Awful Announcing
Here’s a look at who’s televising and calling (where available) this week’s college football games, with some discussion of a featured game or games in each slot based on announcers, matchup, or both. All times are Eastern.
Featured/only game: Florida International @ Liberty
7:00 p.m.
CBSSN
Jordan Kent, Donte Whitner
The first Tuesday night game of the season is an interesting one, with the host Flames at 4-0 on the season. They look like one of the strongest teams in Conference USA (alongside 5-1 Sam Houston, which put a 41-21 thumping on UTEP in a featured Thursday game last week), and are expected to be a contender for the lone guaranteed Group of Five playoff slot (which will go to the highest-ranked G5 conference champion). But their strength of schedule may get some criticism. And that’s especially true after one of their marquee games, a road contest at Appalachian State two weeks back, was canceled due to Hurricane Helene.
That cancellation also means there may be some rust for Liberty. The Flames haven’t played since a 35-24 win over East Carolina on Sept. 21, and that’s perhaps part of what’s led to the spread moving to only favor them by 17.5 points after opening at 20.5. The Panthers are just 2-3 on the year, but they’re coming off a 17-10 win over Louisiana Tech on Sept. 28. We’ll see what they can do in this one to contain the Liberty offense, which includes talented senior running back Quinton Cooley (a team-high 371 rushing yards so far with four touchdowns and an average of 7.0 yards per carry).
Featured/only game: New Mexico State @ Jacksonville State
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2
Clay Matvick, Steve Addazio
This Conference USA matchup has two teams that seem to be going in different directions at the moment. The Aggies started the season with an Aug. 31 win over Southeast Missouri State and then dropped their next four contests. Meanwhile, the host Gamecocks had blowout losses against Coastal Carolina and Louisville to start the campaign, but then only lost in double-overtime against Eastern Michigan, and have won their last two games in decisive fashion against Southern Mississippi and Kennesaw State. So it’s not surprising that they’re 20.5-point favorites.
One key figure to watch with Jacksonville State is head coach Rich Rodriguez, who is in his third season and first head coaching job since being fired by Arizona in 2017. He led the Gamecocks to a 9-2 mark and an Atlantic Sun title in 2022, then a 9-4 mark in their debut CUSA campaign last year. And he has a talented QB in Tyler Huff, who’s thrown for 1,073 yards and five touchdowns (albeit with four interceptions) and rushed for 445 yards and five more touchdowns through five games this season.
Featured game: Coastal Carolina @ James Madison
7:30 p.m.
ESPN2
Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen
This game sets up a potentially interesting clash of 4-1 Sun Belt teams. The host Dukes have been an interesting team this season. They got off to a rocket start, beating Charlotte and Gardner-Webb, then putting up a remarkable 70-50 road win at UNC and thumping Ball State 63-7. But they lost their conference opener 21-19 at Louisiana-Monroe last week. They’ll be looking for a bounce-back performance, and they’re favored by 9.5 points.
Meanwhile, the Chanticleers’ only blemish on the season was a 43-24 home loss against Virginia on Sept. 21. But they’re coming off a strong 45-37 win over Old Dominion last week, which saw QB Ethan Vasko throw for 367 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, he’s thrown for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns against two picks while also rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns. And James Madison and Coastal Carolina are 18th and 21st in FBS in points per game this season, so this could turn into a shootout.
UTEP @ Western Kentucky
8:00 p.m.
ESPNU
Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia
Middle Tennessee @ Louisiana Tech
8:00 p.m.
CBSSN
Alex Del Barrio, Brock Vereen
Harvard @ Cornell
6:00 p.m.
ESPN2
Eric Frede, Jack Ford
UNLV @ Utah State
7:00 p.m.
CBSSN
Carter Blackburn, Randy Cross
Northwestern @ Maryland
8:00 p.m.
Fox
Connor Onion, Mark Helfrich
Prairie View A&M @ UAPB
9:15 p.m.
ESPN2
Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker
Featured game: No. 16 Utah @ Arizona State
10:30 p.m.
ESPN
Anish Shroff, Andre Ware
The Utes are 4-1 this year, but they’re coming off a 23-10 home loss to Arizona on Sept. 28. So there’s lots of incentive for them to come out strong here. And there’s “a chance” quarterback Cam Rising (who’s been out since hurting his hand partway through an Oct. 7 game against Baylor) may be able to return for this game (which has already shifted the line from Utah -3.5 to Utah -6.5).
For Arizona State, they’re also 4-1 to this point, and that’s perhaps more surprising. Expectations weren’t high for the Sun Devils in many quarters after they went 3-9 in head coach Kenny Dillingham’s debut season last year. But Dillingham’s already got them past that win total with wins over Wyoming, Mississippi State, Texas State, and Kansas, with their lone blemish a Sept. 21 road loss at Texas Tech. We’ll see what they can do against Utah.
