- Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso Back Together for Saturday Morning Special
- Herbstreit Hands Out Preseason Hardware; Heisman Winner Howard Previews Heisman Race
- Thinking Out Loud Returns on SEC Network
- ESPN and ESPN2 Air Week Zero Games; ESPN+ Streams First of More than 200 Games This Season
ESPN will air its signature college football preview shows as the network ramps up coverage in advance of its five-day, nearly 50 game Kickoff Week schedule (Aug. 30 – Sept. 3) which is highlighted by all six top ranked teams on ESPN’s networks, 14 ranked teams overall and three matchups of ranked teams facing off – including two occurring during special Sunday and Labor Day primetime specials. Ahead of next week’s game schedule, this weekend, ESPN and ESPN2 will both televise a week 0 game, while ESPN+ will stream the first of more than 200 games the new subscription service will carry this season.
College Football Programming This Week
- Emmy Award Winner Kirk Herbstreit Hands out Preseason Hardware
The Herbies Pre-Season Special with ESPN’s lead college football analyst and Emmy Award winner Kirk Herbstreit will debut tonight — Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Herbstreit, along with Rece Davis, will highlight players and teams he expects to have breakthrough performances this season. - College GameDay Airs its Annual Preview Edition
College GameDay Season Preview Built by The Home Depot will air on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Davis, Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso will dive into the latest college football storylines and their season prognostications throughout the one hour special. College GameDay returns to its regular timeslot of 9 a.m. – noon on Saturday, Sept. 1, live from South Bend, Indiana. - The Path to College Football Playoff
Championship Drive: Path to the Playoff Presented by Dr Pepper will once again air on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. on ESPN2, leading into College GameDay. Analysts Joey Galloway, Todd McShay and David Pollack, along with host Chris Cotter, examine the landscape for teams and conferences as they begin their 2018 season campaigns. - Heisman Winner Howard Previews the Heisman Race
Heisman Trophy Preview Show Presented by Nissan will air Sunday, Aug. 26, at 3 p.m. on ESPN. Howard, who won the 1991 Heisman Trophy Award, will join host Adnan Virk and analyst Joey Galloway. The 30-minute special will focus on the college football players most likely to be in the running for the prestigious award, many of whom made ESPN.com’s 50 best players list. - Spears and McElroy Back for Second Season on SEC Network
Thinking Out Loud with Greg McElroy and Marcus Spears is back for its second season on SEC Network, with its preview episode re-airing on Thursday, Aug. 23, at 10 p.m. on SEC Network. The weekly show regularly airs each Monday during the season at 7 p.m. - All-Access with Alabama
Training Days: Rolling with the Tide, a four-part series on the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, continues tonight, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 with episode three leading into The Herbies Pre-Season Special. The all-access programming goes inside practices and closed door meetings, and delve into the all-consuming effort of head coach Nick Saban, the assistant coaches and players as they prepare to defend their College Football Playoff National Championship.
Each show will re-air multiple times across ESPN’s networks and is available on demand via the ESPN App
Week Zero Features Three College Games Under the Lights; GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff Throughout the Weekend
Game action will also be available on Saturday, Aug. 25, as ESPN airs the 2018 Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff featuring No. 14 North Carolina A&T vs. No. 6 Jacksonville State on Aug. 25 (7 p.m.) followed by ESPN2 televising Wyoming at New Mexico State (10 p.m.). On ESPN+, Prairie View A&M will play Rice (7 p.m.).
Additionally, the 2018 GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff will feature a seven-game slate with 38 players ranked in the ESPN 300 and ESPN Jr. 300, including three in the top 10: No. 4 Pierce Quick (Hewitt-Trussville, Ala.), No. 6 Owen Pappoe and No. 7 Wanya Morris (both of Grayson, Ga.)
ESPN’s Week Zero Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Game and Commentators | Network |
| Sat, Aug. 25 | 7 p.m. | 2018 Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff North Carolina A&T vs. Jacksonville State Taylor Zarzour, Greg McElroy, Cole Cubelic |
ESPN |
| Prairie View A&M at Rice | ESPN+ | ||
| 10 p.m. | Wyoming at New Mexico State Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks, Roddy Jones |
ESPN2 |
ESPN’s College Football Preview Shows
| Date | Time (ET) | Show | Network |
| Wed, Aug. 22 | 7 p.m. | Training Days: Rolling with the Tide | |
| 8 p.m. | The Herbies Pre-Season Special
|
ESPN2 | |
| Thu, Aug. 23 | 10 p.m. | Thinking Out Loud | SEC Network |
| Sat, Aug. 25 | 10 a.m. | Championship Drive: Path to the Playoff Presented by Dr Pepper
|
ESPN2 |
| 11 p.m. | College GameDay Season Preview Special Built by The Home Depot
|
ESPN | |
| Sun, Aug. 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Heisman Trophy Preview Show Presented by Nissan
|
ESPN |
Each show will re-air multiple times across ESPN’s networks and is available on demand via the ESPN App
All shows subject to scheduling changes
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