(Aug. 26, 2008 – TMRZoo.com) First Week of Season to Include 24 Games in Five Days and College GameDay and College Football Live from Atlanta as Part of Kickoff Week Presented by Gillette
ESPN will kick off the 2008 college football season Wednesday, Aug. 27, with 25 consecutive hours of college football-themed programming beginning at 7 p.m. ET with a four-hour edition of College Football Live. ESPN’s 25 hours of coverage is part of the first annual ESPN Kickoff Week Presented by Gillette, featuring college football content across multiple ESPN platforms August 25 to September 1.
Highlights of Kickoff Week include 24 games televised over five days, plus extensive college football discussion, analysis and features across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Classic, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and SportsCenter.
ESPN’s 25 hours of coverage will conclude Thursday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. with N.C. State at South Carolina on ESPN. Additional Thursday games include Vanderbilt at Miami (Ohio) at 7 p.m. on ESPNU, Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech as well as Charleston Southern at Miami, both at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN360.com, and Oregon State at Stanford at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
The four-hour College Football Live will be hosted by Rece Davis with analysts Mark May and Lou Holtz and will feature interviews with several high-profile coaches and players, including:
Coaches Mack Brown (Texas), Pete Carroll (USC), Sylvester Croom (Mississippi State), Jim Harbaugh (Stanford), Skip Holtz (East Carolina), Jeff Jagodzinski (Boston College), Brian Kelly (Cincinnati), Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Bo Pelini (Nebraska), Mark Richt (Georgia), Rich Rodriguez (Michigan) and Steve Spurrier (South Carolina); quarterbacks Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State), Cullen Harper (Clemson), Matthew Stafford (Georgia) and Tim Tebow (Florida); and running back Beanie Wells (Ohio State).
In addition to multiple College Football Live programs and a special Heisman Trophy Preseason Show, ESPN’s regularly scheduled programming during the 25 hours – such as SportsCenter, NFL Live, PTI, Rome is Burning, Around the Horn and Outside the Lines – will provide extensive college football content. The schedule:
The schedule:
Date Time (ET) Network Show
Wed., 8/27 7 p.m. ESPN2 College Football Live
11 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter
Thu., 8/28 midnight ESPN NFL Live
12:30 a.m. ESPN Heisman Trophy Preseason Show
1 a.m. to 3 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter
3 a.m. ESPN College Football Live
5 a.m. to 3 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter
3 p.m. ESPN Outside the Lines
3:30 p.m. ESPN College Football Live
4 p.m. ESPN2 Outside the Lines
4:30 p.m. ESPN2 College Football Live
5 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn
5:30 p.m. ESPN PTI
6 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter
7 p.m. ESPN College Football Live
8 p.m. ESPN N.C. State at South Carolina
As part of Kickoff Week, ESPN will provide extensive studio coverage, including College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and College Football Live originating from Atlanta – site of the ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football telecast pitting Alabama vs. Clemson in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game August 30 at 8 p.m. In addition, segments during SportsCenter and ESPNEWS will originate from Atlanta.
• College GameDay, entering its 22nd season, will be aired every Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN during the college football season beginning August 30. This year will mark the 15th consecutive year College GameDay will consistently originate from the site of one of the day’s best games or most compelling storylines. Chris Fowler will return as host with the analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard.
1 College Football Live, a year-round weekday afternoon studio show dedicated to college football, will originate from Atlanta Thursday, Aug. 28, and Friday, Aug. 29 and Los Angeles Monday, Sept. 1, site of ESPN’s telecast of #18 Tennessee at UCLA that night at 8 p.m. The program will be aired all three days at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. Dari Nowkhah will host the shows from Atlanta with analysts Robert Smith and Trevor Matich. Davis will host the program from Los Angeles with analysts May and Holtz.
The first week of game coverage will feature 24 telecasts in five days across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV. In addition to Alabama vs. Clemson, highlights include:
-
- Defending BCS National Champion #7 LSU hosting defending Football Championship Subdivision Champion Appalachian State Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
- An ESPN Saturday primetime telecast from St. Louis featuring #20 Illinois vs. #6 Missouri.
- #18 Tennessee at UCLA in a special Labor Day telecast Monday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
- Ranked teams in action include #3 USC at Virginia Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, #17 Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina from Charlotte Saturday at noon on ESPN and Bowling Green at #25 Pittsburgh Saturday at noon on ESPNU.
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN Classic Schedule
Date Time Network Game / Commentators
Thu., Aug. 28 7:30 p.m. ESPNU Vanderbilt at Miami (Ohio)
Mike Gleason, John Congemi and Melissa Knowles
7:30 p.m. ESPN360.com Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech
James Verrette and Dorsey Levens
7:30 p.m. ESPN360.com Charleston Southern at Miami
Jason Solodkin and K.C. Jones
8 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com N.C. State at South Carolina
Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Erin Andrews
9 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Oregon State at Stanford
Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham and Jack Arute
Fri., Aug. 29 7 p.m. ESPN Classic / ESPN360.com Temple at Army
Eric Collins and Shaun King
8 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com SMU at Rice
Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore
Sat., Aug. 30 noon ESPN / ESPN360.com #17 Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina (from Charlotte)
Dave Pasch and Andre Ware
noon ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Syracuse at Northwestern
Pam Ward and Ray Bentley
noon ESPNU Bowling Green at #25 Pittsburgh
Dave Armstrong and Larry Coker
3:30 p.m. ABC / ESPN360.com #3 USC at Virginia *
Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Stacey Dales
3:30 p.m. ABC Utah at Michigan *
Terry Gannon, David Norrie and Jeanine Edwards
3:30 p.m. ESPN2 “Reverse mirror” of ABC: Utah at Michigan and #3 USC at Virginia *
3:45 p.m. ESPNU Delaware at Maryland
Doug Bell and Charles Arbuckle
5 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Appalachian State at #7 LSU
Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Rob Stone
6:45 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech
Bob Wischusen and Brock Huard
7:30 p.m. ESPNU Boston College vs. Kent State (from Cleveland)
Clay Matvick and David Diaz-Infante
8 p.m. ABC / ESPN360.com #24 Alabama vs. #9 Clemson (from Atlanta)
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters and Erin Andrews
ESPN Radio Dave Barnett, Dennis Franchione and Joe Schad
ABC / ESPN360.com Michigan State at California
Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham and Heather Cox
8 p.m. ESPN360.com Prairie View at Texas Southern
Dwayne Ballen and Eddie Robinson, Jr.
8:30 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com #20 Illinois vs. #6 Missouri (from St. Louis)
Mark Jones, Bob Davie and Todd Harris
10:30 p.m. ESPNU Prairie View at Texas Southern ^
Dwayne Ballen and Eddie Robinson, Jr.
Sun., Aug. 31 2 p.m. ESPN2 / ESPN360.com Jackson State vs. Hampton
(The MEAC•SWAC Challenge)
Charlie Neal, Jay Walker and Quint Kessenich
3:30 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Kentucky at Louisville
Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore
Mon. Sept. 1 4 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com Fresno State at Rutgers
Dave Pasch, Andre Ware and Rob Stone
8 p.m. ESPN / ESPN360.com #18 Tennessee at UCLA
Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe
* “Reverse mirror” in which ESPN or ESPN2 will regionalize two games on ABC to markets no receiving the telecast
^ Same-day delay
The 2008 season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN360.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN Regional Television will feature more than 400 regular-and post-season games, including weekly Saturday night games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. In addition to weekly ESPN Thursday night games, ESPN or ESPN2 will feature games every Friday and select Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays.
