College football on television

College football on television includes the broadcasting of college football games, as well as pre- and post-game reports, analysis, and human-interest stories. Within the United States, the college version of American football annually garners high television ratings.

College football games have been broadcast since 1939. The introduction of sports-specific television networks has increased the amount of air-time available for coverage. Today, dozens of games are available for viewing each week of the football season. Other coverage includes local broadcasts of weekly coach's programs. These programs have become an important sources of revenue for the universities and their athletics programs.

Televising the games allows alumni to follow their alma mater's team, as well as competing schools and top-ranked schools nationally. Not all games are televised. Coverage is dependent on negotiations between the broadcaster and the college football conference or team. In general, major programs will be televised more often than smaller programs. The televised games may change from year-to-year depending on which teams are having a strong season, although some traditional rivalry games are broadcast each year. Major match-ups between top-ranked teams or major rivals are often broadcast nationally. Some games are traditionally associated with a specific event or holiday, and viewing the game itself can become a holiday tradition for fans. Post-season bowl games, including the Bowl Championship Series, are presently all televised.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Decentralization 2 Broadcast rights 2.1 Networks 2.2 Cable stations 2.3 Conference affiliations 3 Televised games 3.1 Annual televised games 3.1.1 Bowl Games 3.2 Bowl games 4 Announcers 4.1 Current lineup (for 2009) 4.2 Famous calls or catchphrases 5 See also 6 References

History

The first televised college football game occurred during the "experimental" era of television's broadcasting history, when a game between University and Waynesburg College was broadcast on September 30, 1939. One month later, on October 23, 1939, Kansas State's homecoming contest against the University of Nebraska was the second to be broadcast. The following season, on October 5, 1940, what is described as the "first commercially televised game" between the University of Maryland and the University of Pennsylvania was broadcast by Philco. Fairly sporadic broadcasts continued throughout World War II.

By 1950, a small number of prominent football schools, including the University of Pennsylvania (ABC) and the University of Notre Dame (DuMont Television Network) had entered into individual contracts with networks to broadcast their games regionally. In fact, all of Penn's home games were broadcast on ABC during the 1950 season under a contract that paid Penn $150,000. However, prior to the 1951 season, the NCAA – alarmed by reports that indicated television decreased attendance at games – asserted control and prohibited live broadcasts of games. Although the NCAA successfully forced Penn and Notre Dame to break their contracts, the NCAA suffered withering attacks for its 1951 policy, faced threats of antitrust hearings and eventually caved in and lifted blackouts of certain sold-out games. Bowl games were always outside the control of the NCAA, and the 1952 Rose Bowl at the end of that season, was the first truly national telecast of a college football game, on NBC.^[1]

For the 1952 season, the NCAA relented somewhat, but limited telecasts to one nationally-broadcast game each week. The NCAA sold the exclusive rights to broadcast the weekly game to NBC for $1,144,000. The first game shown under this contract was Texas Christian University against the University of Kansas, on September 20, 1952.

The NCAA believed that broadcasting one game a week would prevent further controversy while limiting any decrease in attendance. However, the Big Ten Conference was unhappy with the arrangement, and it pressured the NCAA to allow regional telecasts as well. Finally, in 1955 the NCAA revised its plan, keeping eight national games while permitting regional telecasts during five specified weeks of the season. This was essentially the television plan that stayed in place until the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia filed suit against the NCAA in 1981, alleging antitrust violations.

Decentralization

On June 27, 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma that the NCAA's television plan violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. As a result, individual schools and athletic conferences were freed to negotiate contracts on their own behalf. Together with the growth of cable television, this ruling resulted in the explosion of broadcast options currently available.

However, in the immediate wake of the ruling, most schools still decided to jointly negotiate their television contracts through the now-defunct College Football Association. When Notre Dame left the CFA to sign an exclusive deal with NBC in 1991, it shocked the college football world and marked the true beginning of the modern era.^[2] By 1995, the CFA had fallen apart completely.

One of the most significant side-effects of the changes in television policy since 1984 has been the sharp decrease in independent schools and realignment of athletic conferences, as schools sought to pool and increase their bargaining power. Television has also driven the trend of universities (generally mid-majors) playing football on weekdays rather than the traditional Saturdays, in order to have their games broadcast.

