Tag: NBC

Why isn’t the Notre Dame game on NBC for the College Football Playoff?

This is the first time since 1990.

Notre Dame will host Indiana in the first game of the expanded 2024-25 College Football Playoff, but the game isn’t on NBC like usual for the Fighting Irish.

Fans are accustomed to watching the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on NBC. But the game against Indiana is set to broadcast Friday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET, which is actually a historic change.

This is the first home game that Notre Dame has played without an NBC-owned broadcast since 1990, per Awful Announcing. Some of their games have aired on Peacock.

NBC has the broadcasting rights to Notre Dame football home games until 2029. But that deal does not include postseason games.

Disney’s ABC and ESPN own the rights to the College Football Playoff until 2031. However, TNT Sports will air some games as well due a sub-licensing agreement.

Curiously, this isn’t the first time that Notre Dame’s TV rights were involved in a deal between NBC and Disney.

In 2006, as part of an exchange for broadcaster Al Michaels when he switched booths, ESPN was also given expanded highlights to Notre Dame football.

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Kevin Kisner tabbed as lead analyst for NBC golf coverage in 2025

Kevin Kisner will remain in the booth for 2025.

Kevin Kisner will remain in the booth for 2025.

Kisner, 40, is being given the reigns as lead analyst for NBC Sports golf coverage in 2025, NBC Sports announced Wednesday. Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter first reported the news. After a revolving door of analysts during the 2024 season, Kisner is expected to be in the booth for NBC’s weekend coverage for most of its events during the 2025 season.

Kisner will still play some events on the PGA Tour in addition to his commitment to the TGL, which begins in January.

“I’m humbled and grateful to have the chance to sit in the seat that many legends like Johnny Miller and Paul Azinger have sat in before me on NBC,” Kisner said in a release. “I’m looking forward to offering a different voice and adding a new dynamic to the broadcasts, hopefully reaching more fans and telling things like it is. That’s what I think I do best. I’m also excited to continue to compete on the PGA Tour amongst my peers, which I think will help me to tap into what these guys are really feeling on the course.”

The announcement comes about a month after Paul Azinger, NBC’s lead analyst for five years before his tenure ended in 2023, was given a spot in the booth for PGA Tour Champions events in 2025 as lead analyst.

Kisner will commentate next to Dan Hicks at NBC’s biggest events, including the Players Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship. He’ll also be the lead analyst for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and Ryder Cup.

“Kevin always shared frank and honest opinions about the game of golf during our various conversations through the years,” NBC Sports lead golf producer Tommy Roy said in a release. “Those kinds of opinions and his engaging personality make Kiz a great fit for our broadcast team. He knows these players, he knows this game, and the audience will get to hear more of those opinions and that personality this season.”

In addition to Kisner, Brandel Chamblee, Luke Donald and others were among the numerous on-air talent who had their time in the lead analyst chair during NBC’s 2024 golf coverage.

Come 2025, it ain’t no hobby for Kisner. It’s a lifestyle.

Notre Dame vs. Virginia: Second-Quarter Analysis

This quarter lasted over an hour and was quite crazy.

If you were hoping for more action between Notre Dame and Virginia in the second quarter, you would have gotten some. In a quarter that lasted over an hour in real time, the Irish had one crazy moment after another, and it ended with them holding a 28-0 halftime lead.

Both teams continued to struggle offensively for the first few minutes. After [autotag]Max Hurleman[/autotag] muffed a punt and the Cavaliers recovered, the Irish’s 7-0 lead appeared to be in jeopardy. But the Irish took the ball right back a few plays later when [autotag]Rod Heard II[/autotag] forced a Kobe Pace fumble that was recovered by [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag].

The difference between the two turnovers is that the Irish took advantage. Their offense had its most productive drive of the day, and it culminated when [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] hit [autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] for an 8-yard touchdown.

On the next possession, Leonard fired another apparent touchdown pass to Harrison from 78 yards out, but it was wiped out when [autotag]Pat Coogan[/autotag] was penalized for illegal hands to the face.

Another apparent touchdown then was wiped out after a very confusing sequence. Faced with fourth-and-11, the Irish opted to fake a punt and try a fumblerooski, and [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] ran the ball 73 yards to the house. However, the officials called it back for illegal formation, much to the chagrin of the Notre Dame Stadium fans and the NBC announcers.

But that touchdown was dying to be scored, and it finally was after [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] returned an interception 46 yards and Leonard immediately faked a handoff before firing to an open [autotag]Cooper Flanagan[/autotag] in the end zone from 2 yards out.

