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American sports television program From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saturday Night Football (branded for sponsorship purposes as Saturday Night Football presented by Capital One[1]) is an American weekly presentation of prime time broadcasts of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football games that are produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC. Games are presented each Saturday evening starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time/6:30 p.m. Central Time during the college football regular season, which has been the case since 2017 (some weeks until 2015 saw no game on ABC, due to Saturday evening Sprint Cup Series NASCAR coverage or to avoid competition with the World Series; ESPN would then carry that week's high-profile game instead, with ESPN2 carrying a secondary game usually seen on ESPN/ABC). The ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football coverage began in 2006, as both ESPN and ABC are owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases (outside where another networks carries the game), the city and/or campus of that night's game is where that day's ESPN College GameDay had originated.
Saturday Night Football | |
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Genre | College football telecasts |
Directed by | Jimmy Platt |
Presented by | Booth: Chris Fowler Kirk Herbstreit Sidelines: Holly Rowe Studio: Kevin Negandhi Booger McFarland Dan Orlovsky Former: Brent Musburger (2006–2013) Bob Davie (2006) Lisa Salters (2006–2009) Erin Andrews (2010–2011) Heather Cox (2012–2015) John Saunders (2006–2015) Stan Verrett (2016) Samantha Ponder (2016) Mark May (2015–2016) Mack Brown (2014–2018) Tom Rinaldi (2014–2020) Jonathan Vilma (2018–2019) Cassidy Hubbarth (2015–2019) Maria Taylor (2017–2020) Mark Sanchez (2019–2020) |
Theme music composer | John Colby Bob Christianson (SEC home games only) |
Opening theme | ESPN College Football theme (main theme) SEC on ABC theme (SEC home games only) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 19 |
Production | |
Producer | Bill Bonnell |
Production locations | Various NCAA stadiums (Game telecasts and halftime show) ESPN Center Bristol, Connecticut, U.S. (Studio segments) |
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 210 minutes or until game ends |
Production company | ESPN |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 2, 2006 – present |
Related | |
ESPN College Football Countdown on ABC ESPN College Football on ABC |
As of 2024[update], the primary broadcast team for half of the games includes play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit, with Holly Rowe as sideline reporter. Kevin Negandhi, Booger McFarland, and Dan Orlovsky host the halftime show. Negandhi also provides in game updates throughout the game. Other ESPN broadcast teams may also occasionally appear for regional (and some national) telecasts.
Saturday Night Football premiered on September 2, 2006, with a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. While ABC and ESPN have aired college football games on Saturday nights for decades, this program marks the first time that a collegiate sports broadcast has officially been part of any major broadcast television network's primetime schedule.
Twelve weeks of regular season games were televised during the three-month college football season in 2006, 2007 and from 2009 to 2011; the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game closing out each season until a conference realignment in which four university football programs left and two others joined the Big 12 Conference resulted in the Championship Game being discontinued after the 2010 event (the Big 12 Football Championship Game returned in 2017, however, it did not return to ABC until 2018, when the network aired the game in the afternoon instead of in primetime). With the college football season being extended by one week, ABC televised thirteen weeks of games in 2008, closing with the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game on December 6. With the loss of the Sprint Cup Series to NBC and NBCSN, Saturday Night Football expanded its seasonal game schedule full-time to 13 weeks beginning in 2015, starting with the Advocare Classic.
Games from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the old Big East Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the Pac-12 Conference, the now-defunct Western Athletic Conference and the American Athletic Conference have aired on Saturday Night Football, as well as non-conference games in which teams from these conferences were either playing at home or a neutral-site game to which ABC holds the television rights. All BCS/CFP and Power 5 conferences have appeared on Saturday Night Football, as the Southeastern Conference has had its teams featured in 22 non-conference games. Boise State, Utah State, BYU, Temple, UConn, UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, Tulsa, and Memphis are the only Group of 5 teams to be featured on "Saturday Night Football" to date, with the latter four teams being featured when they were members of the BCS-aligned Big East or American Athletic Conference.
In recent years, following the loss of some broadcast rights of the Pac-12 Conference to Fox Sports in 2012, the Pac-12's Saturday Night Football appearances have been limited to non-conference games, especially home games against Notre Dame and games against the Southeastern Conference, as well as road games against conferences that still have broadcast rights with ABC.
Besides Pac-12 and Big Ten games, ABC makes most of its game broadcast selections or options twelve days prior to the game (with some being made six days beforehand). This allows ABC to 'flex' the most compelling game it has the rights to broadcast into the Saturday Night Football slot. As a result, the Saturday night game is usually ABC's "game of the week". Beginning in 2024, ABC will have the option to feature an SEC game on Saturday Night Football for the first time.