Featured game 1: South Carolina @ No. 7 Alabama
12:00 p.m.
ABC
Joe Tessitore, Jordan Rodgers
This one looks a lot more interesting after the 4-1 Crimson Tide’s shocking loss at Vanderbilt last week. How will head coach Kalen DeBoer, under fire after this “crowbar to the gut” for everything from in-game decisions to players’ reactions to his own sideline attire, respond?
Meanwhile, the 3-2 Gamecocks are coming off a 27-3 blowout home loss to Ole Miss, so they may have revenge on their mind as well. It’s worth noting their only other loss this season was a close 36-33 one against LSU, and they have wins over Kentucky (31-6), Akron, and Old Dominion. They’re 21.5-point underdogs here, so they’re not expected to have a huge chance, but last week proves that anything can sometimes happen in this sport, even against Alabama.
Washington @ Iowa
12:00 p.m.
Fox
Jason Benetti, Brock Huard
Featured game 2: No. 10 Clemson @ Wake Forest
12:00 p.m.
ESPN
Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek
The visiting Tigers got off to a really rough start this year with a 34-3 loss to Georgia. But they’ve bounced back with four straight wins, including last week’s 29-13 thumping of Florida State, where quarterback Cade Klubnick threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons are 2-3 and lost 41-38 to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns two weeks back. But they pulled off a nice 34-30 road win against North Carolina State last week. They’re 20.5-point underdogs here, but we’ll see what kind of fight they can put up against Clemson.
No. 21 Missouri @ Massachusetts
12:00 p.m.
ESPN2
Roy Philpott, Sam Acho
Toledo @ Buffalo
12:00 p.m.
ESPNU
Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia
Georgia Tech @ North Carolina
12:00 p.m.
CW
Thom Brennaman, Max Browne
Wisconsin @ Rutgers
12:00 p.m.
BTN
Jeff Levering, Jake Butt
UAB @ Army
12:00 p.m.
CBSSN
Dave Ryan, Adam Breneman
Ball State @ Kent State
12:00 p.m.
ESPN+
Anthony Lima, Ryan Cavanaugh
Miami (OH) @ Eastern Michigan
2:00 p.m.
ESPN+
Michael Reghi, Marcus Ray
Featured game 1: No. 1 Texas vs No. 18 Oklahoma (in Dallas)
3:30 p.m.
ABC
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit
The Longhorns are newly at the top of the AP poll following Alabama’s stumble last week, and there’s lots to like about what they’ve done so far. Their 5-0 mark to date includes big wins against Michigan (31-12 on the road on Sept. 7) and Mississippi State (35-13 at home last week). The key question for them is how QB Quinn Ewers will do in his expected return, which will send Arch Manning back to the bench for now.
For the Sooners, there’s also a quarterback change at play. They recently switched to freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. after struggles from Jackson Arnold, and Hawkins impressed in his first start last week. That game, a 27-21 road win over Auburn, saw him complete 10 of 15 passes for 161 yards; he also rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown and added a two-point conversion. We’ll see what he can do to help Oklahoma, a 14.5-point underdog in this Red River Rivalry installment.
Featured game 2: No. 4 Penn State @ USC
3:30 p.m.
CBS
Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson
CBS gets another potentially good one for their new Big Ten 3:30 p.m. ET window. The 5-0 Nittany Lions are looking pretty solid to date, and they’re 5.5-point favorites here. There’s some opportunity for James Franklin and this team to stay near the top of the rankings following recent stumbles from the likes of Georgia and Alabama.
However, a West Coast road game (now part of conference play for Penn State due to Big Ten expansion) isn’t easy under any circumstances. And this one carries some particular challenges, with USC under a lot of fire following a road loss to Minnesota last week. We’ll see what Lincoln Riley and the Trojans can do to bounce back in this one.
Stanford @ No. 12 Notre Dame
3:30 p.m.
NBC
Dan Hicks, Jason Garrett
Cal @ No. 22 Pitt
3:30 p.m.
ESPN
Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler
Cincinnati @ UCF
3:30 p.m.
ESPN2
Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison
Purdue @ No. 23 Illinois
3:30 p.m.
FS1
Eric Collins, Spencer Tillman
Louisville @ Virginia
3:30 p.m.
ACCN
Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich
San Diego State @ Wyoming
3:30 p.m.
CBSSN
Chris Lewis, Taylor McHargue
San Jose State @ Colorado State
3:30 p.m.
TruTV
Ari Wolfe, Darius Walker
Akron @ Western Michigan
3:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Shawn Kenney, Charlie Strong
Northern Illinois @ Bowling Green
3:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Jason Ross Jr, Tyoka Jackson
Old Dominion @ Georgia State
3:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Memphis @ South Florida
3:30 p.m.