The Irish weren’t finished though. Anthony Colandrea threw another interception, this one to [autotag]Leonard Moore[/autotag]. On the final of three subsequent passes, [autotag]Mitchell Evans[/autotag] had a 16-yard touchdown.

Colandrea kept feeling generous though because Watts picked off another one of his passes in the waning seconds of the quarter. Although [autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] missed a 54-yard field goal as time expired, the Irish still deserved a rest in the locker room after everything that had just happened.

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Notre Dame, USC to be featured throughout NBC tripleheader Nov. 23

Don’t make any plans for that day.

Notre Dame and USC make up an intersectional rivalry unlike any other in the country. One upcoming Saturday will showcase both schools on national TV perhaps like never before.

NBC Sports has a longtime association with Irish football, and USC now is part of a Big Ten which has its games broadcast by the same company. And the stars are aligning for one heck of day.

NBC will kick off a tripleheader of coverage involving both schools with the Irish and Trojans women’s basketball teams meeting in Los Angeles at 4 p.m. EST. All eyes will be on that to see whether [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] get the best of JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen. Both duos are incredibly dangerous.

Next will be the Irish football team’s annual Shamrock Series game with Army at Yankee Stadium. Wrapping up the day’s coverage will be the Trojans football team facing UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Both games will be the teams’ last before playing each other at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the following week.

Clear your schedule for Nov. 23, Irish fans. It will be the right day to do so.

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NBC announces unique way to watch Penn State’s White Out game against Washington

NBC announces a brand new way to consume Penn State’s White Out game against Washington this Saturday.

We all wanted Penn State’s White Out game to come last weekend against Ohio State, but that is a larger conversation for another time. Instead, the White Out will be this Saturday against the Washington Huskies. The game will air exclusively on Peacock as NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night telecast.

The network also announced a partnership with IMAX Monday afternoon to televise the game live in 23 movie theatres nationwide, mainly concentrated in Pennsylvania and Washington.

NBC Sports wanted to “bring one of the most electrifying events in college sports live to IMAX locations nationwide.” Penn State and Washington fans can now witness one of the premier atmospheres in college football on ultra-wide IMAX screens with “premium sound and crystal-clear visuals that only IMAX can deliver.”

Saturday’s game will mark the first-ever college football game presented in IMAX. NBC Sports began its partnership with IMAX earlier this year to stream the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony to over 100 IMAX locations.

The IMAX website has a complete list of the 23 venues playing the game on Saturday evening. At first glance, six locations are in Pennsylvania and seven in Washington. The other ten locations are spread nationwide, including one theatre in New York City and another in Southern California.

If you can’t attend the game in person this weekend and don’t have a Peacock subscription, going to one of these 23 IMAX theatres is a unique opportunity to view one of the best traditions in sports.

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Kickoff time, TV channel announced for Wisconsin Badgers Week 10 game at Iowa

Kickoff time, TV channel announced for Wisconsin Badgers Week 10 game at Iowa

The Wisconsin Badgers (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) will travel to Iowa City, Iowa next Saturday for a critical rivalry game against the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten),

As recently announced, the game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on NBC.

Related: Badgers fans dejected after hard-fought loss to No. 3 Penn State

Wisconsin will enter the matchup after a tough loss to No. 3 Penn State in Week 9. The Badgers led 10-7 at halftime and were trending toward a season-altering upset victory. The Nittany Lions dominated after the halftime break, however, and reinforced their place as one of the best teams in the conference — even doing so without star QB Drew Allar.

Iowa, meanwhile, defeated Northwestern 40-16 in Week 9. It has had an up-and-down season to date, with blowout wins over Minnesota, Northwestern and Washington, plus demoralizing losses to Michigan State and Ohio State.

One interesting note: Iowa benched QB Cade McNamara during its win over Northwestern. It moved to backup Brendan Sullivan, who had transferred in from Northwestern last offseason.

The Hawkeyes trailed 7-5 at the time of the change. Sullivan led an instant turnaround, en route to the 40-16 triumph.

Saturday will be Wisconsin’s third primetime matchup of the season. The result could come close to defining the team’s season.

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Penn State heading back to primetime for upcoming Big Ten game

When Penn State returns to the field, they will do so under the lights in front of a primetime audience.

The Penn State Nittany Lions continued to climb in the national polls after a big win on the Wet Coast, and now they are heading back into primetime for their next game. It was announced today that Penn State’s road game at Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 26 will air on NBC in primetime. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

This will be Penn State’s second game airing in NBC’s primetime slot this season. Penn State hosted Illinois for a home game under the lights of Beaver Stadium a few weeks ago.