As of the 2016 college football season, all games on ABC are broadcast in the 16:9 letterbox format on both the SD and HD feeds.
As ESPN has signed new contracts with various conferences to produce college football coverage, the network has begun branding its coverage of select conferences to which it has rights. This branding was first seen on SEC broadcasts in 2011, which became the "SEC on ESPN". ACC broadcasts followed suit in 2012 becoming the "ACC on ESPN". In 2018, the network started branding games aired on ABC as the "ACC on ABC", even though the ACC on ESPN logo is still used for replay wipes. Similarly, all Pac-12 games broadcast under the branding of "Pac-12 on ESPN" or as the "Pac-12 on ABC". This branding lasted until 2023 when the Pac-12 folded as most teams left for other conferences. In 2016, a new contract brought conference branding to Big Ten telecasts as well, which air on both ESPN and ABC. While Big Ten games that air on ESPN cable channels are branded as the "Big Ten on ESPN", games airing on ABC are now branded as the "Big Ten on ABC". While the program is still officially part of ESPN College Football which is reflected when talent appears on screen, the Big Ten on ABC logo and branding is used for intro, program IDs, and replay wipes. The Big Ten on ABC branding lasted until 2022 after the conference signed TV deals with Fox, CBS, and NBC. Similarly, because of the new ESPN-Big 12 deal, games featuring teams from the Big 12 will appear on the network under the "Big 12 on ESPN" or "Big 12 on ABC" brand, with replay wipes having the Big 12 on ESPN brand logo. Similarly, with the American Conference, games with teams from the American will appear under the "American Conference on ESPN" or "American Conference on ABC" brand. This is the first time any regularly scheduled sporting event outside of the National Spelling Bee has carried any ABC branding since 2006.
The Advocare Classic (formerly the Cowboys Classic) became the opening game for Saturday Night Football beginning in 2011; however in 2013, the matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers served as the opening game with the Classic matchup between LSU and TCU being broadcast on ESPN. The Classic served as the opening game for Saturday Night Football again in 2014 (that year, involving the Florida State Seminoles and Oklahoma State Cowboys), in 2015 (Alabama Crimson Tide and Wisconsin Badgers) and in 2016 (Alabama Crimson Tide and USC Trojans). In 2017, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (between the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the third ranked Florida State Seminoles; which was later described as the Greatest Opener of All Time) served as the opening game for Saturday Night Football (first time since 2010), while the Advocare Classic featuring the Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators aired in the 3:30 ET timeslot. In 2018, the Camping World Kickoff (between the new look Louisville Cardinals and the defending 2017 national champion Alabama Crimson Tide) served as the Saturday Night Football season premiere. The Advocare Classic, between the 2017 ACC Runner-Up Miami Hurricanes and LSU Tigers, aired the next night in primetime, as it served as the Sunday Night Kickoff game presented by NHTSA. The Advocare Classic returned to Saturday Night Football in 2019, with the Oregon Ducks facing the Auburn Tigers, for the first time since the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, in which Auburn won 27–21.
All rankings are from that week's AP Poll, and that week's CFP rankings since 2014.
ABC did not air games on either October 21 or October 28 to avoid competing with the World Series.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 2 | #2 Notre Dame 14 | Georgia Tech 10 | Series Premiere of Saturday Night Football |
September 9 | #1 Ohio State 24 | #2 Texas 7 | 2005 Week 2 rematch |
September 16 | #19 Nebraska 10 | #4 USC 28 | |
