to an extreme degree.

A lot of his picks aren’t necessarily awful decisions. They’re 50/50 balls that he has so much belief that a Leggett or a Williams can win that matchup, so he’ll put the ball up there. Against guys as good as Alabama has got, you’re not going to win all of them. They win their share.

Whether or not he regulates that, modulates that, the instinct to allow his guys to make plays, plays a little bit more cautiously.

It’s devastating to give up a pick-six, especially if the game is not a shootout. Clemson almost survived all the special teams issues that Kirk just described and they still had a chance at the end despite all that. But, boy, you’re living with a slim margin for error when you do that.

Alabama is hard enough to score on without letting their defense get in the end zone, so… I’m sure that’s going to be talked about a lot at Clemson. If you give up a turnover, you ask your defense to go out there as they did against Ohio State and minimize the damage or prevent the other team from getting in the end zone.

Remember Alabama’s offense had great field position throughout almost the entire game against Washington. Definitely in the first half. They only scored one touchdown. They had the ball at midfield or in plus territory a lot, and didn’t cash in. Even if you give up a turnover and don’t let them score, the defense has got to go out there and try to prevent the damage from happening.

KIRK HERBSTREIT: Yeah, all of college football games are games of momentum swings, back and forth, sudden change, how your own defense responds to a turnover. If there’s a pick-six, I think in Clemson’s case, you’re very fortunate to have a quarterback that’s played a ton of football, has an ability to bounce back from mistakes. If you look at his track record, it’s not like he goes in the tank after he potentially throws a pick or a pick-six.

I’ve always been really impressed by him. We’ve called a lot of his games. Just when you think the average quarterback, Wow, he threw a pick in Tallahassee, what is he going to do? He gets the ball back the next series, it’s like it never happened.

Yes, it will obviously affect the game, momentum, energy in the stadium, score on the scoreboard. I don’t think it would lead to potential further damage just because he may throw a pick.

I think he needs the defense to step up, like Washington did last week, when they were put in some tough spots.

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