College Football Season to Kick Off With 25 Games Over Labor Day Weekend on Multiple ESPN Outlets

Ten of Top 25 Teams in Action, Saturday Night Football on ABC Returns with #15 Tennessee at #12 California and #19 Florida State at Clemson on Labor Day

The 2007 college football season will kick off Thursday, Aug. 30 and feature 25 games over five

days on ESPN on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV.  From August 30 to September 3, the networks will offer coverage of 10 of the top 25 teams from the pre-season AP poll: #2 LSU, #7 Wisconsin, #9 Virginia Tech, #10 Louisville, #12 California, #13 Georgia, #15 Tennessee, #18 Auburn, #19 Florida State and #20 Nebraska.  

The first weekend will be highlighted by #15 Tennessee at #12 California on the second

season debut of Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines on ABC at 8 p.m. ET, the first weekly primetime college football series on broadcast television; the ninth Bowden Bowl pitting Bobby’s #19 Florida State against his son Tommy’s Clemson squad in a special Labor Day telecast Monday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. on ESPN; #2 LSU at Mississippi State on the Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime Presented by Applebee’s series at 8 p.m. (also on ESPN Mobile TV); East Carolina at #9 Virginia Tech at noon on ESPN; Marshall at Miami at noon on ESPNU; and a primetime game each on ESPN2 (Oklahoma State at #13 Georgia at 6:45 p.m.) and ESPN (Kansas State at #18 Auburn at 7:45 p.m. – also on ESPN Radio).

COMMENTATOR HIGHLIGHTS

ESPN’s 2007 college football coverage will feature a deep roster of knowledgeable and

experienced commentators.  Opening week highlights include:

• Analyst Kirk Herbstreit will work every broadcast of the second season of Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines on ABC and ESPN’s Saturday morning College GameDay.  On Saturday, Sept. 1, he will work College GameDay from Blacksburg, Va. before traveling cross country to call the Saturday Night Football #15 Tennessee at #12 California telecast. 

• Mike Tirico, who serves as the commentator for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, will call ESPN’s coverage of East Carolina at #9 Virginia Tech with analysts Todd Blackledge and Bill Curry Saturday, Sept. 1 at noon.

• Chris Fowler will call ESPN’s Thursday night series with new analysts Doug Flutie and Craig James, and returning reporter Erin Andrews.

• Former Miami Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker will make his television debut as an ESPNU game analyst Saturday, Sept. 1 at noon, working Marshall at Miami with Clay Matvick.

• ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd of The Herd with Colin Cowherd will provide commentary from the booth of ESPN’s Washington at Syracuse telecast Friday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m.  Sean McDonough will call the game with analyst Chris Spielman and reporter Rob Stone.
  

ESPN on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Radio, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN

Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television, and ESPN GamePlan will combine to televise more than 450 regular-season, bowl games and NCAA football championship contests in 2007.

Schedule through September 3 (All times eastern):

          Date                     Time               Network                   Game / Commentators

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