September 23 | #12 Notre Dame 40 | Michigan State 37 | Split-national (79% of the United States)[111] |
#3 USC 20 | Arizona 3 | Split-national (21% of the United States)[111] | |
September 30 | #1 Ohio State 38 | #13 Iowa 17 | |
October 7 | #11 Oregon 24 | #16 California 45 | Split-national (62% of the United States)[112] |
#22 Nebraska 28 | Iowa State 14 | Split-national (38% of the United States)[112] | |
October 14 | #4 Michigan 17 | Penn State 10 | Split-national (79% of the United States)[113] |
Arizona State 21 | #3 USC 28 | Split-national (21% of the United States)[113] | |
November 4 | #18 Oklahoma 17 | #21 Texas A&M 16 | Split-national (43% of the United States)[114] |
#23 Virginia Tech 17 | Miami (Fla.) 10 | Split-national (38% of the United States, no HD)[114] | |
UCLA 24 | #10 California 38 | Split-national (19% of the United States)[114] | |
November 11 | #4 Texas 42 | Kansas State 45 | Split-national (56% of the United States)[115] |
#18 Wake Forest 30 | Florida State 0 | Split-national (44% of the United States)[115] | |
November 18 | #17 California 9 | #4 USC 23 | |
November 25 | #6 Notre Dame 24 | #3 USC 44 | |
December 2 | #19 Nebraska 7 | #8 Oklahoma 21 | Big 12 Championship Game (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City) |
ABC did not air games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 1 | #15 Tennessee 31 | #12 California 45 | |
September 15 | #1 USC 49 | #14 Nebraska 31 | |
September 22 | Washington State 14 | #1 USC 47 | Split-national (61% of the United States)[116] |
Iowa 13 | #9 Wisconsin 17 | Split-national (39% of the United States)[116] | |
September 29 | #1 USC 27 | Washington 24 | |
October 6 | #4 Ohio State 23 | #23 Purdue 7 | Split-national (83% of the United States)[117] |
Notre Dame 20 | UCLA 6 | Split-national (17% of the United States)[117] | |
October 20 | #24 Michigan 27 | Illinois 17 | |
October 27 | #1 Ohio State 37 | #24 Penn State 17 | |
November 3 | Florida State 27 | #2 Boston College 17 | Split-national (62% of the United States)[118] |
Texas A&M 14 | #5 Oklahoma 42 | Split-national (20% of the United States, no HD)[118] | |
Oregon State 3 | #13 USC 24 | Split-national (18% of the United States)[118] | |
November 10 | #5 Kansas 43 | Oklahoma State 28 | Split-national (63% of the United States)[119] |
#8 Boston College 35 | Maryland 42 | Split-national (19% of the United States, no HD)[119] | |
#12 USC 24 | #24 California 17 | Split-national (18% of the United States)[119] | |
November 17 | #3 Oklahoma 27 | Texas Tech 34 | |
November 24 | #3 Missouri 36 | #2 Kansas 28 | Border Showdown (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City) |
December 1 | #9 Oklahoma 38 | #1 Missouri 17 | Big 12 Championship Game (Alamodome, San Antonio) |
ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 30 | #24 Alabama 34 | #9 Clemson 10 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Georgia Dome, Atlanta) Split-national (71% of the United States)[120] |
Michigan State 31 | California 38 | Split-national (29% of the United States)[120] | |
September 13 | #5 Ohio State 3 | #1 USC 35 | |
September 20 | #3 Georgia 27 | Arizona State 10 | |
September 27 | #22 Illinois 24 | #12 Penn State 38 | Split-national (70% of the United States)[121] |
Virginia Tech 35 | Nebraska 30 | Split-national (30% of the United States)[121] | |
October 4 | #14 Ohio State 20 | #18 Wisconsin 17 | Split-national (63% of the United States)[122] |
#23 Oregon 10 | #9 USC 44 | Split-national (37% of the United States)[122] | |
October 18 | #11 Missouri 31 | #1 Texas 56 | |
October 25 | #3 Penn State 13 | #10 Ohio State 6 | |
November 1 | #1 Texas 33 | #6 Texas Tech 39 | |
November 8 | #8 Oklahoma State 20 | #2 Texas Tech 56 | Split-national (82% of the United States)[123] |
#21 California 3 | #7 USC 17 | Split-national (18% of the United States)[123] | |
November 15 | Boston College 27 | #20 Florida State 17 | Split-national (80% of the United States)[124] |
#11 Oklahoma State 30 | Colorado 17 | Split-national (20% of the United States)[124] | |
