BCS National Championship Game Highlights Schedule of 30 College Football Bowl Games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Radio and ESPN360.com
Citi BCS National Championship to be Called by Musburger, Herbstreit, Salters & Rinaldi on ABC and Tirico, Gruden, Blackledge & Nix on ESPN Radio; ESPN Radio to Broadcast 18 Games Including Entire BCS
ESPN’s college football bowl schedule — featuring 30 games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Radio and ESPN360.com — will be highlighted by the Citi BCS National Championship Game (No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama) from the Rose Bowl Thursday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Radio. In addition to the National Championship, ABC and ESPN Radio will broadcast the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi (No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Oregon) Friday, Jan. 1.
ESPN and ESPN2 will televise 24 bowl games, highlighted by Capital One Bowl Week, one of ESPN’s most-viewed weeks of the year, from Dec. 19-Jan. 2. ESPN360.com will simulcast eveory ESPN and ESPN2 telecast while ESPN Radio will broadcast 18 bowl games, including all five BCS matchups. For the first time, ESPN will televise the Texas Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m.
Beginning next season, ESPN will televise all five BCS games – including the National Championship Game – as the result of an agreement with the BCS. It will include the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls each season and the BCS National Championship Game in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Through a separate agreement, ESPN will also televise the Rose Bowl Game beginning in 2011.
Coverage will kick off with an ESPN doubleheader Saturday, Dec. 19: the New Mexico Bowl (Fresno State vs. Wyoming) at 4:30 p.m. and the St. Petersburg Bowl (UCF vs. Rutgers) at 8 p.m. Highlights include:
- Twenty-seven games on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, all offered in high definition on ABC HD, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD. ABC will televise two New Year’s Day bowl games: the Capital One Bowl (No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 12 LSU) at 1 p.m., followed by the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi (No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Oregon) at 4:30 p.m. ABC will also televise the Citi BCS National Championship (No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama) Thursday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m.
- ESPN360.com will offer a live simulcast of every ESPN and ESPN2 game as well as ABC telecasts of the National Championship, Rose Bowl and Capital One Bowl on short turnaround (2:30 a.m. ET on the morning of the games).
- ESPN Radio will broadcast 18 bowl games, including all five BCS matchups, highlighted by the BCS National Championship game (Thursday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m.).
- ESPNU will offer encore presentations of 25 bowl games and two bowl preview shows.
- ESPN.com will offer a special bowl section with previews of each game as well as a fantasy bowl application.
- ESPN Classic will offer encore presentations of 25 memorable games in six days.
- ESPN, ESPN360.com and ESPN Radio will offer coverage of all six ESPN Regional Television owned-and-operated bowl games: the New Mexico Bowl and St. Petersburg Bowl Saturday, Dec. 19, at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively; MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m.; Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Thursday, Dec. 24, at 8 p.m.; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Thursday, Dec. 31, at noon; and Papajohns.com Bowl Saturday, Jan. 2, at 2 p.m.
ESPN will utilize 59 on-air personalities to cover the 30 bowl games, highlights include:
- ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines commentators Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters will work the Citi BCS National Championship on Jan. 7 and the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi on ABC on Jan. 1. Reporter Tom Rinaldi will join them for the National Championship. ESPN Monday Night Football announcer Mike Tirico and analyst Jon Gruden will call ESPN Radio’s broadcast of both, with analyst Todd Blackledge joining them for the Championship game.
- Commentator Bob Wischusen will work games with a father/son duo, calling a game with analyst Bob Griese and two with Bob’s son Brian Griese.
- Brian Griese, in his first year as an analyst, will join his father, veteran analyst Bob Griese, as both work the Outback Bowl but in different booths. Bob will call the game for ESPN and Brian for ESPN Radio.
- The overtime award will go to Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione and Joe Schad, who will call six games for ESPN Radio.
