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''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC'' (branded for sponsorship purposes as ''ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC presented by Capital One'') is an American weekly presentation of
prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
broadcasts of
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
(NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
games that are produced by
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, and televised on ABC. Games are presented each Saturday evening starting at 7:30 p.m.
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small ...
/6:30 p.m.
Central Time Central Time may refer to: * Central Time Zone, a time zone in North America * Central European Time, a time zone in Europe *Australian Central Time, a time zone in Australia (see Time in Australia Australia uses three main time zones: Austra ...
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
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
coverage Coverage may refer to: Filmmaking * Coverage (lens), the size of the image a lens can produce * Camera coverage, the amount of footage shot and different camera setups used in filming a scene * Script coverage, a short summary of a script, writ ...
or to avoid competition with the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...
; ESPN would then carry that week's high-profile game instead, with ESPN2 carrying a secondary game usually seen on ESPN/ABC). The ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football coverage began in 2006, as both
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and ABC are owned by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
. It is ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases (outside where another networks carries the game), the city and/or campus of that night's game is where that day's '' ESPN College GameDay'' had originated. , the primary broadcast team for half the games includes play-by-play announcer
Chris Fowler Chris Fowler (born ) is an American sports broadcaster for ESPN, who serves as the play-by-play announcer for ''Saturday Night Football'' on ABC and ESPN’s tennis coverage. He is also known for his work on '' College GameDay'', which he ho ...
and analyst Kirk Herbstreit, 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 ...
,
Booger McFarland Anthony Darelle "Booger" McFarland (born December 18, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University and was d ...
, and Dan Mullen host the studio
halftime show A halftime show is a performance given during the brief period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of div ...
. Negandhi also provides in game updates throughout the game. Other ESPN broadcast teams may also occasionally appear for regional (and some national) telecasts.


Overview

''Saturday Night Football'' premiered on September 2,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...
, with a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 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. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wre ...
. While ABC and
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
have aired college football games on Saturday nights for decades, this program marks the first time that a collegiate sports broadcast has officially been part of any major broadcast television network's primetime schedule. Twelve weeks of regular season games were televised during the three-month college football season in 2006, 2007 and from 2009 to 2011; the
Dr. Pepper Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Europ ...
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 college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
resulted in the Championship Game being discontinued after the 2010 event (the Big 12 Football Championship Game returned in 2017, however, it did not return to ABC until 2018, when the network aired the game in the afternoon instead of in primetime). With the college football season being extended by one week, ABC televised thirteen weeks of games in 2008, closing with the
2008 Big 12 Championship Game The 2008 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game was held on December 6, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, and pitted two of the divisional winners from the Big 12 Conference: the Missouri Tigers, winner of the North division against ...
on December 6. With the loss of the Sprint Cup Series to NBC
and or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar, and computing * Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a boolea ...
NBCSN, ''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 athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
, the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
, the old Big East Conference, the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
, the
Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Divisi ...
, the now-defunct
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to most of t ...
and the American Athletic Conference have aired on ''Saturday Night Football'', as well as non-conference games in which teams from these conferences were either playing at home or a neutral-site game to which ABC holds the television rights. All BCS/ CFP and Power 5 conferences have appeared on ''Saturday Night Football'', as the
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
has had its teams featured in 21 non-conference games.
Boise State Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a pub ...
,
Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
, BYU,
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
, UConn, UCF,
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, SMU,
Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
, 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 in 2012, the Pac-12's Saturday Night Football appearances have been limited to non-conference games, especially home games against Notre Dame and games against the Southeastern Conference, as well as road games against conferences that still have broadcast rights with ABC. Besides Pac-12 and Big Ten games, ABC makes most of its game broadcast selections or options twelve days prior to the game (with some being made six days beforehand). This allows ABC to 'flex' the most compelling game it has the rights to broadcast into the ''Saturday Night Football'' slot. As a result, the Saturday night game is usually ABC's "game of the week". Beginning in 2024, ABC will have the option to feature an SEC game on Saturday Night Football for the first time. As of the 2016 college football season, all games on ABC are broadcast in the 16:9 letterbox format on both the SD and HD feeds. As ESPN has signed new contracts with various conferences to produce college football coverage, the network has begun branding its coverage of select conferences to which it has rights. This branding was first seen on SEC broadcasts in 2011, which became the "SEC on ESPN". ACC broadcasts followed suit in 2012 becoming the "ACC on ESPN". In 2018, the network started branding games aired on ABC as the "ACC on ABC", even though the ACC on ESPN logo is still used for replay wipes. Similarly, all Pac-12 games broadcast under the branding of "Pac-12 on ESPN" or as the "Pac-12 on ABC". In 2016, a new contract brought conference branding to Big Ten telecasts as well, which air on both ESPN and ABC. While Big Ten games that air on ESPN cable channels are branded as the "Big Ten on ESPN", games airing on ABC are now branded as the "Big Ten on ABC". While the program is still officially part of ESPN College Football which is reflected when talent appears on screen, the Big Ten on ABC logo and branding is used for intro, program IDs, and replay wipes. Similarly, because of the new ESPN-Big 12 deal, games featuring teams from the Big 12 will appear on the network under the "Big 12 on ESPN" or "Big 12 on ABC" brand, with replay wipes having the Big 12 on ESPN brand logo. Similarly, with the American Conference, games with teams from the American will appear under the "American Conference on ESPN" or "American Conference on ABC" brand. This is the first time any regularly schedule sporting event outside of the National Spelling Bee has carried any ABC branding since 2006. The Advocare Classic (formerly the Cowboys Classic) became the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' beginning in 2011; however in 2013, the matchup between the
Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
and
Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
served as the opening game with the Classic matchup between LSU and TCU being broadcast on ESPN. The Classic served as the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' again in 2014 (that year, involving the
Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivi ...
and Oklahoma State Cowboys), in 2015 (
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
and Wisconsin Badgers) and in 2016 (Alabama Crimson Tide and
USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...
). In 2017, the
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
(between the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the third ranked Florida State Seminoles; which was later described as the ''Greatest Opener of All Time'') served as the opening game for ''Saturday Night Football'' (first time since 2010), while the Advocare Classic featuring the
Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
and
Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as th ...
aired in the 3:30 ET timeslot. In 2018, the Camping World Kickoff (between the new look Louisville Cardinals and the defending 2017 national champion Alabama Crimson Tide) served as the ''Saturday Night Football'' season premiere. The Advocare Classic, between the 2017 ACC Runner-Up Miami Hurricanes and LSU Tigers, aired the next night in primetime, as it served as the ''Sunday Night Kickoff game presented by
NHTSA The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" rel ...
''. The Advocare Classic returned to ''Saturday Night Football'' in 2019, with the Oregon Ducks facing the
Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
, for the first time since the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, in which Auburn won 27–21.


