''Saturday Night Football'' (currently branded as ''ESPN'' ''Saturday Night Football presented by
Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company founded on July 21, 1994, and specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, with operations primarily in the ...
'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American weekly presentation of
prime time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
broadcasts of
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA)
Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
games that are produced by
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
, and televised on
ABC. Games are presented each Saturday evening starting at 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Time
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico.
* Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...
/6:30 p.m.
Central Time during the college football regular season, which has been the case since 2017 (some weeks until 2015 saw no game on ABC, due to Saturday evening
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
coverage or to avoid competition with the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
; ESPN would then carry that week's high-profile game instead, with ESPN2 carrying a secondary game usually seen on ESPN/ABC). Saturday Night Football began in 2006, as both
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
and
ABC are owned by
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
. It is typically ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases (outside where other networks carry the game), the city and/or campus of that night's game will host ''
ESPN College GameDay''.
, the primary broadcast team for the majority of the games includes
play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler and analyst
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Edward Herbstreit (; born August 19, 1969) is an American sportscaster and former college football player. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), College GameDay'', a television program covering college f ...
, with
Holly Rowe as sideline reporter.
Kevin Negandhi
Kevin Negandhi (born March 20, 1975) is an American sports anchor for ESPN's ''SportsCenter'' as well as ''ESPN College Football on ABC''.
In addition to hosting ''SportsCenter'', he also hosts ''Baseball Tonight'', ''College Football Live'' and ...
and
Booger McFarland host the
halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of di ...
, with
Dan Orlovsky
Dan Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is an American American football, football analyst for ESPN and former professional football player. He played as a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily as a backup.
Or ...
joining them for select weeks. Negandhi also provides in game updates throughout the game. Other ESPN broadcast teams may also occasionally appear for regional (and some national) telecasts.
Overview
''Saturday Night Football'' premiered on September 2,
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
, with a game between the
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...
and
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...
. While
ABC and
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
have aired college football games on Saturday nights for decades, this program marks the first time that a collegiate sports broadcast has officially been part of any major broadcast television network's primetime schedule.
Twelve weeks of regular season games were televised during the three-month college football season in 2006, 2007 and from 2009 to 2011; the
Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game closing out each season until a conference realignment in which four university football programs left and two others joined the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
resulted in the Championship Game being discontinued after the 2010 event (the Big 12 Football Championship Game returned in 2017, however, it did not return to ABC until 2018, when the network aired the game in the afternoon instead of in primetime). With the college football season being extended by one week, ABC televised thirteen weeks of games in 2008, closing with the
2008 Big 12 Championship Game on December 6. With the loss of the Sprint Cup Series to
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
and NBCSN
NBCSN (also known as NBC Sports Network) was an American sports television television channel, channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Lif ...
, ''Saturday Night Football'' expanded its seasonal game schedule full-time to 13 weeks beginning in 2015, starting with the
Advocare Classic.
Games from the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
, the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
, the
old Big East Conference, the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
, the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...
, the now-defunct
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington.
Due to ...
and the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...
have aired on ''Saturday Night Football'', as well as non-conference games in which teams from these conferences were either playing at home or a neutral-site game to which ABC holds the television rights. All
BCS/
CFP and Power 5 conferences have appeared on ''Saturday Night Football'', as the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...
has had its teams featured in 23 non-conference games.
Boise State,
Utah State,
BYU,
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
,
UConn,
UCF,
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
,
SMU,
Tulsa
Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...
, and
Memphis are the only Group of 5 teams to be featured on ''Saturday Night Football'' to date, with the latter four teams being featured when they were members of the BCS-aligned Big East or American Athletic Conference.
In recent years, following the loss of some broadcast rights of the Pac-12 Conference to
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...
in 2012, the Pac-12's Saturday Night Football appearances have been limited, sometimes including home games against
Notre Dame and games against the Southeastern Conference, as well as road games against conferences that still have broadcast rights with ABC.
Besides Pac-12 and Big Ten games, ABC makes most of its game broadcast selections or options twelve days prior to the game (with some being made six days beforehand). This allows ABC to 'flex' the most compelling game it has the rights to broadcast into the ''Saturday Night Football'' slot. As a result, the Saturday night game is usually ABC's "game of the week".
With ESPN's acquisition of its top football package beginning in
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, Southeastern Conference home games began to be featured on ''Saturday Night Football'' on ABC for the first time that season. As with afternoon games, SEC home games on ''Saturday Night Football'' utilize the distinct ''SEC on ABC'' graphics and theme music.
