Several hours before Penn State kicks off what should be a lopsided season-opening victory against Nevada, committed college football viewers have a choice Saturday morning.
When they tune into the day’s pregame shows, they can watch the last episode of “College GameDay” on ESPN with beloved analyst and former coach and player Lee Corso, or they can watch the first episode of “Big Noon Kickoff” on Fox as controversial carnival barker and successful attention seeker and entrepreneur Dave Portnoy joins that show’s group of analysts.
In this instance, the last should be first choice.
As Corso winds down his Hall of Fame-worthy broadcasting career, it’s must-see TV. It’s not guaranteed to be exceptional TV or the best episode in the show’s history (although you never now), but it’s worthwhile because it closes a chapter.
Generations of college football fans have grown up with Corso as one of their primary, or at least more visible, connections to the sport. And in a sport built on tradition, Corso’s headgear selections have become appreciated, respected and ubiquitous. Viewers have seen him every Saturday for years, through good and bad.
ESPN plans a Friday night tribute show to Corso, and Saturday’s show will probably feel like a three-hour-long tribute as well … as it should.
Additionally, with both pregame shows on site in Columbus as No. 1 Texas visits No. 3 Ohio State, “GameDay” will do the better job covering the game and the related storylines. They’ll handle the game’s Xs and Os as well as bigger picture impacts (there are not that many) for whoever loses the game.
With its journalism and storytelling, “GameDay” clearly respects college football and its traditions. The sport is in the company’s DNA, and they cover it well. That’s why “GameDay” shows up at the day’s biggest games, even if ESPN is not broadcasting it — as is the case with Texas-Ohio State. It’s the right thing to do to earn the respect and trust of fans.
Make no mistake, “GameDay” has its share of histrionics, entertainment and silliness (credit Pat McAfee for that in recent seasons) but its on-screen group comes across as a cohesive and likeable bunch — in large part because of their appreciation and respect for Corso.
Fox, which will carry the game that kicks off just after noon, offers “Big Noon Kickoff” each week. It’s a pregame show with less history as an on-site event, but the network deserves credit for making a commitment to compete in the space. Its recipe in recent seasons has not been successful, though, and its on-screen group of analysts, a mix of award-winning former college players and former national champion coach Urban Meyer, somehow comes off as less likable.
The show offers imitation as flattery in many aspects and has hired away some key ESPN talent (Chris Fallica, Tom Rinaldi) and somehow not been able to showcase them as well as they were featured at their previous network.
As a result, “Big Noon Kickoff” has struggled to close the inevitable ratings gap between a proven show and an upstart.
So, entering this season, Fox announced the addition of Portnoy, who made Barstool Sports a cultural touchstone for a hard-core group of supporters.
Portnoy’s strong Michigan fandom gave him Big Ten Conference chops in the eyes of some, and his money-making company and success in other endeavors probably helped seal the deal for his addition to the show (and related content and programming).
His debut will get some deserved attention (and it garnered more this week in what seems to be a contrived controversy about his presence inside Ohio Stadium) but a first episode, even at its best, can only be one little step on the way.
Plus, the lead-up to this first, notably that controversy, seems to show all that’s Fox-y about the approach and Portnoy.
When the story first broke this week, it was that Ohio State had prohibited Portnoy (a vocal maize-and-blue critic of OSU) from entering the stadium for the final portion of the pregame show before kickoff. Most of the pregame show will happen outside the stadium before the network’s main crew goes inside just before kickoff.
When news of Portney’s proposed absence was first reported, much angst, commentary and criticism followed. Even Portney helped fan the flames on social media.
After the topic perked a little bit, though, a different reality was revealed.
Ohio State’s athletic director said it was a Fox decision for Portnoy not to be in the stadium. He was not deemed part of the show’s main crew.
So, somewhere, we have at minimum miscommunication. Or maybe it’s just Fox folks playing fast and loose with the facts. Either way, it’s something the company or Portnoy could’ve quickly clarified but they decided against that approach.
That seems to be the difference between the shows, and between Corso and Portney. You can get fun, playful and somehow still informative (“GameDay” and the old coach who picks headgear) or you can get controversial, loud and a more-about-me-than-you mentality (which seems to be Portnoy and Fox in this instance).
Look, Fox and Portnoy may have their day. Maybe, at some point, we’ll move toward a world where that kind of approach attracts more viewers than what ESPN does.
That’s not the case yet, though. And that should not be the case Saturday.
Given a choice, go with Corso’s last show. After all, you’ve known him for years. It’ll be more genuine, and probably more worthy of your time.
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