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Radio and ESPN360.com College Football Bowl Schedule
Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
Sat, Dec. 19 | 4:30 p.m. | New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. WyomingTV: Terry Gannon & David NorrieRadio: Carter Blackburn & Charles Arbuckle | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio |
8 p.m. | St. Petersburg Bowl: UCF vs. RutgersTV: Mark Jones, Bob Davie & Rob StoneRadio: Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
Sun, Dec 20 | 8:30 p.m. | R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Middle TennesseeTV: Dave Lamont & J.C. PearsonRadio: Clay Matvick & David Diaz-Infante | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio |
Tue, Dec. 22 | 8 p.m. | MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: No. 18 Oregon State vs. No. 14 BYURece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May & Todd Harris | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
Wed, Dec. 23 | 8 p.m. | San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: No. 23 Utah vs. California TV: Mike Patrick, Craig James & Heather CoxRadio: Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio |
Thu, Dec 24 | 8 p.m. | Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs. Southern Methodist UniversityTV & Radio: Terry Gannon & David Norrie | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio |
Sat, Dec 26 | 1 p.m. | Little Caesars Bowl: Marshall vs. OhioPam Ward & Ray Bentley | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
4:30 p.m. | Meineke Car Care Bowl: No. 17 Pittsburgh vs. North CarolinaBob Wischusen, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
8 p.m. | Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. No. 24 USCTV: Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore & Todd HarrisRadio: Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
Sun, Dec 27 | 8:30 p.m. | Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. ClemsonSean McDonough, Matt Millen & Holly Rowe | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
Mon, Dec 28 | 5 p.m. | AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Texas A&M vs. GeorgiaRon Franklin, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
Tue, Dec 29 | 4:30 p.m. | EagleBank Bowl: UCLA or Army vs. TempleBob Wischusen, Brian Griese & Rob Stone | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
8 p.m. | Champs Sports Bowl: No. 15 Miami vs. No. 25 WisconsinBrad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
Wed, Dec 30 | 4:30 p.m. | Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl: Bowling Green vs. IdahoEric Collins, Brock Huard & Heather Cox | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
8 p.m. | Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: No. 20 Arizona vs. No. 22 NebraskaTV: Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer & Erin AndrewsRadio: Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
Thu, Dec 31 | noon | Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Air ForceTV: Dave Lamont, J.C. Pearson & Cara CapuanoRadio: Rob Stone & Robert Smith | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio |
3:30 p.m. | Texas Bowl: Navy vs. MissouriMark Jones, Bob Davie & Quint Kessenich | ESPN / ESPN360.com | |
7:30 p.m. | Chick-fil-A Bowl: No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. TennesseeTV: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen & Holly RoweRadio: TBA & Rod Gilmore | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
Fri, Jan 1 | 11 a.m. | Outback Bowl: Northwestern vs. AuburnTV: Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman & Rob StoneRadio: Bob Wischusen & Brian Griese | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio |
1 p.m. | Capital One Bowl: No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 12 LSUBrad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Erin Andrews | ABC | |
4:30 p.m. | Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi: No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 OregonTV: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Lisa SaltersRadio: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden & Shelley Smith | ABC / ESPN Radio | |
8:30 p.m. | Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Florida vs. No. 3 CincinnatiBill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad | ESPN Radio | |
Sat, Jan 2 | noon | International Bowl: South Florida vs. Northern IllinoisMike Gleason, John Congemi & David Amber | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
2 p.m. | Papajohns.com Bowl: South Carolina vs. ConnecticutTV: Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara CapuanoRadio: Pam Ward & Ray Bentley | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
5:30 p.m. | AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs. East CarolinaTV: Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine EdwardsRadio: Mark Jones & Bob Davie | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
9 p.m. | Valero Alamo Bowl: Michigan State vs. Texas TechTV: Mike Patrick, Craig James & Heather CoxRadio: Bill Rosinski, Dennis Franchione & Joe Schad | ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio | |
Mon, Jan 4 | 8 p.m. | Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Boise State vs. No. 4 TCUBrad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Erin Andrews | ESPN Radio |
Tue, Jan 5 | 8 p.m. | FedEx Orange Bowl: No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Georgia TechSean McDonough, Matt Millen & Holly Rowe | ESPN Radio |