The
Cowboys Kickoff Classic had become the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' beginning in 2011; however in 2013, the matchup between the
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...
and
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...
served as the opening game with the Classic matchup between
LSU
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
and
TCU TCU may stand for:
Education
* Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania
* Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas
** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school
* Tok ...
being broadcast on ESPN. The Classic served as the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' again in 2014, 2015, and in 2016. In 2017, the
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which had served as the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' from 2008-2010, served as the opening game in 2017, while the Advocare Classic aired in the 3:30 ET timeslot. In 2018, the new
Camping World Kickoff
The Camping World Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium. The game, a collaboration between Florida Citrus Sports and ESPN Events, debu ...
served as the ''Saturday Night Football'' season premiere, while the Advocare Classic aired the next night in primetime. The Advocare Classic returned to ''Saturday Night Football'' in 2019. Since then, each season of Saturday Night Football has started with an on-campus game, the
Duke's Mayo Classic in
Charlotte, NC
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
in Week 1, or, since 2023, the
MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta during Week 0.
Schedules
''All rankings are from that week's
AP Poll, and that week's
CFP rankings since 2014.''
2006 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either October 21 or October 28 to avoid competing with the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
.''
2007 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
NEXTEL Cup Series races.''
2008 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
2009 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 12 or October 17 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
2010 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 11 or October 16 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
2011 schedule
Notes:
* 1) ''ABC did not air games on either September 10 or October 15 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
* 2) ''Many of the markets scheduled to receive the Texas Tech–Oklahoma game on October 22 instead saw Washington–Stanford, as a thunderstorm delayed the start of the game, and most affiliates stuck with the latter even after the storm cleared. The Texas Tech–Oklahoma game was seen on ESPN2 after the Alabama-Tennessee game, Except in Big 12 markets, where it aired on ABC.''
2012 schedule
''ABC did not air Games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
2013 schedule
''ABC did not air Games on either September 7 or October 12 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
2014 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States.
The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
races.''
2015 schedule
2016 schedule
2017 schedule
Beginning this season, all games involving Big Ten teams started at 7:30 ET.
2018 schedule
2019 schedule
Beginning this season, all games, excluding the ACC Championship Game, started at 7:30 ET.
2020 schedule
2021 schedule
2022 schedule
2023 schedule
2024 schedule
Beginning this season, all Saturday Night Football games, as well as all games airing on ABC, are simulcast on
ESPN+
ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
2025 schedule
Broadcast teams
2006
*
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN).
With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was the original host of their ...
, play-by-play;
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Edward Herbstreit (; born August 19, 1969) is an American sportscaster and former college football player. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), College GameDay'', a television program covering college f ...
and
Bob Davie, analysts; and
Lisa Salters
Alisia "Lisa" Salters (born March 6, 1966) is an American journalist and former college basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Salters previously covered the O. J. Simpson murder case for American Broadc ...
, sideline reporter.
**Ten games: Notre Dame–Georgia Tech, Ohio State–Texas, Nebraska–USC, Notre Dame–Michigan State, Ohio State–Iowa, Oregon–California, Michigan–Penn State, Oklahoma–Texas A&M, Wake Forest–Florida State, and Notre Dame–USC.
*
Dan Fouts, play-by-play;
Tim Brant, analyst; and
Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
**Three games: USC–Arizona, Nebraska–Iowa State, and UCLA–California.
*
Mark Jones, play-by-play;
David Norrie, analyst; and
Stacey Dales, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Arizona State–USC and Virginia Tech–Miami (Fla.).
*
Gary Thorne
Gary Francis Thorne (born June 9, 1948) is an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for Baltimore Orioles games on MASN from 2007 to 2020. He has also worked for ESPN and ABC, including National Hockey League, Major Le ...
, play-by-play;
Andre Ware, analyst; and
Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
**One game: Texas–Kansas State.
*
Brad Nessler, play-by-play;
Bob Griese and
Paul Maguire, analysts; and
Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster and television personality. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sports in 2 ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: California–USC.
*
Mike Patrick
Michael Patrick (September 9, 1944 – April 20, 2025) was an American sportscaster, known for his long tenure with ESPN.
Early career
Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio (now WGGI (AM), WGGI) in Somerset, P ...
, play-by-play;
Todd Blackledge, analyst; and
Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**One game: Nebraska–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game).
2007
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Lisa Salters, and
Chris Spielman, sideline reporters.
