ESPN College Sports Update – Sept. 5

Rachel Margolis Siegal

September 5, 2012

College GameDay: Returns to Lone Star State for Second Straight Week
For the second straight week, ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depotwill originate from the Lone Star State – taking the weekly road show to College Station, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 8, in advance of the Florida at Texas A&M matchup (3:30 p.m., ESPN & ESPN Radio). It will be the first-ever SEC contest for the Aggies.

Fresh off the Cowboys Classic in Arlington, Texas, GameDay will travel less than 200 miles south and the set will be located on the Simpson Drill Field on the south side of Kyle Field. The weekly show airs 9-10 a.m. on ESPNU and 10 a.m.-noon on ESPN.

Segments on this week’s show include: Gene Wojciechowski reports on the price big-time schools pay to less prominent programs; Tom Rinaldi explores the anticipation and expectation surrounding the first season for Texas A&M and Missouri in the SEC; Chris Fowler sits down with Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin; and Samantha Steele travels to College Station to speak with players and coaches about redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Late last week, College GameDay debuted a new “Midnight Yell” spot that was filmed at Texas A&M this summer.

It is the third overall visit to College Station for ESPN’s popular college football pregame show, now in its 26th season. The two previous visits: Nov. 4, 2006 (No. 18 Oklahoma def. No. 21 Texas A&M, 17-16) and Nov. 11, 2000 (No. 1 Oklahoma def. No. 24 Texas A&M, 35-31). Florida will be making an all-time high appearance in a game that GameDay is featuring (31).

Follow on Twitter: @CollegeGameDay

College Football: ABC & College Football Winning the Night
Like ESPN commentators and employees, college football fans were ready for the season to kick off. ESPN’s Saturday Night Football program on ABC was the night’s most-viewed program, ESPN posted large audiences for its Thursday and Friday telecasts and ESPNU scored its most-viewed college football game ever. Full Release

Spotlight: ESPN, StubHub Announce First Three Inductees into the Hall of Fans
On Wednesday, ESPN and StubHub announced the inaugural class of the Hall of Fans, including the University of Alabama softball team’s beloved Emily Pitek, who joins two other inductees into this new institution celebrating extraordinary fandom. Also being inducted: the Vancouver Canucks’ legendary Green Man “Sully” and Baltimore Ravens icon “Captain Deefense.” Nearly 50,000 votes were cast in the first year of this contest. Read More

College Football: Week 2 Schedule
This week’s college football schedule of 48 games will include a SEC tripleheader on ESPN, the first SEC conference games for new members Texas A&M and Missouri, and seven of the top nine – and 16 of the Top 25 – teams in the AP poll. Full Schedule

Join the ESPN college football conversation and follow on Twitter: @CollegeGameDay; @ESPNCFB; @CFBLive; @ESPNU

Recruiting: Alabama and USC QB Commits Matchup in High School Game on ESPNU
On Friday, Sept. 7, at 9:30 p.m. ET the GEICO ESPN High School Football Showcase will feature two Elite 11 quarterbacks committed to the No.1 and No. 2 college football teams in the country when Skyline (Wash.) plays at Cottonwood (Utah).

Cottonwood’s quarterback Cooper Bateman has committed to play at No.1 Alabama and competed in this year’s Elite 11. Skyline’s Max Browne has committed to No. 2 USC and is currently the No.2 quarterback on the ESPNU 150. Skyline is one of six teams in this year’s Showcase that is defending a 2011 State Championship title.

The GEICO ESPN High School Showcase features 10 consecutive weeks of 22 teams from nine states and 13 ESPNU 150 players. Full Schedule

Follow on Twitter: @ESPNU

College Football Live: Daily Destination for All the Headlines
College Football Live continues to be the daily destination for college football news and updates at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN and 4 p.m. on ESPNU. The show primarily utilizes three hosts – Joe Tessitore (Monday & Wednesday), Chris Fowler (Tuesday & Friday) and John Saunders (Thursday), and originates from the site of College GameDay most Fridays.

Trevor Matich and Robert Smith will be live in-studio this week. Also included in the rotation of expert analysts are Desmond Howard (Monday) and Kirk Herbstreit (Tuesday), who are available via satellite weekly.

Follow on Twitter: @CFBLive and @ESPNU

ESPN College Football Depth Chart: How Well Do You Know ESPN Commentators?
The 2012 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN GamePlan has arrived! The network returns a deep bench of commentators – including some new and old faces. Download a playing card here.

For a complete listing of all of ESPN’s college football announcers – including downloadable headshots and bios – click here.

College Basketball: BIG EAST Men’s Schedule on the Books

ESPN’s 2012-13 BIG EAST Conference men’s college basketball regular-season schedule will feature 129 conference games across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU as well as the ESPN3 simulcasts of syndicated matchups on the BIG EAST Network. Full Schedule

The BIG EAST women’s basketball schedule is expected to be released on Thursday.

Previously announced: ACC; Big 12; Pac-12; SEC; Women’s Big Monday

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