Tag: television schedule

Former college football great retires from NFL, joins NBC Sports’ Big Ten coverage

Former college football great retires from NFL, joins NBC Sports’ Big Ten coverage

The newly expanded Big Ten Conference will bring fans expanded game coverage in 2024.

NBC, CBS and Fox now split the conference’s television rights — which has created a full-day schedule every Saturday. It now includes a Fox Big Noon pregame show in the morning, into Fox Big Noon Kickoff, then to CBS’ Game of the Week in the afternoon and finally to NBC Saturday Night to close. Heightened interest and viewership means more investment into each broadcast. That has led NBC to make a new hire for its coverage team.

Related: Projecting Wisconsin Badgers two-deep depth chart heading into Week 4 of 2024 fall camp

That is former Texas Longhorn great and 13-year NFL veteran Colt McCoy.

McCoy announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday after a 13-year career. He was originally a third-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL draft. The college football great spent 2010-12 in Cleveland, 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers, 2014-19 with Washington, 2020 with the New York Giants and 2021-22 with the Arizona Cardinals.

The 2008 Heisman Trophy runner-up and 2009 finalist did not match his exceptional collegiate production. He was mostly a backup during his career, though did finish with 36 total starts of 56 games played. His final NFL numbers include 62.6% completion, 7,975 yards, 34 touchdowns, 32 interceptions, a passer rating of 79.9, 582 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

McCoy starred from 2006-09 at Texas. His stature in the college game makes him a strong candidate for NBC’s coverage of the Big Ten. Texas went 45-8 during his tenure as starter, including a national title loss to Alabama in 2009. The program was ranked within the top 10 of the AP Poll for the majority of his tenure as starter, which, paired with Texas’ brand, elevated him to the top of the game.

His stats as a college starter include 70.3% completion, 13,253 yards, 112 touchdowns and 45 interceptions.

Wisconsin’s 2024 schedule does not yet have an NBC game. That is sure to change as the season progresses.

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Wisconsin football to play two Friday games in 2024 season

Reaction to the news that Wisconsin football will play (at least) two Friday games in 2024 season?

The Wisconsin Badgers will play at least two games on Friday during their 2024 football season.

The team’s schedule — including kick times, dates and television channels — is beginning to be announced. Information was released in the last week that the Badgers will open the season on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 at 9 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Central against Western Michigan and close the regular season on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 at noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central against Minnesota.

Related: Wisconsin full 2024 football schedule with locations, kick times and TV channels

This news dropped after it appeared that the Badgers had avoided Fox’s Friday night schedule. But the team will still play on that day of the week, with Week 1’s night game vs. Western Michigan on Fox Sports 1 and Week 14’s rivalry-week Black Friday game vs. Minnesota on CBS.

The information is important not only to Badgers fans looking to watch the team, but also to season-ticket holders. All four of the recently-released game times are for home games — three out-of-conference contests and vs. Minnesota.

Many may not like the idea of college football’s oldest rivalry moving to the afternoon of Black Friday. But television networks control most of the sport, and CBS thought the holiday afternoon time slot was too attractive to pass up.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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College Football Playoff gets new broadcast partner

Another big network is now in on college football:

If how to watch the new college football landscape this fall wasn’t already confusing enough. There is now another network in the mix for some of the sport’s biggest games.

Throughout the season, the SEC and ACC will primarily play on ESPN and its partners, the Big Ten will play on Fox, NBC and CBS, and the Big 12 will play on ESPN and Fox. That covers it — until the College Football Playoff begins.

News broke Wednesday that ESPN has agreed with TNT Sports to sublicense College Football Playoff games in each season from 2024-2028.

Related: Big Ten football 2024 season win-loss record predictions for each team after spring practice

The announcement notes that TNT will broadcast two first-round games in 2024 and 2025. That inventory will increase to two first-round games and two quarterfinal games from 2026-2028. ESPN will choose two first-round games before giving the others to TNT.

The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff sees four total first-round games: No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed, No. 6 vs. No. 11, No. 7 vs. No. 10 and No. 8 vs. No. 9. The quarterfinal has four as well: No. 1 vs. No. 8/9, No. 2 vs. No. 7/10, No. 3 vs. No. 6/11 and No. 4 vs. No. 5/12. The inventory then narrows for the semifinal and final.

ESPN has owned the entire playoff since its inception in 2014. It selling part of the inventory to TNT — a reported partner in the new ESPN/TNT/Fox streaming bundle — is a big blow to NBC, CBS and Fox in the never-ending race to own college football.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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NBC announces first two ‘Big Ten Saturday Night’ matchups of 2024

NBC announces first two “Big Ten Saturday Night” matchups of 2024

NBC announced the first two matchups of its “Big Ten Saturday Night” slate in 2024.

The first: Fresno State at Michigan at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 31.

The second: Colorado at Nebraska at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 7.

Related: Post-spring Big Ten football 2024 power rankings, starting quarterback rankings

Both matchups carry weight in early season out-of-conference play. Michigan enters Week 1 off its 15-0 national championship-winning 2023 season. Jim Harbaugh and most of the 2023 Wolverines are gone, but the program will still celebrate to kick off 2024.

Week 2 is a rematch of last year’s contest won by Colorado, 36-14. It’s a marquee early season game between two teams with high expectations entering the season. Nebraska looks for a big Year 2 jump under Matt Rhule, while Deion Sanders and Colorado dominate every offseason storyline.

Wisconsin hosts Western Michigan and South Dakota in weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Those matchups weren’t real candidates for a national television prime-time broadcast.

In Week 3, however, the Badgers host first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The matchup lost some luster with Nick Saban’s retirement, but Alabama will likely enter as a top-10 team. It will present Luke Fickell with an ideal opportunity for a statement win early in his second year in charge.

That contest will be on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff,” as announced on Monday.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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Report: Fox Sports to broadcast weekly Friday night college football game in 2024

Thoughts on college football taking over Friday nights?

College football is continuing to follow in the footsteps of the NFL, this time with its television schedule.

Fox Sports will broadcast a Friday night college football game every week during the 2024 season, according to a report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.

The move comes as television networks jockey for position with the sport realigning and game inventory becoming a premium.

Related: Pre-spring bold predictions for the 2024 Big Ten football season

The Friday night games will be a mix of Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West, according to Marchand’s report. Fox is one of the primary Big Ten television rights holders and has already broadcast some of the conference’s Friday night games.

What does this mean? I’d argue it’s the same thing we’re seeing in the NFL. If college football is one of the biggest draws, then why not extend its reach to more timeslots and more days of the week. That’s how the television executives think, at least. More standalone games mean higher-rated telecasts, as opposed to every big game competing for position on Saturday afternoon.

 

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Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.