ESPN to Carry 34 College Football Bowl Games Featuring Entire BCS

By: Dec. 05, 2012
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

ESPN's extensive college football coverage continues with 34 bowl games, highlighted by all five of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) matchups, including the Discover BCS National Championship (No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Alabama) on Monday, Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D and WatchESPN.

The schedule will kick off with an ESPN and ESPN Radio doubleheader on Saturday, Dec. 15: the Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Nevada vs. Arizona), which is also on ESPN 3D, at 1 p.m. ET and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Toledo vs. No. 22 Utah State) at 4:30 p.m.

Schedule highlights:
- An ESPN outlet will offer coverage of at least one game a day for 16 out of the 19 days from Dec. 20 to Jan. 7.
- ESPN's New Year's Day lineup will include six games:
- Noon: TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl (Mississippi State vs. No. 20 Northwestern) on ESPN2 and Heart of Dallas Bowl (Purdue vs. No. 13 Oklahoma State) on ESPNU.
- 1 p.m.: Capital One Bowl (No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 16 Nebraska) on ABC and ESPN Radio and Outback Bowl (No. 10 South Carolina vs. No. 18 Michigan) on ESPN and ESPN Radio.
- 5 p.m.: Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio (Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Stanford) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio.
- 8:30 p.m.: Discover Orange Bowl (No. 15 Northern Illinois vs. No. 12 Florida State) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio.

- Every bowl game on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will be available on computers at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. WatchESPN is currently available in 40 million households nationwide to fans who receive their video subscription from Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity TV or Midcontinent Communications.

- ESPN Deportes will televise all five BCS bowls, marking the first telecast of the entire BCS in Spanish for U.S. Hispanic sports fans. ESPN Deportes also aired the BCS Championship between Alabama and LSU last year. According to the most recent ESPN Deportes Sports Poll Source: ESPN Deportes Sports Poll 2011, P2+

- 42 percent of U.S. Hispanics follow college football. That's more than the Hispanic fanbase following UEFA Champions League.

- ESPN 3D, the world's first 24/7 all-sports 3D channel, will televise five bowl games, highlighted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl and Discover BCS National Championship. It will mark the third year ESPN 3D has televised the BCS National Championship. ESPN 3D, launched in 2010, is available to more than 63 million homes in the U.S. through carriage agreements with DIRECTV, Comcast, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and Google Fiber.

- ESPN Radio will broadcast 24 bowl games, including all five BCS matchups and the AT&T Cotton Bowl (No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m.).

- ESPN will cover all seven ESPN Regional Television owned-and-operated bowl games: the Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Saturday, Dec. 15, at 1 p.m.), Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg (Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas (Saturday, Dec. 22, at 3:30 p.m.); Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (Monday, Dec. 24, at 8 p.m.); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Friday, Dec. 28, at 9 p.m.); Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Saturday, Dec. 29, at 11:45 a.m.); and BBVA Compass Bowl (Saturday, Jan. 5, at 1 p.m.).

- ESPN International will telecast the BCS in: Australia/New Zealand (ESPN Pacific Rim); Latin America North & South; Brazil; Caribbean; Europe (ESPN America); Sub-Saharan Africa (ESPN Atlantic) and Middle East.

Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit will work their sixth consecutive BCS National Championship game, calling ESPN's telecast of Discover BCS National Championship (Monday, Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m.) with Saturday Night Football Presented by Windows 8 reporter Heather Cox and College GameDay Built by The Home Depot host and reporter Tom Rinaldi. For the second straight year, ESPN's Monday Night Football signal caller Mike Tirico will work ESPN Radio's broadcast with ESPN college football analyst Todd Blackledge and reporters Holly Rowe and Joe Schad.

As part of an extensive four-year agreement with the Bowl Championship Series that began in 2010, ESPN will provide exclusive worldwide television coverage, radio broadcasts, digital content and more for the five annual BCS games from January 2011 through January 2014. ESPN Radio has broadcast every BCS game since 2000.

The 2012 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television, WatchESPN and ESPN GamePlan totals more than 450 regular-and post-season games.