Notably, each college playing a football game is allowed to run a commercial for their school during the halftime break, as is the teams' conference(s).

Broadcast rights

Networks

ABC has been airing college football since acquiring the NCAA contract in 1966. Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson were the number one broadcast team. Keith Jackson, its best-known college football play-by-play man, announced games from 1967–2005, and was considered by many to be "the voice of college football." The network has contracts with most of the major BCS conferences, which leads it to broadcast most of its games regionally. ABC began airing a weekly Saturday night primetime football game in the fall of 2006, when the network's sports division converted to ESPN on ABC. Nearly all ABC games that air on a given Saturday are also available as part of a pay-per-view package called ESPN GamePlan, and online via ESPN 360.

NBC broadcast the Rose Bowl beginning in 1952 until the 1988 Rose Bowl when ABC took over. It had the Orange Bowl from 1965 through 1995. NBC has an exclusive contract with Notre Dame, which began in 1991. Since that time, NBC has carried nationally all of Notre Dame's home games, paying $9 million per season for broadcast rights. Even in down years, Notre Dame's ratings remain constant with that of teams from major conferences, reflecting the team's appeal. NBC is also the home of the annual "Bayou Classic" between Grambling State University and Southern University at the Louisiana Superdome. The game is well known for its Battle of the Bands between the schools at halftime.

CBS has historically aired fewer college games than the other networks, but it broadcast some important games in the 1980s, such as the classic Boston College Eagles football–Miami game that ended with Doug Flutie's Hail Mary on November 23, 1984. The network aired Big East games from 1996–2000, and since 1996 has broadcast SEC games. CBS currently holds the right for the first pick for any game where an SEC team is at home, along with the rights to televise the SEC Championship game. The network also broadcasts the annual Army–Navy Game, the Navy-Notre Dame game in even-numbered years (where Navy is the home team and chooses to play in a larger stadium), the Sun Bowl, and the Gator Bowl.

FOX does not broadcast any regular season games, but has the rights to the Bowl Championship Series games except for the Rose Bowl (the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl as well as the BCS Championship Game, except when the championship game is held at the Rose Bowl. In those years, the BCS final will be carried by ABC. Fox also carries the Cotton Bowl.

In addition, some regional syndicators broadcast games on over the air television. Most notably Raycom Sports, and ESPN Plus syndicate their games to broadcast stations.

Cable stations

TBS became the first cable station to nationally broadcast college football live when it began airing games during the 1982 season. The games were aired under a special "supplemental" television contract with the NCAA.^[3] ESPN followed later the same year, starting with a simulcast of the Independence Bowl match-up between Kansas State and the University of Wisconsin on December 11, 1982, which was the first college football game shown live on ESPN. (TBS subsequently left the field for several years, but again broadcast college football games from 2002–2006, showing Big 12 and Pac-10 matchups sublicensed from Fox Sports Net.)

In the wake of the 1984 Supreme Court ruling that broke the NCAA monopoly, ESPN immediately began airing regular season games live, starting with a contest between Pittsburgh and BYU on September 1, 1984.^[4] They aired a 48 game package that year.^[5] ESPN2 began broadcasting live games in 1994, ESPNU began in 2005, and to a lesser extent ESPN Classic will show a few games per season. ABC gets first choice of games over the ESPN networks, especially from the Big East, Big Ten, and ACC, because ABC and ESPN are owned by the same company. Many marquee games will still air on ESPN so they can air in primetime, without being limited to regional viewers or GamePlan subscribers. This also occurs because CBS, not ABC, owns broadcast TV rights to the SEC, and thus only ESPN can air the second-choice game (normally on Saturday night); CBS having made the first pick. Likewise, FSN is the cable partner for Big 12 and Pac-10 games, and so only ABC can air games from those conference packages, aside from the games ESPN has purchased. For 2007, FSN has sublicensed five Big 12 games to ESPN, as well as five Big 12 and five PAC-10 games to Versus.

Regional cable networks have long devoted coverage to one or two conferences. The Pac-10 and Big 12 have had deals with Fox Sports Net since 1996, which airs games on its regional family of networks. As noted above, Versus and ESPN+ have also acquired the rights to certain games. The Mountain West Conference has entered into an arrangement with CBS College Sports Network to develop a new regional network called "the Mountain" or "mtn" that is devoted to broadcasting the league's games.^[6] The Big Ten also has a similar regional network, with the Big Ten Network having made its debut in August 2007.