Broadcast teams


2006

*
Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN). With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was one of the original members ...
, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit and Bob Davie, analysts; and
Lisa Salters Lisa Salters is an American journalist and former college basketball player. She has been a reporter for ESPN and ESPN on ABC since 2000. Previously, she covered the O. J. Simpson murder case for ABC and worked as a reporter at WBAL-TV in Bal ...
, 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 Tim Brant (born February 26, 1949) is a retired American sportscaster. Brant most recently worked for Raycom Sports and was formerly Vice President, Sports for WJLA-TV in Washington, DC. He has spent more than forty years covering sports nation ...
, analyst; and Jack Arute, sideline reporter. **Three games: USC–Arizona, Nebraska–Iowa State, and UCLA–California. * Mark Jones, play-by-play;
David Norrie David Doherty Norrie (born November 30, 1963) is a former American major college and professional football player who is best known for his long career as a college football game analyst for ESPN and ABC. Norrie attended Jesuit High School i ...
, analyst; and Stacey Dales, sideline reporter. **Two games: Arizona State–USC and Virginia Tech–Miami (Fla.). *
Gary Thorne Gary F. Thorne (born June 9, 1948) is an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for Baltimore Orioles games on MASN from 2007 to 2020. He has also worked for ESPN and ABC, including National Hockey League, Major Leagu ...
, play-by-play; Andre Ware, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter. **One game: Texas–Kansas State. * Brad Nessler, play-by-play;
Bob Griese Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gri ...
and Paul Maguire, analysts; and Erin Andrews, sideline reporter. **One game: California–USC. *
Mike Patrick Michael Patrick (born September 9, 1944) is a retired American sportscaster, known for his long tenure with ESPN. Early career Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pennsylvania. In 1970, he was ...
, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter (
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
crew). **One game: Nebraska–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 201 ...
).