**Eleven games: Tennessee–California, USC–Nebraska, Iowa–Wisconsin, USC–Washington, Ohio State–Purdue, Michigan–Illinois, Ohio State–Penn State, Florida State–Boston College, Kansas–Oklahoma State, Missouri–Kansas, and Oklahoma–Missouri (
Big 12 Championship Game, with Spielman).
*Dan Fouts, play-by-play; Tim Brant, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Washington State–USC and Notre Dame–UCLA.
*
Terry Gannon
Terrance Patrick Gannon (born November 1, 1963) is a sportscaster for NBC Sports, Golf Channel and Peacock, currently announcing golf, gymnastics, figure skating, and college basketball.
Gannon played basketball for North Carolina State Unive ...
, play-by-play; David Norrie, analyst; and
Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Oregon State–USC and USC–California.
*
Ron Franklin, play-by-play;
Ed Cunningham, analyst; and Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
**One game: Texas A&M–Oklahoma.
*
Dave LaMont, play-by-play;
Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Boston College–Maryland.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play;
Bob Griese and
Paul Maguire, analysts; and
Bonnie Bernstein
Bonnie Lynn Bernstein (born August 16, 1970) is an American sports journalist and media executive. She has been named one of the most accomplished female sportscasters in history by the American Sportscasters Association, spending nearly 20 yea ...
, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oklahoma–Texas Tech.
2008
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters or
Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster and television personality. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sports in 2 ...
, sideline reporter.
**Twelve games: Alabama–Clemson (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, with Andrews), Ohio State–USC (with Andrews), Georgia–Arizona State, Illinois–Penn State, Missouri–Texas, Penn State–Ohio State, Texas–Texas Tech, Oklahoma State–Texas Tech, Boston College–Florida State, Texas Tech–Oklahoma, Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Missouri–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game).
*Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and
Heather Cox or Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Michigan State–California (with Cox) and Oklahoma State–Colorado (with Arute).
*
Sean McDonough
Sean McDonough (born May 13, 1962) is an American sportscaster, currently employed by ESPN and the WEEI Boston Red Sox Radio Network. McDonough has play-by-play experience for all four major professional sports leagues in the United States an ...
, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Rob Stone or Erin Andrews, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Virginia Tech–Nebraska (with Andrews) and California–USC (with Stone).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**One game: Ohio State–Wisconsin.
*
Mark Jones, play-by-play; Bob Davie, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oregon–USC.
2009
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
**Twelve games: Alabama–Virginia Tech (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game), Texas Tech–Texas, Iowa–Penn State, Oklahoma–Miami (Fla.), Michigan–Iowa, Texas–Missouri, USC–Oregon, Connecticut–Cincinnati, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Oregon–Arizona, Notre Dame–Stanford, and Texas–Nebraska (
Big 12 Championship Game).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play;
Craig James, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Three games: Oregon State–USC, USC–Arizona State, and Texas Tech–Oklahoma State.
*Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and
Shelley Smith, sideline reporter.
**Three games: USC–California (with Smith), Oklahoma–Nebraska, and Kansas–Texas (with Smith).
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play;
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is an American former professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Millen played as a linebacker for 12 years for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Franci ...
, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Texas–Oklahoma State and Georgia–Georgia Tech.
2010
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews, Heather Cox, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Ten games: LSU–North Carolina (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game), Oregon State–Boise State, Stanford–Oregon, Florida State–Miami (Fla.) (with Cox), Oklahoma–Missouri, Oregon–USC, Arizona–Stanford, Nebraska–Texas A&M (with Cox), Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Nebraska–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game) (with Rowe).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play; and Craig James, analyst.
**Four games: USC–Stanford (with Shelley Smith), Ohio State–Minnesota (with
Ray Bentley), Clemson–Florida State (with Jeannine Edwards), and Florida State–Maryland.
*Ron Franklin, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst.
**Three games: Texas–Texas Tech (with Jeannine Edwards), Missouri–Texas Tech, and USC–Arizona (with Shelley Smith).
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Notre Dame–Boston College and Oklahoma State–Texas.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; and Todd Blackledge, analyst.
**Two games: Notre Dame–Michigan State (with Holly Rowe) and Notre Dame–USC (with Shelley Smith).
*
Mark Neely, play-by-play;
Mike Bellotti and
Brock Huard
Brock Anthony Huard (born April 15, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Huard's older brother Damon also ...
, analysts.
**One game: USC–Oregon State.
2011
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews or Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
**Seven games: Oregon–LSU (
Advocare Classic), Oklahoma–Florida State, LSU–West Virginia, Nebraska–Wisconsin, Stanford–USC, Kansas State–Oklahoma State (with Salters), and Oregon–Stanford.