November 22 | #2 Texas Tech 21 | #5 Oklahoma 65 | |
November 29 | #3 Oklahoma 61 | #11 Oklahoma State 41 | |
December 6 | #19 Missouri 21 | #4 Oklahoma 62 | Big 12 Championship Game (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City) |
ABC did not air games on either September 12 or October 17 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 5 | #5 Alabama 34 | #7 Virginia Tech 24 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Georgia Dome, Atlanta) |
September 19 | Texas Tech 24 | #2 Texas 34 | |
September 26 | Iowa 21 | #5 Penn State 10 | |
October 3 | #8 Oklahoma 20 | #17 Miami (Fla.) 21 | Split-national (81% of the United States)[125] |
#7 USC 30 | #24 California 3 | Split-national (19% of the United States)[125] | |
October 10 | Michigan 28 | #12 Iowa 30 | |
October 24 | #3 Texas 41 | Missouri 7 | Split-national (81% of the United States)[126] |
Oregon State 36 | #4 USC 42 | Split-national (19% of the United States)[126] | |
October 31 | #4 USC 20 | #10 Oregon 47 | Split-national (54% of the United States, with SD reverse mirror on ESPN2)[127] |
#3 Texas 41 | #13 Oklahoma State 14 | Split-national (46% of the United States, with SD reverse mirror on ESPN2)[127] This marked the first time that the "reverse mirror" was used in primetime | |
November 7 | Connecticut 45 | #4 Cincinnati 47 | Split-national (46% of the United States)[128] |
#20 Oklahoma 3 | Nebraska 10 | Split-national (35% of the United States)[128] | |
#12 USC 14 | Arizona State 9 | Split-national (19% of the United States)[128] | |
November 14 | Notre Dame 22 | #8 Pittsburgh 27 | Split-national (83% of the United States)[129] |
Texas Tech 17 | #17 Oklahoma State 24 | Split-national (17% of the United States)[129] | |
November 21 | #11 Oregon 44 | Arizona 41 (2OT) | Split-national (65% of the United States)[130] |
Kansas 20 | #3 Texas 51 | Split-national (35% of the United States)[130] | |
November 28 | Notre Dame 38 | Stanford 45 | Split-national (74% of the United States, with SD reverse mirror on ESPN2)[131] |
Georgia 30 | #7 Georgia Tech 24 | Split-national (26% of the United States, with reverse mirror on ESPN2)[131] | |
December 5 | #3 Texas 13 | #21 Nebraska 12 | Big 12 Championship Game (Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas) |
ABC did not air games on either September 11 or October 16 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 4 | #21 LSU 30 | #18 North Carolina 24 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Georgia Dome, Atlanta) |
September 18 | #6 Texas 24 | Texas Tech 14 | Split-national (54% of the United States, with SD reverse mirror on ESPN2)[132] |
Notre Dame 31 | Michigan State 34 (OT) | Split-national (46% of the United States, with reverse mirror on ESPN2)[132] | |
September 25 | #24 Oregon State 24 | #3 Boise State 37 | |
October 2 | #9 Stanford 31 | #4 Oregon 52 | Split-national (53% of the United States, with SD reverse mirror on ESPN2)[133] |
Notre Dame 31 | Boston College 13 | Split-national (47% of the United States)[133] | |
October 9 | #23 Florida State 45 | #13 Miami (Fla.) 17 | Split-national (79% of the United States)[134] |
USC 35 | #16 Stanford 37 | Split-national (21% of the United States)[134] | |
October 23 | #3 Oklahoma 27 | #18 Missouri 36 | |
October 30 | #1 Oregon 53 | #24 USC 32 | Split-national (79% of the United States)[135] |
#10 Ohio State 52 | Minnesota 10 | Split-national (21% of the United States)[135] | |
November 6 | #13 Arizona 17 | #10 Stanford 42 | Split-national (82% of the United States)[136] |
#14 Missouri 17 | Texas Tech 24 | Split-national (18% of the United States)[136] | |
November 13 | #12 Oklahoma State 33 | Texas 16 | Split-national (61% of the United States)[137] |
Clemson 13 | Florida State 16 | Split-national (20% of the United States)[137] | |
USC 24 | #18 Arizona 21 | Split-national (19% of the United States)[137] | |
November 20 | #9 Nebraska 6 | #18 Texas A&M 9 | Split-national (53% of the United States)[138] |