TBD
No. 14 Arizona @ BYU
4:00 p.m.
Fox
Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt
Ohio @ Central Michigan
4:00 p.m.
ESPNU
Matt Schumacker, Dustin Fox
Mississippi State @ No. 5 Georgia
4:15 p.m.
SECN
Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb
Southern Mississippi @ ULM
5:00 p.m.
ESPN+
Featured game 1: Florida @ No. 8 Tennessee
7:00 p.m.
ESPN
Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick
A Florida-Tennessee clash is always interesting, even when the teams are in dramatically different places. That’s certainly the case this time around, with the Volunteers 4-1. They are coming off a disappointing 19-14 road loss to Arkansas, but they seem to be in a much better overall situation than the Gators.
At Florida, head coach Billy Napier is under a lot of fire, especially following big losses to Miami and Texas A&M earlier this year. But the Gators have won their last two, against Mississippi State and UCF. They’re 16.5-point underdogs here, but a strong effort against the Volunteers might change the conversation around Napier a bit.
North Texas @ Florida Atlantic
7:00 p.m.
ESPN2
Dave Neal, Aaron Murray
Washington State @ Fresno State
7:00 p.m.
FS1
Trent Rush, Petros Papadakis
Air Force @ New Mexico
7:00 p.m.
TruTV
JB Long, Mike Golic Jr.
Arkansas State @ Texas State
7:00 p.m.
ESPN+
UTSA @ Rice
7:00 p.m.
ESPN+
Featured game 2: No. 9 Ole Miss @ No. 13 LSU
7:30 p.m.
ABC
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy
This is a crucial clash for playoff implications, as both the 5-1 Rebels and 4-1 Tigers could be contenders there. Both have had some stumbles this year, with LSU’s coming in a neutral site Week 1 game against USC and Ole Miss losing at home to Kentucky in Week 5, but this would still be a marquee win for either. The Rebels are three-point road favorites, but a Saturday night game in Death Valley is never easy, and LSU is second in the country in offensive yards per game and third in scoring defense.
Featured game 3: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 3 Oregon
7:30 p.m.
NBC
Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge
This might be the game of the day, and it’s certainly one of the most prominent matchups of the season to date. Both teams are 5-0 and are coming off notable wins, with Oregon beating Michigan State 31-10 last week and Ohio State taking down Iowa 35-7.
The Buckeyes are 3.5-point road favorites here, but this may not be easy. A big question is if QB Will Howard can continue his strong play to date (1,248 passing yards and 12 touchdowns against four interceptions with a 71.5 percent completion mark) against a Ducks’ defense that has only allowed 263.4 yards per game to date, 10th in FBS. Of course, Ohio State’s defense has looked even better to date, allowing a nation-best 202.4 yards per game; we’ll see what Oregon coach Dan Lanning can scheme up against them.
Oregon State @ Nevada
7:30 p.m.
CBSSN
John Sadak, Ross Tucker
Appalachian State @ Louisiana
7:30 p.m.
ESPN+
Vanderbilt @ Kentucky
7:45 p.m.
SECN
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
No. 11 Iowa State @ West Virginia
8:00 p.m.
Fox
Tim Brando, Devin Gardner
Marshall @ Georgia Southern
8:00 p.m.
ESPNU
Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whittaker
Syracuse @ N.C. State
8:00 p.m.
ACCN
Wes Durham, Tom Luginbill
Minnesota @ UCLA
9:00 p.m.
BTN
Guy Haberman, Yogi Roth
No. 18 Kansas State @ Colorado
10:15 p.m.
ESPN
Mark Jones, Roddy Jones
Idaho @ Montana State
10:15 p.m.
ESPN2
Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman
No. 17 Boise State @ Hawaii
11:00 p.m.
CBSSN
Rich Waltz, Robert Turbin
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.
We have elimination games in New York and San Diego in the National League Division Series and pivotal Game 3’s in the ALDS.
“There’s a reason no other broadcast has ever put it there.”
Fans and media members heavily disagree about Adam Amin’s on-air performance.
Game 3 of the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces was the most-watched WNBA semifinal game in 22 years.
“Report: Rookie QB Drake Maye to start for Patriots vs. Texans”
“We’re a digital company — we’re not putting it in the paper and we’re going to be very young and forward looking in our social media strategy.”
We have elimination games in New York and San Diego in the National League Division Series and pivotal Game 3’s in the ALDS.
“There’s a reason no other broadcast has ever put it there.”
Fans and media members heavily disagree about Adam Amin’s on-air performance.
Game 3 of the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces was the most-watched WNBA semifinal game in 22 years.
“Report: Rookie QB Drake Maye to start for Patriots vs. Texans”
“We’re a digital company — we’re not putting it in the paper and we’re going to be very young and forward looking in our social media strategy.”
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