Wed, Jan 6 | 7 p.m. | GMAC Bowl: Central Michigan vs. TroyJoe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore & Quint Kessenich | ESPN / ESPN360.com |
Thu, Jan 7 | 8 p.m. | Citi BCS National Championship Game: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 AlabamaTV: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters & Tom RinaldiRadio: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Todd Blackledge & Wendi Nix | ABC / ESPN Radio |
ESPNU to Offer Encore Presentations of 25 Bowls and Bowl Preview Shows
ESPNU will offer an encore presentation of 25 bowl games airing on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 and two shows previewing and reviewing the upcoming games: ESPNU Bowl Preview Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 5 p.m., and ESPNU BCS Bowl Preview Thursday, Dec. 17 at 9:30 p.m. The schedule of ESPNU encore games:
Game | Date and Time |
New Mexico Bowl | Dec 20 at 4 a.m. & Dec 21 at 9 p.m. |
EagleBank Bowl | Dec 30 at midnight & 6 a.m. |
St. Petersburg Bowl | Dec 20 at midnight & Dec 21 at 3:30 a.m. |
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas | Dec 26 at 6 a.m. |
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Dec 26 at 3 a.m. |
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl | Dec 26 at midnight |
Little Caesars Bowl | Dec 27 at 6 a.m. & Dec 29 at 1 a.m. |
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl | Dec 26 at 9 a.m. & Dec 28 at 9:30 p.m. |
Motor City Bowl | Dec 27 at 6 a.m. |
Champs Sports Bowl | Dec 30 at 8 a.m. |
Emerald Bowl | Dec 27 at 11 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. |
Meineke Car Care Bowl | Dec 27 at 8:30 a.m. & 4 p.m. |
Eagle Bank Bowl | Dec 30 midnight & 6 a.m. |
Papajohns.com Bowl | Jan 3 at 4 a.m. |
Valero Alamo Bowl | Jan 3 at 1 p.m. & Jan 8 at 8 a.m. |
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl | Jan 5 at 6 a.m. |
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl | Jan 4 at 4 a.m. |
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl | Jan 5 at 8 a.m. |
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl | Dec 28 at 1 a.m. |
Outback Bowl | Jan 5 at 1 a.m. & Jan 6 at 1 p.m. |
Capital One Bowl | Jan 4 at 1:30 a.m. & Jan 8 at 3 a.m. |
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi | Jan 2 at 3 a.m. & Jan 9 at 1 a.m. & 6 a.m. |
Chick-fil-A Bowl | Jan 1 at 12 p.m. noon & Jan 2 at midnight |
International Bowl | Jan 6 at 1:30 a.m. |
GMAC Bowl | Jan 8 at midnight |
ESPN.com to Offer Special Bowl Section and Bowl Mania
ESPN.com will offer a special section featuring individual pages for each of the BCS Bowl games, with overviews of who, what and why to watch from ESPN.com’s Brian Bennett, Heather Dinich, Tim Griffin, Chris Low, Ted Miller, Adam Rittenberg and Graham Watson.
ESPN.com will also offer related video, season stats, rosters and team histories, daily SportsNation polls and live chats, complete Accuscore statistical game simulations, commentary and humor from ESPN.com’s Page 2 section, and more. Additionally, for each game, ESPN Scouts, Inc., will preview and break down each matchup.
Contributors will include ESPN.com’s Ivan Maisel, Pat Forde, Mark Schlabach and Gene Wojciechowski, as well as ESPN television analysts.
Tens of thousands of fantasy sports players have signed up for ESPN.com’s new and improved ‘Bowl Mania’ Fantasy game, in which users pick the winners of each of the 34 college football bowl games and rank them in the order of confidence. Players can compete against fans from around the country for prizes or create private groups to compete against friends.
Twenty-five Classic Bowls in Six Days on ESPN Classic Dec. 14-19
ESPN Classic will present 25 classic bowl games in six days beginning Monday, Dec. 14.
Date | Time (ET) | Game |
Mon, Dec 14 | Noon | 1999 Fiesta Bowl: Florida State vs. Tennessee |
2 p.m. | 2000 Independence Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M | |
4 p.m. | 1996 Aloha Bowl: Navy vs. California | |
6 p.m. | 1999 Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. UCLA | |
8 p.m. | 2002 Independence Bowl: Nebraska vs. Mississippi | |
Tue, Dec 15 | Noon | 1992 Copper Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah |
2 p.m. | 2004 Liberty Bowl: Boise State vs. Louisville | |
4 p.m. | 2008 Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida | |
6 p.m. | 2005 Rose Bowl: Texas vs. Michigan | |
8 p.m. | 2006 Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Florida State | |
Wed, Dec 16 | Noon | 2000 Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida |
1 p.m. | 1998 Alamo Bowl: Kansas State vs. Purdue | |
3 p.m. | 1983 Sugar Bowl: Penn State vs. Georgia | |
5 p.m. | 1982 Sugar Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Georgia | |
7 p.m. | 2001 GMAC Bowl: Marshall vs. East Carolina | |
Thu, Dec 17 | Noon | 1980 Holiday Bowl: BYU vs. SMU |
2 p.m. | 1997 Rose Bowl: Arizona St vs. Ohio State | |
4 p.m. | 2000 Orange Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama | |
6 p.m. | 2005 Capital One Bowl: LSU vs. Iowa | |
8 p.m. | 1984 Orange Bowl: Miami vs. Nebraska | |
Fri, Dec 18 | Noon | 2001 Holiday Bowl: Washington vs. Texas |
3 p.m. | 1979 Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Houston | |
5 p.m. | 1979 Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Penn State | |
7 p.m. | 2003 Fiesta Bowl: Ohio St vs. Miami | |
Sat, Dec 19 | 1 p.m. | 2006 Rose Bowl: Texas vs. USC |
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