Florida State 30 | Maryland 16 | Split-national (28% of the United States)[138] | |
#20 USC 7 | Oregon State 36 | Split-national (19% of the United States)[138] | |
November 27 | #14 Oklahoma 47 | #10 Oklahoma State 41 | Split-national (54% of the United States)[139] |
Notre Dame 20 | USC 16 | Split-national (46% of the United States)[139] | |
December 4 | #10 Oklahoma 23 | #13 Nebraska 20 | Big 12 Championship Game (Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas) |
Notes:
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 3 | #3 Oregon 27 | #4 LSU 40 | Cowboys Classic Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas) |
September 17 | #1 Oklahoma 23 | #5 Florida State 13 | |
September 24 | #2 LSU 47 | #16 West Virginia 21 | |
October 1 | #8 Nebraska 17 | #7 Wisconsin 48 | |
October 8 | Ohio State 27 | #14 Nebraska 34 | |
October 22 | Texas Tech 41 | #3 Oklahoma 38 | Split-national[141] |
#22 Washington 21 | #7 Stanford 65 | Split-national | |
October 29 | #4 Stanford 56 | #20 USC 48 (3OT) | Split-national[142] |
#6 Clemson 17 | Georgia Tech 31 | Split-national | |
November 5 | #17 Kansas State 45 | #3 Oklahoma State 52 | Split-national (with reverse mirror on ESPN2)[143] |
Notre Dame 24 | Wake Forest 17 | Split-national (with reverse mirror on ESPN2)[144] | |
November 12 | #6 Oregon 53 | #3 Stanford 30 | |
November 19 | #18 USC 38 | #4 Oregon 35 | Split-national[145] |
#5 Oklahoma 38 | #25 Baylor 45 | Split-national | |
November 26 | #22 Notre Dame 14 | #4 Stanford 28 | |
December 3 | #13 Oklahoma 10 | #3 Oklahoma State 44 |
ABC did not air Games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 1 | #8 Michigan 14 | #2 Alabama 41 | Cowboys Classic (held at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas) |
September 15 | #20 Notre Dame 20 | #10 Michigan State 3 | |
September 22 | #10 Clemson 37 | #4 Florida State 49 | |
September 29 | Wisconsin 27 | #22 Nebraska 30 | |
October 6 | #21 Nebraska 38 | #12 Ohio State 63 | |
October 20 | #12 Florida State 33 | Miami 20 | Split-national |
Baylor 50 | #25 Texas 56 | ||
October 27 | #5 Notre Dame 30 | #8 Oklahoma 13 | |
November 3 | #24 Oklahoma State 30 | #2 Kansas State 44 | |
November 10 | #4 Notre Dame 21 | Boston College 6 | |
November 17 | #13 Stanford 17 | #1 Oregon 14 (OT) | |
November 24 | #1 Notre Dame 22 | USC 13 | |
December 1 | #18 Texas 24 | #6 Kansas State 42 |
ABC did not air Games on either September 7 or October 12 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 31 | #5 Georgia 35 | #8 Clemson 38 | |
September 14 | #21 Notre Dame 31 | Purdue 24 | |
September 21 | #15 Michigan 24 | Connecticut 21 | Split-national[146] |
Kansas State 21 | Texas 31 | ||
September 28 | #23 Wisconsin 24 | #4 Ohio State 31 | |
October 5 | #4 Ohio State 40 | #16 Northwestern 30 | |
October 19 | #5 Florida State 51 | #3 Clemson 14 | |
October 26 | Penn State 14 | #4 Ohio State 63 | |
November 2 | #7 Miami 14 | #3 Florida State 41 | |
November 9 | #24 Notre Dame 21 | Pittsburgh 28 | |
November 16 | #5 Stanford 17 | USC 20 | |
November 23 | #4 Baylor 17 | #12 Oklahoma State 49 | |
November 30 | #22 UCLA 35 | #23 USC 14 | |
December 7 | #22 Duke 7 | #1 Florida State 45 | 2013 ACC Championship Game |
ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 30 | #1 Florida State 37 | Oklahoma State 31 | Cowboys Classic |
September 13 | Tennessee 10 | #4 Oklahoma 34 | |
September 20 | #22 Clemson 17 | #1 Florida State 23 (OT) | |
September 27 | #8 Notre Dame 31 | Syracuse 15 | |
October 4 | #19 Nebraska 22 | #10 Michigan State 27 | |
October 18 | #5 Notre Dame 27 | #2 Florida State 31 | |
October 25 | #13 Ohio State 31 | Penn State 24 (2OT) | |
November 1 | Illinois 14 | #16 Ohio State 55 | Split-national (78% of the United States) |
Oklahoma State 14 | #9 Kansas State 48 | Split-national (22% of the United States) | |
November 8 | #14 Ohio State 49 | #8 Michigan State 37 | |
November 15 | #3 Florida State 30 | Miami 26 | |
November 22 | USC 20 | #9 UCLA 38 | |