Conference affiliations

• ESPN on ABC: ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and Pac 10. Occasionally WAC
• CBS: SEC, Army–Navy Game, and Notre Dame-Navy (for games hosted by Navy)
• NBC: Notre Dame home games and the Grambling-Southern game
• ESPN and ESPN2: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, MAC, Pac 10, SEC, Sun Belt, WAC, and Army.
• ESPN, ESPN Classic, ESPN 360 and ESPN Plus: ACC, Big East, MAC, Sun Belt, WAC, and Army. Also, 1-AA conferences Missouri Valley, MEAC and SWAC. Big Ten occasionally on ESPN Classic.
• FSN and Fox College Sports: Big 12 and Pac 10
• Raycom Sports : ACC
• CBS College Sports Network: Mountain West Conference, Conference USA and Navy
• Versus: Mountain West Conference, Big 12, Pac 10 and Ivy League.
• MountainWest Sports Network (mtn.): Mountain West Conference
• Big Ten Network: Big Ten Conference
• Comcast Television Michigan: Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Televised games

Annual televised games

Some games are traditionally played on a specific date (often a holiday), and are nationally-televised every single year. These include:

• Ohio State University and University of Michigan –Traditionally played the third Saturday of every November, and normally broadcast on ABC.^{[citation needed]} With the Big Ten adding a bye week, the game will be moved to the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2010.
• West Virginia University and University of Pittsburgh – Backyard Brawl Usually played towards the end of the football season and always on national television.In the past, the Backyard Brawl games were on ABC, CBS, ESPN and ESPN2.
• University of Tennessee vs. University of Alabama –Known as the "Third Saturday in October". This game has been played between the two schools on or around the same day of every year since 1901. Recently it has been either the third or fourth Saturday of October, depending on the calendar.
• University of Texas and University of Oklahoma – Played during the State Fair of Texas in Dallas on the second Saturday of October and broadcast on ABC. The 2009 game will be moved back a week to the third Saturday in October.
• University of Southern California and the University of Notre Dame – USC–ND has had a national television audience every year since 1986, with the exception of 2002 when the game was a split-national telecast with Florida–Florida State.^[7] Notre Dame hosts the game in odd years in mid-October, and USC hosts the game in even years on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
• University of Florida and Florida State University – In odd years, the game is played on Thanksgiving weekend in Gainesville on CBS. In even years, the game is played on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend in Tallahassee on ABC/ESPN.
• University of Texas–Texas A&M University and University of Colorado and University of Nebraska – Played on the day after Thanksgiving and televised annually on ABC through 2007. In 2008, Texas A&M vs. Texas was played on Thanksgiving night in Austin, and in 2009 will be played on Thanksgiving night in College Station, with ESPN telecasting both games.
• Louisiana State University and University of Arkansas – Played on the day after Thanksgiving and broadcast on CBS from 1996-2008. TV plans for 2009 are undetermined, although the game will likely be moved back a day to Saturday.
• Army–Navy Game – generally played on the last weekend of the regular season and broadcast on CBS since 1996. Beginning in 2009, the game will shift to the second Saturday in December and be the only FBS game that weekend.
• University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles – played during the last week of the regular season (2004-2008), when the game was broadcast on ABC between the ACC Championship Game and the Big 12 Championship Game.

Bowl Games

• Rose Bowl – Annually broadcast since the 1952 Rose Bowl. Traditionally held on New Year's Day along with the Rose Parade; however, after joining the Bowl Championship Series, the 2002 game was played January 3 and the 2006 game was played January 4 due to the Rose Bowl being the national championship game. NBC was the longtime home of the Rose Bowl until the late 1980's, when ABC took over. ABC's final Rose Bowl will be the 2010 game, and the network will air the BCS Championship Game from the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010. ESPN will begin televising the game in 2011.
• Orange Bowl – Traditionally held on New Year's Day. It was a New Year's night staple for many years on NBC, with NBC's last telecast being the 1995 game. CBS aired the game for three years, followed by ABC for eight years, and FOX for four years, with 2010 being the last Orange Bowl to air on FOX. ESPN will begin televising the game in 2011.
• Sugar Bowl – Traditionally held on New Year's Day. It's traditional time slot was early afternoon on ABC, but was later moved to primetime. ABC aired the game up until 2006, with FOX gaining the rights for the following four games. ESPN will begiin televising the game in 2011.
• Cotton Bowl – Traditionally held on New Year's Day. CBS was the long-time home of the Cotton Bowl, airing it up through 1992, and again from 1996-1998. NBC aired the game from 1993-1995, and FOX has aired the game since 1999. The game has been played on January 2nd multiple times in recent years, and will do so again in 2010.