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox or Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter.
** Two games: Ohio State–Nebraska (with Edwards) and Washington–Stanford (with Cox).
*Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Craig James, analyst; and
Jenn Brown, sideline reporter.
** One game: Clemson–Georgia Tech.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
** One game: Texas Tech–Oklahoma.
*
Mark Jones, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst.
** One game: Notre Dame–Wake Forest.
2012
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Twelve games: Michigan–Alabama (
Advocare Classic), Notre Dame–Michigan State, Clemson–Florida State, Wisconsin–Nebraska, Florida State–Miami, Notre Dame–Oklahoma, Oklahoma State–Kansas State, Notre Dame–Boston College, Stanford–Oregon, and Notre Dame–USC.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Nebraska–Ohio State, Texas–Kansas State.
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Baylor–Texas.
2013
*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
**Eleven games: Georgia–Clemson, Notre Dame–Purdue, Kansas State–Texas, Wisconsin–Ohio State, Ohio State–Northwestern, Florida State–Clemson, Miami–Florida State, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Stanford–USC, Baylor–Oklahoma State, Duke–Florida State (
ACC Championship)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Shannon Spake, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Michigan–Connecticut, UCLA–USC.
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**One game: Penn State–Ohio State.
2014
*
Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox, and
Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
**Nine games: Florida State–Oklahoma State (
Advocare Classic), Tennessee–Oklahoma, Clemson–Florida State (with Rinaldi), Notre Dame–Syracuse, Nebraska–Michigan State, Notre Dame–Florida State (with Rinaldi), Ohio State–Michigan State, Florida State–Miami, Florida State–Georgia Tech (
ACC Championship)
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Three games: Ohio State–Penn State, USC–UCLA, Oregon-Oregon State
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Todd McShay, sideline reporter.
**One game: Illinois–Ohio State
*
Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oklahoma State–Kansas State
2015
*Chris Fowler or
Rece Davis
William Laurece Davis (born ) is an American sports television journalist for ESPN/ESPN on ABC, ABC. Davis works as an anchor on ''SportsCenter'' and serves as host of various other programs on the network, including ''College GameDay (football ...
, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
**Eleven games: Wisconsin–Alabama (
Advocare Classic), Oregon–Michigan State (with Davis), UCLA–Arizona, Notre Dame–Clemson, Miami–Florida State, Penn State–Ohio State, Ohio State–Rutgers, Notre Dame-Temple, Oklahoma-Baylor, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State (with Rinaldi), North Carolina-Clemson (
ACC Championship, with Rinaldi)
*Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Minnesota-Ohio State, TCU-Oklahoma
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Todd McShay, sideline reporter.
**One game: Stanford–USC
2016
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst;
Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters,
Jerry Punch
Gerald Lee Punch (born August 20, 1953) is an American auto racing and college football commentator known for his career at ESPN, as well as a physician. Punch also does local radio spots in Knoxville. Punch is also a Principal Investigator for ...
and
Marty Smith
Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won 1 ...
pit reporters (
Battle at Bristol
The Battle at Bristol was an American college football game played at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on Saturday, September 10, 2016, between the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies. It holds the record ...
only)
**Thirteen games: USC-Alabama (
Advocare Classic), Virginia Tech-Tennessee (
Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, with Davis, Punch and Smith), Stanford-UCLA, Louisville-Clemson (with Rinaldi), Florida State-Miami, Ohio State-Wisconsin, Ohio State-Penn State, Clemson-Florida State, Nebraska-Ohio State, Michigan-Iowa, Oklahoma-West Virginia, Clemson-Virginia Tech (
ACC Championship)
*
Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Two games: USC-Stanford, Florida-Florida State
2017
* Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst;
Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters
**Thirteen games: Florida State–Alabama (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, with Rinaldi), Oklahoma–Ohio State, Clemson-Louisville, Penn State-Iowa, Clemson-Virginia Tech (with Rinaldi), Michigan State-Michigan, Michigan-Penn State (with Rinaldi), Georgia Tech-Clemson, Virginia Tech-Miami, Notre Dame–Miami (with Rinaldi), UCLA–USC, Notre Dame–Stanford, Miami-Clemson (
ACC Championship, with Rinaldi)
*
Steve Levy, play-by-play,
Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter
**Two games: Utah-USC, Texas Tech-Oklahoma
2018
*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
**Thirteen games: Louisville-Alabama (
Camping World Kickoff
The Camping World Kickoff is an annual college football game played on the opening weekend of the college football season in Orlando, Florida at Camping World Stadium. The game, a collaboration between Florida Citrus Sports and ESPN Events, debu ...