November 29 | #2 Oregon 47 | Oregon State 19 | |
December 6 | #4 Florida State 37 | #11 Georgia Tech 35 | 2014 ACC Championship Game |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 5 | #20 Wisconsin 17 | #3 Alabama 35 | Advocare Classic |
September 12 | #7 Oregon 28 | #5 Michigan State 31 | |
September 19 | Stanford 41 | #6 USC 31 | |
September 26 | #9 UCLA 56 | #16 Arizona 30 | |
October 3 | #6 Notre Dame 22 | #12 Clemson 24 | |
October 10 | Miami 24 | #12 Florida State 29 | |
October 17 | Penn State 10 | #1 Ohio State 38 | |
October 24 | #1 Ohio State 49 | Rutgers 7 | |
October 31 | #9 Notre Dame 24 | #21 Temple 20 | |
November 7 | Minnesota 14 | #3 Ohio State 28 | |
November 14 | #12 Oklahoma 44 | #6 Baylor 34 | |
November 21 | #18 TCU 29 | #7 Oklahoma 30 | |
November 28 | #3 Oklahoma 58 | #11 Oklahoma State 23 | |
December 5 | #10 North Carolina 37 | #1 Clemson 45 | 2015 ACC Championship Game |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 3 | #20 USC 6 | #1 Alabama 52 | Advocare Classic |
September 10 | Virginia Tech 24 | #17 Tennessee 45 | Battle at Bristol |
September 17 | USC 10 | #7 Stanford 27 | |
September 24 | #7 Stanford 22 | UCLA 13 | |
October 1 | #3 Louisville 36 | #5 Clemson 42 | |
October 8 | #23 Florida State 20 | #10 Miami 19 | |
October 15 | #2 Ohio State 30 | #8 Wisconsin 23 (OT) | |
October 22 | #2 Ohio State 21 | Penn State 24 | |
October 29 | #3 Clemson 37 | #12 Florida State 34 | |
November 5 | #9 Nebraska 3 | #6 Ohio State 62 | |
November 12 | #3 Michigan 13 | Iowa 14 | |
November 19 | #8 Oklahoma 56 | #10 West Virginia 28 | |
November 26 | #13 Florida 13 | #15 Florida State 31 | |
December 3 | #3 Clemson 42 | #19 Virginia Tech 35 | 2016 ACC Championship Game |
Beginning this season, all games involving Big Ten teams started at 7:30 ET.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 2 | #3 Florida State 7 | #1 Alabama 24 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game |
September 9 | #5 Oklahoma 31 | #2 Ohio State 16 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
September 16 | #3 Clemson 47 | #14 Louisville 21 | Originally scheduled to be Miami/Florida State; postponed due to Hurricane Irma. |
September 23 | #4 Penn State 21 | Iowa 19 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
September 30 | #2 Clemson 31 | #12 Virginia Tech 17 | |
October 7 | Michigan State 14 | #7 Michigan 10 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
October 14 | Utah 27 | #13 USC 28 | |
October 21 | #19 Michigan 13 | #2 Penn State 42 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
October 28 | Georgia Tech 10 | #7 Clemson 24 | Split-national with reverse mirror on ESPN2. |
Texas Tech 27 | #10 Oklahoma 49 | ||
November 4 | #13 Virginia Tech 10 | #9 Miami 28 | |
November 11 | #3 Notre Dame 8 | #7 Miami 41 | |
November 18 | UCLA 23 | #12 USC 28 | |
November 25 | #9 Notre Dame 20 | #20 Stanford 38 | |
December 2 | #7 Miami 3 | #1 Clemson 38 | 2017 ACC Championship Game |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 1 | #1 Alabama 51 | Louisville 14 | Camping World Kickoff |
September 8 | #13 Penn State 51 | Pittsburgh 6 | |
September 15 | #4 Ohio State 40 | #15 TCU 28 | Game played at AT&T Stadium |
September 22 | #7 Stanford 38 | #20 Oregon 31 (OT) | |
September 29 | #4 Ohio State 27 | #9 Penn State 26 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
October 6 | #6 Notre Dame 45 | #24 Virginia Tech 23 | |
October 13 | #15 Wisconsin 13 | #12 Michigan 38 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
October 20 | #2 Ohio State 20 | Purdue 49 | 7:30 ET kickoff |
October 27 | #6 Texas 35 | Oklahoma State 38 | |
November 3 | #7 Oklahoma 51 | Texas Tech 46 | |
November 10 | #2 Clemson 27 | #17 Boston College 7 | |
November 17 | #19 Cincinnati 13 | #11 UCF 38 | |
November 24 | #3 Notre Dame 24 | USC 17 | |
December 1 | #2 Clemson 42 | Pittsburgh 10 | 2018 ACC Championship Game |
Beginning this season, all games, excluding the ACC Championship Game, started at 7:30 ET.