Bowl Championship Series
Tue, Jan 1
p.M. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio: Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Stanford ESPN: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox & Tom Rinaldi Radio: Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown Deportes: Georgina Ruiz Sandoval & Robert Abramowitz ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN Radio
8:30 p.m. Discover Orange Bowl: No. 15 Northern Illinois vs. No. 12 Florida State ESPN: Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN Radio

Wed, Jan 2
8:30 p.m. Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 21 Louisville vs. No. 3 Florida ESPN: Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich Radio: Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Allison Williams Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D

Thu, Jan 3
8:30 p.m. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 Kansas State ESPN: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN Radio

Mon, Jan 7
8:30 p.m. Discover BCS National Championship: No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Alabama ESPN: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox & Tom Rinaldi Radio: Mike Tirico, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe & Joe Schad Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D

Additional Postseason Games
Sat, Dec 15
1 p.m. Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. Arizona ESPN: Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Kaylee Hartung Radio: Mark Neely, Ray Bentley & Marty Cesario ESPN, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D
4:30 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. No. 22 Utah State ESPN: Tom Hart, Mike Bellotti & Quint Kessenich Radio: Rich Cellini, Tom Ramsey & Shelley Smith ESPN & ESPN Radio

Thu, Dec 20
8 p.m. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: BYU vs. San Diego State ESPN: Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad ESPN, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D

Fri, Dec 21
7:30 p.m. Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg: Central Florida vs. Ball State ESPN: Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Desmond Howard & Cara Capuano Radio: Dave Lamont, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams ESPN & ESPN Radio

Sat, Dec 22
Noon R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette ESPN: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Quint Kessenich Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dan Hawkins & Ian Fitzsimmons ESPN & ESPN Radio
3:30 p.m. MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: Washington vs. No. 19 Boise State Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Tom Rinaldi ESPN

Mon, Dec 24
8 p.m. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State vs. SMU ESPN: Carter Blackburn, Kelly Stouffer & Kaylee Hartung Radio: Marc Kestecher & Pete Najarian ESPN & ESPN Radio

Wed, Dec 26
7:30 p.M. Little Caesars Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan Mark Neely, Ray Bentley & Jemele Hill ESPN

Thu, Dec 27
3 p.m. Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman: No. 24 San Jose State vs. Bowling Green Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Quint Kessenich ESPN
6:30 p.m. Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Duke Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards ESPN
9:45 p.m. Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Baylor vs. No. 17 UCLA ESPN: Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad ESPN, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D

Fri, Dec 28
2 p.m. AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer & Cara Capuano ESPN
5:30 p.m. Russell Athletic Bowl: Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech ESPN: Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor Radio: Adam Amin, Tom Luginbill & Brett McMurphy ESPN & ESPN Radio
9 p.m. Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech ESPN: Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza Radio: Tom Hart, John Congemi & Niki Noto ESPN & ESPN Radio

Sat, Dec 29
11:45 a.m. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Air Force ESPN: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson Radio: Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra ESPN & ESPN Radio
3:15 p.m. New Era Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia vs. Syracuse ESPN: Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer & Tom Rinaldi Radio: Marc Kestecher, Jack Ford & C.J. Papa ESPN & ESPN Radio
4 p.m. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Navy vs. Arizona State Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown ESPN2
6:45 p.m. Valero Alamo Bowl: No. 23 Texas vs. No. 13 Oregon State ESPN: Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich Radio: Mark Neely, Ray Bentley & Kaylee Hartung ESPN & ESPN Radio
10:15 p.m. Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: TCU vs. Michigan State ESPN: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad ESPN & ESPN Radio

Mon, Dec 31
Noon Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: NC State vs. Vanderbilt Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill ESPN
3:30 p.m. AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Tulsa ESPN: Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza Radio: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson ESPN & ESPN Radio
7:30 p.m. Chick-fil-A Bowl: No. 8 LSU vs. No. 14 Clemson ESPN: Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards Radio: Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano ESPN & ESPN Radio

Tue, Jan 1
Noon TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs. No. 20 Northwestern Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Allison Williams ESPN2 Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue vs. Oklahoma State Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Kaylee Hartung ESPNU
1 p.m. Capital One Bowl: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 16 Nebraska ABC: Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele Radio: Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer & Brett McMurphy ABC & ESPN Radio Outback Bowl: No. 10 South Carolina vs. No. 18 Michigan ESPN: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden & Shannon Spake Radio: Carter Blackburn, John Congemi & Jemele Hill ESPN & ESPN Radio

Fri, Jan 4
7 p.m. AT&T Cotton Bowl: No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma Brad Sham, Ed Cunningham & Ian Fitzsimmons ESPN Radio

Sat, Jan 5
1 p.m. BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss ESPN: Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra Radio: Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer & Allison Williams ESPN & ESPN Radio

Sun, Jan 6
9 p.m. GoDaddy.com Bowl: No. 25 Kent State vs. Arkansas State Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza ESPN



Videos