We’re days away from college football season, when millions of people will consume games each week, and it’s another season when Penn State should figure prominently in some of the season’s most-watched games.
The first four Penn State games of the season have each been scheduled (on four different outlets) and before the season ends, the team’s 12 regular-season games may end up being available on as many as six different outlets.
That abundance of outlets remains one of the consistent media stories related to college football. It gives fans options, maybe leads to some frustrations, and certainly offers room for comparison.
Change also figures largely into this season — most notably related to college football pregame shows.
Longtime analyst and beloved headgear pick inventor Lee Corso is leaving ESPN’s “College GameDay” after the first week of the season, finally moving into retirement. Meanwhile, Fox Sports, trying to get some kind of juice for its “Big Noon Kickoff” has added Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports to its lineup of analysts.
In addition, fans who listen closely during games will notice a change on replays. Instead of officials offering “confirmed” or “stands” after replays, the term going forward will instead by “upheld” this season.
As the season nears, when games will air BTN, CBS, Fox, FS1, NBC and potentially Peacock, here’s some context and a look at the commentators who will work the games.
Pregame Shows
“BTN Tailgate” — The conference’s onsite pregame show will visit Happy Valley for the FIU game Sept. 6. As something to see in person or as a viewing option, it’s not much. But it exists and might be a place for fans who stop by in person to grab some BTN swag. It’ll no doubt be setup not far from Beaver Stadium. The show was in town last season for the Bowling Green game.
“Big Noon Kickoff” — Give credit to the Fox Sports pregame show for trying. After unsuccessfully attempting to poach host Rece Davis from ESPN, there was still an on-set shakeup through an agreement with Barstool Sports and the addition of Portnoy. Whether he’ll just add bluster or any meaningful content will be interesting. In Week 1 the show visits Columbus, for Texas-Ohio State. Mostly likely Penn State home visit would be Oct. 11 vs. Northwestern, though the Oregon game is possible. And, “Big Noon” will certainly be on site for Penn State-Ohio State on Nov. 1.
“College GameDay” — Even with the departure of Corso, an overdue move because of his health and a difficult decision because those who work with him and many who consume the show love him, the “GameDay” remains generally solid. Davis and Herbstreit keep the show grounded while Pat McAfee provides energy. At the same time, Nick Saban has grown into his role. It’ll be a balance to replace Corso, but it should be an entertaining process. “GameDay” will also start its season in Columbus, the site of Corso’s first headgear pick.
Context and History
In 2024, Penn State played four games on CBS, three each on Fox and BTN, two on NBC and one on Peacock during the regular season.
The College Football Playoff brought one game on TNT/Max and two on ESPN.The national semifinal game in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame drew 17.8 million viewers while 13.9 million watched the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State. That opening-round home playoff game against SMU was watched by 6.4 million.
Penn State’s two most-watched regular season games were against Ohio State (9.94 million) at USC (4.28 million.) Oh, the conference championship game against Oregon attracted 10.5 million viewers.
Where and When
The partner networks “draft” weekends when they’ll have first choice of games before the season begins, and that sets the early-season schedule.
Going forward, games get announced with 12 or six days of advance notice. It’s never the best deal for fans who attend in person, but that hardly matters.
The football games are just TV shows with big live audiences in stadiums that are essentially outdoor studios. So, to whatever degree the selection process helps broadcast partners get better matchups and make a little more money the selection approach and timing will continue.
Scouting the Season
Noon, Fox
No Big Ten Conference games are consistently more watched than noon games on Fox. Yes, the network picks the best games for the timeslot, so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that often disappoints fans in person, but it’s an appreciated and supported opportunity for advertisers and sponsors.
While noon offers Fox’s most-watched game window, it will have games at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. most Saturdays as well. Plus, it offers “Fox College Football Fridays,” with primetime games throughout the regular season, including five Big Ten matchups.
- Top broadcast team: Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft
- Games already set: Aug. 23, Fresno State-Kansas; Aug. 30, Texas-Ohio State; Sept. 6, Iowa-Iowa State; Sept. 13, Oregon-Northwestern; Nov. 29, Ohio State-Michigan; Dec. 6, Big Ten Championship
3:30 p.m., CBS
After losing SEC games to ESPN, CBS picked up the Big Ten for a partial schedule and then a full season and now it’s third season with the conference. The late afternoon games are well produced and generally serve viewers well. There might be an overabundance of drone/tracking shots in some instances, but that’s a personal preference for by the director, obviously.
The first Penn State game of the season will air on CBS and fans will get another two games on the network as well. It’s the final season for longtime analyst Gary Danielson, who does a low-key and solid job beside Brad Nessler in the broadcast booth.
- Top broadcast team: Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell
- Games already set: Aug. 30, Nevada-Penn State; Sept. 6, Oregon State-Oregon; Sept. 13, USC-Purdue; Sept. 20, Michigan-Nebraska
7:30 p.m., NBC
In what many Penn State fans felt was the best football-related news of the offseason, NBC secured the Oregon-Penn State game for its “Big Ten Saturday Night” broadcast — ensuring the Whiteout would be played at night.
While NBC’s overall schedule has not been super strong, the broadcast and production teams might be the best covering the Big Ten. They’re entertaining and prepared, providing a comfortable and informed experience for viewers. If they could just ditch the big drum thing, it’d be so much better. But, like Penn State’s fourth quarter flag it’s probably here to stay.
- Top broadcast team: Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen
- Games already set: Aug. 30, New Mexico-Michigan; Sept. 6, Boston College-Michigan State; Sept. 13, Ohio-Ohio State; Sept. 27, Oregon-Penn State; Nov. 28, Indiana-Purdue
Peacock
The streaming outlet simulcasts “Big Ten Saturday Night” and carries streaming-exclusive games. Penn State played Washington last season and Delaware the season before in Peacock-only games.
No such game is set this season, but it’s possible. The Big Ten’s first three games on Peacock this season are: Sept. 6, Miami (Ohio)-Rutgers; Sept. 13, Towson-Maryland; and Sept. 13, Ohio-Ohio State.
Whenever, BTN
Not every matchup merits a major network slot at noon or in prime time, and that’s the lifeblood of the Big Ten Network during football season.
- Top broadcasters: Jeff Levering, Mark Followill, Jason Horowitz, Jake Butt, Matt Millon, Yogi Roth
- Games already set: Aug. 30, FAU-Maryland; Sept. 6, FIU-Penn State; Sept. 13, Central Michigan-Michigan
Whenever, FS1
It’s really not punishment for Penn State games (or any team’s games for that matter) to end up on FS1, but sometimes the production quality just makes it feel that way. So, brace yourself for the game or two that ends up there this season.
- Games already set: Sept. 13, Villanova-Penn State
Radio, Streaming
Penn State fans are blessed with a top-notch group of radio/streaming broadcasters for the home team. That’s Steve Jones on play-by-play, Jack Ham as analyst and Brian Tripp reporting from the sidelines. It’s an informed and solid team, start to finish.
Their work can be heard on radio stations throughout Pennsylvania and streaming on the Penn State Athletics website or app. In addition, the YouTube feed of just the broadcast booth gets a lot of traffic during games.
If you cannot watch the game, or if the option is a Fox-related outlet, there are a lot of benefits to going old-school, audio-only when it comes to Penn State football.
Click here to see the complete Big Ten weekly schedule.
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