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 31 | #11 Oregon 21 | #16 Auburn 27 | Advocare Classic |
September 7 | #6 LSU 45 | #9 Texas 38 | |
September 14 | #1 Clemson 41 | Syracuse 6 | |
September 21 | Oklahoma State 30 | #12 Texas 36 | |
September 28 | #5 Ohio State 48 | Nebraska 7 | |
October 5 | #25 Michigan State 10 | #4 Ohio State 34 | |
October 12 | #10 Penn State 17 | #17 Iowa 12 | |
October 19 | #16 Michigan 21 | #7 Penn State 28 | |
October 26 | #8 Notre Dame 14 | #19 Michigan 45 | |
November 2 | #15 SMU 48 | #24 Memphis 54 | |
November 9 | #5 Clemson 56 | NC State 10 | |
November 16 | #10 Oklahoma 34 | #13 Baylor 31 | |
November 23 | #6 Oregon 28 | Arizona State 31 | |
November 30 | Colorado 15 | #6 Utah 45 | |
December 7 | #23 Virginia 17 | #3 Clemson 62 | 2019 ACC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
December 21 | #19 Boise State 7 | Washington 38 | 2019 Las Vegas Bowl |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 12 | #1 Clemson 37 | Wake Forest 13 | |
September 19 | #17 Miami 47 | #18 Louisville 34 | Originally Virginia Tech–Virginia, postponed due to COVID-19 positives at Virginia Tech. |
September 26 | Florida State 10 | #12 Miami 52 | |
October 3 | #18 Oklahoma 30 | Iowa State 37 | |
October 10 | #7 Miami 17 | #1 Clemson 42 | |
October 17 | #5 North Carolina 28 | Florida State 31 | Originally Baylor–Oklahoma State, postponed due to COVID-19 positives at Baylor. |
October 24 | #18 Michigan 49 | #21 Minnesota 24 | |
October 31 | #3 Ohio State 38 | #18 Penn State 25 | |
November 7 | Stanford 14 | #12 Oregon 35 | Game was briefly moved to ESPNEWS due to ABC News’ coverage of Joe Biden's victory address to the nation. |
November 14 | #13 Wisconsin 49 | Michigan 11 | |
November 21 | #14 Oklahoma State 13 | #18 Oklahoma 41 | |
November 28 | Utah 21 | Washington 24 | Originally Oklahoma–West Virginia, postponed due to COVID-19 positives at Oklahoma. The game was later canceled, which then sent Oklahoma to the Big 12 Championship Game against Iowa State. |
December 5 | #4 Clemson 45 | Virginia Tech 10 | |
December 12 | #16 USC 43 | UCLA 38 | |
December 19 | #20 Tulsa 24 | #6 Cincinnati 27 | 2020 AAC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 4 | #5 Georgia 10 | #3 Clemson 3 | Duke's Mayo Classic |
September 11 | Washington 10 | Michigan 31 | 8 ET kickoff |
September 18 | #22 Auburn 20 | #10 Penn State 28 | |
September 25 | West Virginia 13 | #4 Oklahoma 16 | |
October 2 | Indiana 0 | #4 Penn State 24 | |
October 9 | #9 Michigan 32 | Nebraska 29 | |
October 16 | TCU 31 | #4 Oklahoma 52 | |
October 23 | #5 Ohio State 54 | Indiana 7 | |
October 30 | #20 Penn State 24 | #5 Ohio State 33 | |
November 6 | #7 Oregon 26 | Washington 16 | |
November 13 | #7 Notre Dame 28 | Virginia 3 | |
November 20 | #4 Oregon 7 | #24 Utah 38 | |
November 27 | #10 Oklahoma 33 | #7 Oklahoma State 37 | |
December 4 | #17 Pittsburgh 45 | #18 Wake Forest 21 | 2021 ACC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
December 18 | Utah State 24 | Oregon State 13 | 2021 LA Bowl |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
September 3 | #5 Notre Dame 10 | #2 Ohio State 21 | |
September 10 | #10 USC 41 | Stanford 28 | |
September 17 | #11 Michigan State 28 | Washington 39 | |
September 24 | Wisconsin 21 | #3 Ohio State 52 | |
October 1 | #10 NC State 20 | #5 Clemson 30 | Game also megacast on ESPN2 |
October 8 | #5 Clemson 31 | Boston College 3 | |
October 15 | #4 Clemson 34 | Florida State 28 | Game also megacast on ESPN2 |
October 22 | Minnesota 17 | #16 Penn State 45 | |
October 29 | Michigan State 7 | #4 Michigan 29 | |
November 5 | Florida State 45 | Miami 3 | |
November 12 | #4 TCU 17 | #18 Texas 10 | |
November 19 | #22 Oklahoma State 13 | Oklahoma 28 | |
November 26 | #15 Notre Dame 27 | #6 USC 38 | |
December 3 | #9 Clemson 39 | #23 North Carolina 10 | 2022 ACC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
December 17 | SMU 23 | BYU 24 | 2022 New Mexico Bowl |
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 26 | South Carolina State 7 | Jackson State 37 | MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff |
September 2 | #21 North Carolina 31 | South Carolina 17 | Duke's Mayo Classic |
September 9 | #19 Wisconsin 22 | Washington State 31 | |
September 16 | Pittsburgh 6 | West Virginia 17 | |
September 23 | #3 Texas 38 | Baylor 6 | |
September 30 | #11 Notre Dame 21 | #17 Duke 14 | |
October 7 | #10 Notre Dame 20 | #25 Louisville 33 | |
October 14 | #25 Miami 31 | #12 North Carolina 41 | |
October 21 | #16 Duke 20 | #4 Florida State 38 | |
October 28 | Colorado 16 | #23 UCLA 28 | |
November 4 | #5 Washington 52 | #20 USC 42 | |
November 11 | #7 Texas 29 | TCU 26 | |
November 18 | #5 Washington 22 | #11 Oregon State 20 | |
November 25 | #1 Georgia 31 | Georgia Tech 23 | |
December 2 | #4 Florida State 16 | #14 Louisville 6 | 2023 ACC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
December 16 | UCLA 35 | Boise State 22 | 2023 LA Bowl |
December 23 | Utah 7 | Northwestern 14 | 2023 Las Vegas Bowl |
Beginning this season, all Saturday Night Football games, as well as all games airing on ABC, are simulcast on ESPN+
Date | Away | Home | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