Bowl games

The Bowl Championship Series, which began in 1998, was driven from the start by television revenue. In 2007, the Fox Broadcasting Company started broadcasting all the BCS games with the exception of the Rose Bowl. ABC previously aired two full cycles of the BCS between 1998 and 2006. Before this, CBS aired the Bowl Coalition and the Bowl Alliance, with the exception of the Sugar Bowl from 1995-1997. The Rose Bowl has aired on ABC since 1989.

Announcers

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Current lineup (for 2009)

ABC

- All ABC crews may appear on ESPN and vice versa.

1. Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lisa Salters
2. Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, and Holly Rowe
3. Mike Patrick, Craig James, and Heather Cox
4. Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham

CBS (2008)

1. Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, and Tracy Wolfson
2. Craig Bolerjack and Steve Beuerlein or Trev Alberts
3. Ian Eagle, Boomer Esiason, and Sam Ryan
4. Don Criqui and Dan Fouts

FOX (2008)

1. Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, and Chris Myers
2. Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Chris Myers, and Charissa Thompson
3. Matt Vasgersian, Tim Ryan, Chris Myers, and Laura Okmin
4. Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, Jeanne Zelasko, and Krista Voda

NBC (2008)

1. Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, and Alex Flanagan

ESPN/ESPN2

1. Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, and Erin Andrews
2. Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, and Erin Andrews
3. Mark Jones and Bob Davie
4. Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, and Chris Spielman
5. Pam Ward and Ray Bentley
6. Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore
7. Terry Gannon and David Norrie
8. Rece Davis, Mark May, and Lou Holtz

Additional commentators will include Bob Wischusen, Rob Stone, and Dave Lamont on play-by-play, and Shaun King, JC Pearson, and Jon Berger on color.

FSN (2008)

1. Joel Meyers, Dave Lapham, and Jim Knox
2. Barry Tompkins, Petros Papadakis, and Jim Watson
3. Bill Land, Gary Reasons, and Emily Jones

Versus (2008)

1. Ron Thulin, Kelly Stouffer, and Lewis Johnson
2. Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, and Tim Neverett
3. Rich Ackerman, Dale Hellestrae, and Bob Harwood

NFL Network (2008)

1. Paul Burmeister, Mike Mayock, and Lindsay Soto
2. Fran Charles, Tom Waddle, and Kara Henderson

ESPNU

1. Eric Collins and Brock Huard
2. Clay Matvick and David Diaz-Infante
3. Todd Harris and Charles Arbuckle
4. Carter Blackburn and TBA

CBS College Sports Network (2008)

1. Carter Blackburn and Aaron Taylor
2. Tom Hart and Trev Alberts

Big Ten Network (2008)

1. Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, and Charissa Thompson
2. Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin, and Ron Johnson
3. Mark Neely, Glen Mason, and Kenny Jackson
4. Matt Devlin, Ian Allen, and Jay Wilson
5. Mike Crispino, Anthony Herron, and J.B. Long
6. Tom Werme and Tony McGee
7. Roger Twibell and Kenny Jackson

ESPN Plus

1. Dave Neal, Andre Ware, and Cara Capuano (SEC)
2. Mike Gleason, John Congemi, and Quint Kessenich (Big East)
3. Michael Reghi and Doug Chapman (MAC)

Famous calls or catchphrases

• "You are looking live at (insert stadium)!" – Brent Musburger
• "Not so fast, my friend!" – Lee Corso
• "Whoa Nellie!" – Keith Jackson
• "How do you do!" - Verne Lundquist

See also

• ESPN College Football Primetime
• College Gameday
• College Football Scoreboard
• College Football Final
• List of media markets and college football
• Men's College Basketball on Television
• Big 12 Championship Game broadcasters

References