ESPNU Road Trip debuts its 2012 season on Tuesday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET with a new co-host “Ali” NeJad. Ali will join Niki Noto as she returns for her second season. Airing every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. the show travels to campuses coast-to-coast and highlights the tradition, rivalry and atmosphere at some of the biggest matchups of the season.

Prior to joining ESPNU Road Trip, Ali hosted a variety of television programs while still making time to travel the county for California football and basketball games. When he wasn’t playing the role of a fan, he found himself at the card table as both a professional poker player and commentator.

Ali spent the last five years voicing poker and delivered the first live coverage commentating of the World Series of Poker for ESPN. With a following of nearly one million on twitter, Ali takes his fans with him on his travels around the world, and now, around the college football world as well.

ESPNU’s viewers can truck along from the comfort of their own homes and twitter accounts when Ali and Niki start the season on neutral territory: Dallas for the Michigan vs. Alabama kickoff weekend matchup. The duo will spend the rest of the season scouring campuses for the life-blood of every college atmosphere.

The first of those college campuses will be Texas A&M and Michigan State. Road Trip will be on hand as Aggies host their first SEC match-up with Florida at Texas A&M and then travel to watch two teams known for their team spirit when Notre Dame plays at Michigan State.

Follow the ESPNU Road Trip crew all season long: @ESPNURoadTrip, @NikiNoto, @Ali_Nejad

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