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 The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 201 ...
, with Spielman). *Dan Fouts, play-by-play; Tim Brant, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter. **Two games: Washington State–USC and Notre Dame–UCLA. *
Terry Gannon Terrance Patrick Gannon (born November 1, 1963, in Joliet, Illinois) is a sportscaster for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel, currently announcing golf, gymnastics, and figure skating. Gannon played basketball for North Carolina State University ...
, play-by-play; David Norrie, analyst; and Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter. **Two games: Oregon State–USC and USC–California. *
Ron Franklin Ronald Franklin (February 2, 1942January 18, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was employed by ESPN from 1987 to 2011. He was fired by ESPN on January 4, 2011, after making sexist comments to a colleague.Ed Cunningham Ed Cunningham (born August 17, 1969) is an American sports announcer, film producer, and former professional American football player. Following his career in the National Football League, Cunningham worked as an commentator for different medi ...
, analyst; and Jack Arute, sideline reporter. **One game: Texas A&M–Oklahoma. * Dave LaMont, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Quint Kessenich Quint Elroy Kessenich ( ; born November 22, 1967) is an American sportscaster for ABC and ESPN television covering lacrosse, basketball, football, hockey, wrestling and horse racing since 1993. He is a former All-American lacrosse goalkeeper. He ...
, sideline reporter. **One game: Boston College–Maryland. *Brad Nessler, play-by-play;
Bob Griese Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gri ...
and Paul Maguire, analysts; and Bonnie Bernstein, sideline reporter. **One game: Oklahoma–Texas Tech.


2008

*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters or Erin Andrews, sideline reporter. **Twelve games: Alabama–Clemson (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
, with Andrews), Ohio State–USC (with Andrews), Georgia–Arizona State, Illinois–Penn State, Missouri–Texas, Penn State–Ohio State, Texas–Texas Tech, Oklahoma State–Texas Tech, Boston College–Florida State, Texas Tech–Oklahoma, Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Missouri–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 201 ...
). *Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and
Heather Cox Heather Cox (born Heather Schoeny on June 3, 1970) is an American sportscaster who is a sports reporter for NBC. As Heather Schoeny, she played college volleyball at University of the Pacific. Biography High school Cox attended Capistran ...
or Jack Arute, sideline reporter. **Two games: Michigan State–California (with Cox) and Oklahoma State–Colorado (with Arute). * Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Rob Stone or Erin Andrews, sideline reporter ( ESPN2 crew). **Two games: Virginia Tech–Nebraska (with Andrews) and California–USC (with Stone). *Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter (ESPN crew). **One game: Ohio State–Wisconsin. * Mark Jones, play-by-play; Bob Davie, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter (ESPN2 crew). **One game: Oregon–USC.


2009

*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters, sideline reporter. **Twelve games: Alabama–Virginia Tech (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
), Texas Tech–Texas, Iowa–Penn State, Oklahoma–Miami (Fla.), Michigan–Iowa, Texas–Missouri, USC–Oregon, Connecticut–Cincinnati, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Oregon–Arizona, Notre Dame–Stanford, and Texas–Nebraska (
Big 12 Championship Game The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 201 ...
). *Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Craig James, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter. **Three games: Oregon State–USC, USC–Arizona State, and Texas Tech–Oklahoma State. *Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and Shelley Smith, sideline reporter. **Three games: USC–California (with Smith), Oklahoma–Nebraska, and Kansas–Texas (with Smith). *Sean McDonough, play-by-play;
Matt Millen Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is a former American football linebacker and executive. Millen played 12 years in the National Football League for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, ...
, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter. **Two games: Texas–Oklahoma State and Georgia–Georgia Tech.


2010

*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews, Heather Cox, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporter. **Ten games: LSU–North Carolina (
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
), Oregon State–Boise State, Stanford–Oregon, Florida State–Miami (Fla.) (with Cox), Oklahoma–Missouri, Oregon–USC, Arizona–Stanford, Nebraska–Texas A&M (with Cox), Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Nebraska–Oklahoma (
Big 12 Championship Game The Big 12 Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big 12 Conference between the best and the second-best Big 12 team. The game was played each year since the conference's formation in 1996 until 2010 and returned during the 201 ...
) (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 Mark Neely is an American sportscaster. He currently serves as a play-by-play announcer for ''ESPN College Football'', '' College Basketball on ESPN'' and ''NBA on ESPN'' and was previously a television announcer for San Diego Padres baseball. ...
, play-by-play; Mike Bellotti and
Brock Huard Brock Anthony Huard (born April 15, 1976) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). His older brother Damon also played quarterback at the University of Washington and had a career in the NFL, while his yo ...
, analysts. **One game: USC–Oregon State.