), Ohio State-TCU (Advocare Showdown), Stanford-Oregon, Ohio State-Penn State (with Rinaldi), Notre Dame-Virginia Tech, Wisconsin-Michigan, Ohio State-Purdue (with Rinaldi), Texas-Oklahoma State, Clemson-Boston College, Cincinnati-UCF, Notre Dame-USC, Clemson-Pitt (
ACC Championship)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
**One game: Penn State-Pittsburgh
*Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter
**One game: Oklahoma-Texas Tech
2019
*Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, Sean McDonough, or Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor or Molly McGrath, sideline reporters.
**Thirteen games: Oregon-Auburn (
Advocare Classic), LSU–Texas (with Davis), Clemson–Syracuse (with McDonough), Oklahoma State–Texas, Ohio State-Nebraska, Michigan State–Ohio State, Michigan–Penn State, Notre Dame-Michigan, SMU-Memphis, Clemson–NC State, Oklahoma-Baylor, Oregon-Arizona State, Boise State–Washington (
Las Vegas Bowl, with Wischusen and McGrath)
*Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, and Molly McGrath or Maria Taylor, sideline reporters.
**Two games: Colorado–Utah, Virginia-Clemson (
ACC Championship, with Taylor)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
**One game: Penn State-Iowa
2020
*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor,
Allison Williams, Molly McGrath, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporters.
**Nine games: Miami-Louisville (with Williams), Florida State-Miami (with McGrath), Miami-Clemson (with Williams), Michigan-Minnesota (with Taylor), Ohio State-Penn State (with Taylor), Stanford–Oregon (with Taylor), Wisconsin-Michigan (with Rowe), Oklahoma State–Oklahoma (with Rowe), Clemson-Virginia Tech (with Taylor)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Todd McShay, and Allison Williams or Molly McGrath, sideline reporters.
**Three games: Clemson–Wake Forest (with Williams), Oklahoma-Iowa State (with McGrath), North Carolina-Florida State (with McGrath)
*
Dave Pasch or Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Greg McElroy, analyst; and Allison Williams or Holly Rowe, sideline reporters
**Two games: USC–UCLA (with Pasch and Williams), Tulsa–Cincinnati (
AAC Championship, with Tessitore and Rowe)
*
Beth Mowins, play–by–play;
Kirk Morrison
Kirk David Morrison (born February 19, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs. Morrison was selected by the ...
, analyst; and Stormy Buonantony, sideline reporter
**One game: Utah–Washington
2021
*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst;
Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Six games: Georgia-Clemson (
Duke's Mayo Classic), Auburn-Penn State, West Virginia-Oklahoma, TCU-Oklahoma, Penn State-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
**Four games: Washington-Michigan, Indiana-Penn State, Michigan-Nebraska, Oregon-Utah
*Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Ohio State-Indiana, Notre Dame-Virginia
*Mark Jones, play-by-play;
Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Oregon-Washington, Pittsburgh-Wake Forest (
ACC Championship)
*Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Greg McElroy, analyst; and
Laura Rutledge, sideline reporter.
**One game: Utah State-Oregon State (
LA Bowl
The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West Conference, Mountain ...
)
2022
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst: Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Seven games: Notre Dame–Ohio State, USC–Stanford (with Davis), Wisconsin–Ohio State, NC State–Clemson, Clemson–Florida State, TCU–Texas, Notre Dame-USC
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
**Three games: Clemson-Boston College, Michigan State-Michigan, Clemson-North Carolina (
ACC Championship)
*Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Greg McElroy, analyst; and
Katie George, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Minnesota-Penn State, Florida State-Miami
*Tom Hart, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter.
**One game: SMU–BYU (
New Mexico Bowl
The New Mexico Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2006 at University Stadium (Albuquerque), University Stadium, on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New M ...
)
*Mark Jones, play-by-play;
Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Michigan State–Washington
*Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
**One game: Oklahoma State-Oklahoma
2023
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst: and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
**Five games: Notre Dame-Duke (with Davis), Duke-Florida State, Colorado-UCLA, Washington-USC, Washington-Oregon State
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Molly McGrath or Stormy Buonantony, sideline reporter.
