You know it’s Penn State vs. Notre Dame on Thursday night.
And you probably know the game kicks off a little after 7:30 p.m. and that you can find the Orange Bowl, a semifinal matchup in the College Football Playoff, on ESPN.
Beyond that, there’s just so much buildup and so many options to complement the main game broadcast. Here’s a breakdown, timeline of options and some recommendations.
Options, Timeline
Wednesday, Jan. 8
• 9 a.m., B1G Live: Orange Bowl Coaches Press Conference (Big Ten Network)
• Noon, B1G Today (Big Ten Network)
• 11:30 p.m., The B1G Show (Big Ten Network)
Thursday, Jan. 9
• Noon, B1G Today (Big Ten Network)
• 6 p.m., Penn State Pregame Show (GoPSUsports.com, Penn State Nittany Lions App, Radio)
• 7:30 p.m., Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Notre Dame
(ESPN MegaCast — ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio and the ESPN App) (GoPSUsports.com, Penn State Nittany Lions App, Radio)
• 11 p.m., B1G Live: Orange Bowl Postgame (Big Ten Network)
• Midnight, The B1G Show (Big Ten Network)
Who, What’s Worth Watching
Let’s start with the Penn State broadcasters. Whether you listen to Steve Jones, Jack Ham and Brian Tripp on radio or stream them, they’re always a solid option. And big games fit Jones well. He’s not Gus Johnson, but his energy better matches something like this than some miserable early season men’s basketball game.
Ham has made some rounds nationally this week, talking with Chris Childers and Rick Neuheisel on Sirius XM, for example, and he’s amped for the game as well. With Tripp, listeners get someone who’s prepared and steady and will provide a great sense of what’s happening at field level.
Now, it’s not something I’ll do because I’m too lazy and any mismatch in setting and sound will throw me, but if you’re really a die-hard blue-and-white fan, this game would be the one to turn down the national broadcast sound and go all-in with Jones and Co.
Of course, the ESPN MegaCast offers many options. On ESPN, it’s the main game broadcast with Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath and Katie George. McDonough is solid and proven, one of the best in the business and underappreciated. He’s always good. McElroy’s not bad, but still just OK at times. His presence would be one of the reasons for my recommendation to listen local, even though that’s probably not going to be my approach.
On ESPN2, it’s Pat McAfee and his cohorts. While I really like what he does on College GameDay and appreciate that McAfee resonates with a huge audience on his daily show, this portion of the MegaCast does not appeal to me.
But, if jock-bro sports work for you, him wandering the sidelines calling the action and guffawing with his pals probably has an appeal.
Other pieces of the MegaCast include …
• Command Center, multiple angles and statistics, on ESPNU
• SkyCast, a view from above and behind, on ESPNEWS and
• an All-22 option, allowing a full-field, high-end-zone view, on the ESPN App.
ESPN has committed more than 50 cameras to cover the action in the semifinals, the Orange and Cotton bowls, and it announced several bits of technology and unique vantage points. It did not specify which of these would be used in the Orange Bowl, though.
So, you might see pylon cameras, referee cameras, goal post games, goal line robotic cameras and a wireless handheld camera to capture celebrations.
Honestly, the bells and whistles are nice, but McDonough leads a good team and if you want to know what’s happening and get access and insights, it’s probably best to stick with the main ESPN offering.
The MegaCast for ESPN offers the ability to do a lot of things and seemingly show a big commitment to an event, but it could be better with other additions or options.
A coaches roundtable, for example, something ESPN has not done in a few seasons with the MegaCast, or even a referee- and rules-driven broadcast would make a lot of sense and better serve viewers.
No matter how you consume it, Penn State-Notre Dame should be entertaining.
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