2011

*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews or Lisa Salters, sideline reporter. **Seven games: Oregon–LSU ( Advocare Classic), Oklahoma–Florida State, LSU–West Virginia, Nebraska–Wisconsin, Stanford–USC, Kansas State–Oklahoma State (with Salters), and Oregon–Stanford. *Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox or Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter. ** Two games: Ohio State–Nebraska (with Edwards) and Washington–Stanford (with Cox). *Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Craig James, analyst; and
Jenn Brown Jennifer Lynne Brown (born March 23, 1981) is an American sports broadcaster and television host. A former Division I Collegiate Athlete for the University of Florida, she spent eight years as a reporter and host for ESPN and ''American Ninja W ...
, sideline reporter. ** One game: Clemson–Georgia Tech. *Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter. ** One game: Texas Tech–Oklahoma. * Mark Jones, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst. ** One game: Notre Dame–Wake Forest.


2012

*Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter. **Twelve games: Michigan–Alabama ( Advocare Classic), 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 The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
) *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 Chris Fowler (born ) is an American sports broadcaster for ESPN, who serves as the play-by-play announcer for ''Saturday Night Football'' on ABC and ESPN’s tennis coverage. He is also known for his work on '' College GameDay'', which he ho ...
, 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 The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
) *Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter. **Three games: Ohio State–Penn State, USC–UCLA, Oregon-Oregon State *Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and
Todd McShay Todd Marshall McShay (born March 22, 1977) is an American football television analyst and commentator. Early life McShay attended North Shore Christian School in Lynn, Massachusetts and then Swampscott High School in Swampscott, Massachusetts, ...
, sideline reporter. **One game: Illinois–Ohio State * Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter. **One game: Oklahoma State–Kansas State


2015

*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, 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 The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
, 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 Punch (born August 20, 1953) is an American auto racing and college football commentator working for ESPN, as well as a physician. Punch also does local radio spots in Knoxville. Punch is currently a Principal Investigator for an award- ...
and Marty Smith pit reporters ( Battle at Bristol 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 The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
) * 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 The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual series of college football games played on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division I FBS season in Atlanta, Georgia. Organized by the Peach Bowl, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend in the United ...
, with Rinaldi), Oklahoma–Ohio State, Clemson-Louisville, Penn State-Iowa, Clemson-Virginia Tech (with Rinaldi), Michigan State-Michigan, Michigan-Penn State (with Rinaldi), Georgia Tech-Clemson, Virginia Tech-Miami, Notre Dame–Miami (with Rinaldi), UCLA–USC, Notre Dame–Stanford, Miami-Clemson (
ACC Championship The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
, with Rinaldi) *
Steve Levy Steve Levy (; born March 12, 1965) is an American journalist and sportscaster for ESPN. He is known for his work broadcasting college football, ''Monday Night Football'' and the National Hockey League. Early life and career Levy went to Jo ...
, play-by-play, Brian Griese, 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), 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 The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
) *Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter **One game: Penn State-Pittsburgh *Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter **One game: Oklahoma-Texas Tech


2019

*Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, Sean McDonough, or Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor or Molly McGrath, sideline reporter. **Thirteen games: Auburn–Oregon ( Advocare Classic), LSU–Texas (with Davis), Clemson–Syracuse (with McDonough), Oklahoma State–Texas, Nebraska–Ohio State, Michigan State–Ohio State, Michigan–Penn State, Michigan–Notre Dame, Memphis–SMU, Clemson–NC State, Baylor–Oklahoma, Arizona State–Oregon, Boise State–Washington ( Las Vegas Bowl, with Wischusen and McGrath) *Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, and Molly McGrath or Maria Taylor, sideline reporters. **Two games: Colorado–Utah, Clemson–Virginia (
ACC Championship The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
, with Taylor) *Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter **One game: Iowa–Penn State