**Five games: North Carolina–South Carolina (
Duke's Mayo Classic), Pitt-West Virginia, Miami-North Carolina, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Utah-Northwestern (
Las Vegas Bowl) (with Buonantony)
*Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Texas-Baylor, Texas-TCU
*Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Jordan Rodgers or
Jesse Palmer
Jesse James Palmer (born October 5, 1978) is a Canadian television personality, sports commentator, and former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons in the early 2000s. Palmer played ...
, analyst; and Katie George, sideline reporter.
**Two games: Notre Dame-Louisville (with Rodgers), Louisville-Florida State (
ACC Championship) (with Palmer)
*Mark Jones, play-by-play;
Louis Riddick, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Wisconsin–Washington State
*Tiffany Greene, play-by-play;
Jay Walker, analyst; Harry Lyles Jr., and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporters.
**One game: South Carolina State–Jackson State (
MEAC/SWAC Challenge)
*
Dave Flemming, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler, analyst; and Kayla Burton, sideline reporter.
**One game: UCLA-Boise State (
LA Bowl
The LA Bowl is an annual NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, first played in December 2021. The bowl has tie-ins with the Mountain West Conference, Mountain ...
)
2024
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge, Katie George, or
Marty Smith
Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won 1 ...
sideline reporters.
**Twelve games: Notre Dame-Texas A&M, Tennessee-NC State (
Duke's Mayo Classic; with Davis), Tennessee-Oklahoma, Georgia-Alabama (with Rutledge), Tennessee-Arkansas, Georgia-Texas (with George), LSU-Texas A&M, Alabama-LSU, Tennessee-Georgia (with Rutledge), Alabama-Oklahoma, Texas-Texas A&M, Tennessee-Ohio State (
CFP First Round; with Smith)
*Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
**Four games: Georgia-Kentucky, Ole Miss-LSU, Texas A&M-South Carolina, Clemson-SMU (
ACC Championship)
*Tiffany Greene, play-by-play; Jay Walker, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
**One game: Florida A&M–Norfolk State (
MEAC/SWAC Challenge)
*Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter.
**One game: BYU-Colorado (
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the second ...
)
2025
*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Holly Rowe, or
Marty Smith
Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won 1 ...
sideline reporters.
Standings
Nielsen ratings
Top 10 Regular Season Games
Seasonal
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''Saturday Night Football'' on
ABC.
Theme music
At the time the Saturday night package began in 2006, ABC Sports was integrated with ESPN, resulting in ESPN production concepts being applied to ABC-televised sports events. As a result, during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the theme music used for the ''ESPN College Football'' and ''
College GameDay'' broadcasts was used on ABC's college football telecasts – including ''Saturday Night Football'' – with the exception in both years being the
Rose Bowl, during which it used the bowl game version of the network's 1998-2005 sports theme (a cut that had traditionally been used in broadcast intros). ''Saturday Night Football'' games began using the bowl version of the 1998-2005 theme as well in 2008, continuing through the
2010 BCS National Championship Game.
The intro theme was updated in 2011, with the main theme music being changed to a different cut of the 1998-2005 bowl game theme (one that had usually been used during studio shows in the past). Bowl Championship Series games aired on ESPN during this period were produced identically to ''Saturday Night Football'' productions, and used this same theme music arrangement.
In 2012, the theme for all college football telecasts on both ESPN and ABC was changed to a heavily updated version of yet another one of ABC's 1998-2005 themes (this one had usually been used for intro teasers in the past). However, unlike previous ''SNF'' themes, this theme was a completely new recording, using the tune of the 1998-2005 song as the base.
In 2015, ABC began using the same theme used by all ESPN college football productions since the 2014-15 New Years' Six bowl games. The theme was later revamped in 2020.
Starting with the addition of the conference in 2024, Saturday Night Football games that feature
SEC home games will use the ''SEC on ABC'' theme, a modernized version of ESPN's college football theme from the 2000s, composed by Bob Christianson,.
See also
* ''College Football Final''
* ''
College Football Scoreboard''
* ''
College GameDay''
* ''
College Football on ABC
ABC first began broadcasting regular season college football games in 1950, and has aired games of the now-National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) annually since 1966. After the ABC Sports di ...
''
* ''ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime''
* ''ESPN College Football Saturday Primetime''
* ''ESPN2 College Football Saturday Primetime''
References
External links
*
*
*
Weekly listings for the 2006 through 2010 college football seasons
*
{{College football on television
2006 American television series debuts
2000s American sports television series
2010s American sports television series
2020s American sports television series
ABC Sports
American Broadcasting Company original programming
College football television series
American English-language television shows
Saturday mass media