Penn State has climbed to no. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 following its win over USC this past weekend. Penn State’s rise in the rankings was aided by Ohio State losing to Oregon over the weekend.

Wisconsin has two losses on their schedule already this season with a 32-point loss at home to Alabama and a 17-point loss at USC in back-to-back games earlier this season. But the Badgers have rebounded with a pair of blowouts in recent weeks. Wisconsin outscored Purdue and Rutgers by a combined score of 94-13. Wisconsin will visit Northwestern this weekend while Penn State is getting the week off after the trip to California.

Penn State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin, 11-9. Penn State has also won five straight meetings dating back to 2012, including the Big Ten championship game in 2016.

The win probability for Penn State dropped significantly following the results of Week 7. According to ESPN’s updated numbers, Penn State has a 72.7% chance of winning at Wisconsin in two weeks, which is actually up a few percentage points since an update on Sunday. Still, it is down significantly from the 81.0% win probability of a week ago.

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Todd Blackledge: Notre Dame must win out for College Football Playoff

Will the Irish do it?

As the color analyst for NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night coverage, Todd Blackledge doesn’t get to call Notre Dame games. But that doesn’t mean he’s not keeping tabs on the Irish. After all, he wouldn’t have the gig he has if he wasn’t paying attention to all of college football.

In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show”, Blackedge was asked by the host about the Irish’s chances at making the College Football Playoff. Blackedge made it clear that the Irish’s remaining schedule is a detriment in that there aren’t a lot of big games left if any at all.

With Florida State at 1-5 and USC below .500 in Big Ten play, Blackege said the Irish don’t have a lot of margin for error. That means they’ll have to win out in order to have even a shot at the playoff. It’s further proof that the loss to Northern Illinois continues to hang over the team like a cloud.

We’ll continue to have this debate for the rest of the season or at least until the Irish lose another game. Better get used to it if you aren’t already, Irish fans.

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NBC will one again see a top-three matchup this weekend, it’s last since Florida State vs. Notre Dame

Will this be another “Game of the Century?”

We all remember the “Game of the Century” when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Florida State Seminoles 31-24 in South Bend all the way back in 1993.

That was the last game that NBC televised that featured two top-three teams, and that streak will be broken this weekend as the Ohio State Buckeyes face off against the Oregon Duck in Eugene, Oregon as reported by Sports Illustrated’s Steward Mandel.

While Notre Dame did not win the national title that year, it was Florida State, it was still a game than many of us remember watching. It will most likely be the same this weekend, as both teams are viewed as contenders in the first expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

It’s clearly not uncommon for a matchup like this to have national implications, as both the Buckeyes and Ducks enter the game undefeated like the Irish and Seminoles did over almost 30 years ago. Hopefully, Notre Dame makes the CFP and gets a chance to knock off one or both of these teams.

During Ohio State’s title run in 2014, they were one of four teams, along with Alabama, Oregon and Florida State, to make the first ever College Football Playoff.

The last time Oregon and Ohio State faced off against each other was in 2021, with the Ducks coming out on top. However in the first CFP, the Buckeyes were victorious, winning the title.

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Bills QB Josh Allen’s 52-yard tightrope pass had this unique stat

Bills QB Josh Allen’s 52-yard tightrope pass had this unique stat

The Buffalo Bills experienced the first loss of the season, falling 35-10 to the  Baltimore Ravens.

While the Bills certainly had their struggles during the game, quarterback  Josh Allen did take several big shots downfield.

While receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid missed on some contested jump balls that would have made for some big time plays, the game had some highlight reel plays as well.

Those highlights were headlined by Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who managed to complete his latest jaw-dropping play.

On a 3rd-and-5 possession in the third quarter, Allen threw a lofty pass 52-yards for a completion to receiver Khalil Shakir.

What’s more, the play featured some interesting Next Gen Stats that stood out…

Allen was less than a yard from the sideline when he completed the throw before going out of bounds, and Shakir adjusted to haul in the catch for the big gain.

While the play was a big one on its own, it also puts Allen into an interesting category.

Since his rookie season in 2018, the Bills QB has completed 6-of-7 such passes within a single yard of the sideline on plays he’s extended.

What’s more, those went for 118 yards with 3 touchdown scores.

While evading tackles to accomplish such a feat on passes within a yard from going out of bounds is, in and of itself impressive, it’s the basis for comparison that goes even further as to distinguish how special that ability is.

On passes within less than a yard of the sideline, the rest of the NFL is only 1-for-16 on such attempts.

Allen’s been impressive overall so far this season, ranking in the top ten of passers in the league in completion percentage as well as touchdowns, and going for 198 straight pass attempts without an interception.