2020

*Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor, Allison Williams, Molly McGrath, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporters. **Nine games: Miami-Louisville (with Williams), Florida State-Miami (with McGrath), Miami-Clemson (with Williams), Michigan-Minnesota (with Taylor), Ohio State-Penn State (with Taylor), Stanford–Oregon (with Taylor), Wisconsin-Michigan (with Rowe), Oklahoma State–Oklahoma (with Rowe), Clemson-Virginia Tech (with Taylor) *Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Todd McShay, and Allison Williams or Molly McGrath, sideline reporters. **Three games: Clemson–Wake Forest (with Williams), Oklahoma-Iowa State (with McGrath), North Carolina-Florida State (with McGrath) *
Dave Pasch Dave Pasch (born August 11, 1972) is an ESPN announcer, covering the NBA, college football, and college basketball. He is also the radio play-by-play voice of the Arizona Cardinals. Personal life Pasch grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, to parents ...
or Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Greg McElroy Gregory Vincent McElroy, Jr. (born May 10, 1988) is an American football commentator and former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of t ...
, analyst; and Allison Williams or Holly Rowe, sideline reporter **Two games: USC–UCLA (with Pasch and Williams), Tulsa–Cincinnati ( AAC Championship, with Tessitore and Rowe) *
Beth Mowins Elizabeth Mowins (born May 26, 1967) is an American play-by-play announcer and sports journalist for ESPN, CBS, and Marquee Sports Network. She typically calls women's college sports, and became the second woman to call nationally televised co ...
, play–by–play;
Kirk Morrison Kirk David Morrison (born February 19, 1982) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and also played for the Jacksonville Jagu ...
, 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, 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 The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
) *Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Greg McElroy Gregory Vincent McElroy, Jr. (born May 10, 1988) is an American football commentator and former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of t ...
, analyst; and Laura Rutledge, sideline reporter. **One game: Utah State-Oregon State ( LA Bowl)


2022

*Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst: Holly Rowe, sideline reporter. **Seven games: Notre Dame–Ohio State, USC–Stanford (with Davis), Wisconsin–Ohio State, NC State–Clemson, Clemson–Florida State, TCU–Texas, Notre Dame-USC *Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter. **Three games: Clemson-Boston College, Michigan State-Michigan, Clemson-North Carolina (
ACC Championship The ACC Championship was a cancelled two-day cricket tournament run by the Asian Cricket Council that is contested between its members nations. The first tournament was scheduled to be held in December 2014. It was canceled due to the busy prep ...
) *Joe Tessitore, play-by-play;
Greg McElroy Gregory Vincent McElroy, Jr. (born May 10, 1988) is an American football commentator and former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of t ...
, analyst; and Katie George, sideline reporter. **Two games: Minnesota-Penn State, Florida State-Miami *Mark Jones, play-by-play; Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter. **One game: Michigan State–Washington *Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter. **One game: Oklahoma State-Oklahoma *Tom Hart, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter. **One game: SMU–BYU ( New Mexico Bowl)


Schedules

''All rankings are from that week's
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and br ...
, 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) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...
.''


2007 schedule

''ABC did not air games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
NEXTEL Cup Series races.''


2008 schedule

''ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.''


2009 schedule

''ABC did not air games on either September 12 or October 17 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.''


2010 schedule

''ABC did not air games on either September 11 or October 16 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.''


2011 schedule

Notes: * 1) ''ABC did not air games on either September 10 or October 15 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.'' * 2) ''Many of the markets scheduled to receive the Texas Tech–Oklahoma game on October 22 instead saw Washington–Stanford, as a thunderstorm delayed the start of the game, and most affiliates stuck with the latter even after the storm cleared. The Texas Tech–Oklahoma game was seen on ESPN2 after the Alabama-Tennessee game, expect in Big 12 markets, where it aired on ABC.''


2012 schedule

''ABC did not air Games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.''


2013 schedule

''ABC did not air Games on either September 7 or October 12 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.''


2014 schedule

''ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
Sprint Cup Series races.''


2015 schedule


2016 schedule


2017 schedule


2018 schedule


2019 schedule


2020 schedule


2021 schedule


2022 schedule


Standings


Nielsen ratings


Top 10 Regular Season Games


Seasonal

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''Saturday Night Football'' on ABC.


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.


See also

* '' College Football Final'' * '' College Football Scoreboard'' * '' College GameDay'' * ''
ESPN College Football on ABC ''ESPN College Football on ABC'' is the branding used for broadcasts of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football games that are produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC in the Un ...
'' * '' 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 2010s American television series 2020s American television series ABC Sports American Broadcasting Company original programming College football television series English-language television shows Saturday mass media