August 24 | Florida A&M 24 | Norfolk State 23 | MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff |
August 31 | #7 Notre Dame 23 | #20 Texas A&M 13 | |
September 7 | Tennessee | NC State | Duke's Mayo Classic |
September 14 | Georgia | Kentucky | |
September 21 | TBD | TBD | |
September 28 | Georgia | Alabama | |
October 5 | TBD | TBD | |
October 12 | TBD | TBD | |
October 19 | TBD | TBD | |
October 26 | TBD | TBD | |
November 2 | TBD | TBD | |
November 9 | TBD | TBD | |
November 16 | TBD | TBD | |
November 23 | TBD | TBD | |
November 30 | TBD | TBD | |
December 7 | TBD | TBD | 2024 ACC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
December 21 | TBD | TBD | College Football Playoff First Round game; 8 ET kickoff; simulcast on ESPN |
December 28 | TBD | TBD | Alamo Bowl |
Team | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Win Pct. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1.000 |
LSU | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
Boise State | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
UCF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
Georgia | 4 | 3 | 1 | .750 |
Cincinnati | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 |
Pittsburgh | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 |
Ohio State | 31 | 25 | 6 | .806 |
Florida State | 28 | 21 | 7 | .750 |
USC | 34 | 22 | 12 | .647 |
Stanford | 15 | 11 | 4 | .733 |
Kansas State | 6 | 4 | 2 | .667 |
Virginia Tech | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
Notre Dame | 27 | 14 | 13 | .518 |
Texas | 17 | 11 | 6 | .647 |
Michigan | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
Oklahoma | 33 | 23 | 10 | .697 |
Oregon | 15 | 7 | 8 | .466 |
Texas Tech | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 |
Oklahoma State | 18 | 7 | 11 | .388 |
California | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 |
Iowa | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 |
Baylor | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
Maryland | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
Wake Forest | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
Michigan State | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 |
Wisconsin | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 |
Georgia Tech | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
Kansas | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
Miami (FL) | 15 | 5 | 10 | .333 |
Texas A&M | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
Penn State | 16 | 9 | 7 | .562 |
Missouri | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 |
Nebraska | 16 | 4 | 12 | .250 |
Boston College | 7 | 1 | 6 | .142 |
Oregon State | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 |
Colorado | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Connecticut | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Duke | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Iowa State | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
Minnesota | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 |
North Carolina | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
Purdue | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
Tennessee | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
Washington State | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
West Virginia | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 |
Illinois | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 |
UCLA | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 |
Washington | 7 | 3 | 4 | .428 |
Arizona State | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
Clemson | 18 | 11 | 7 | .611 |
Arizona | 5 | 0 | 5 | .000 |
Northwestern | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
Syracuse | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Louisville | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 |
Temple | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
TCU | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 |
Rutgers | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Florida | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Utah | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 |
SMU | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Tulsa | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Memphis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
Virginia | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Auburn | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
NC State | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Indiana | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Utah State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
BYU | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
South Carolina State | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Jackson State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Rank | Date | Matchup | Viewers (millions) | TV Rating | Significance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | November 24, 2012, 8:00 ET | #1 Notre Dame | 22 | USC | 13 | 16.1 | 9.4 | Notre Dame–USC rivalry |
2 | October 18, 2014, 8:00 ET | #5 Notre Dame | 27 | #1 Florida State | 31 | 13.3 | 7.9 | |
3 | September 2, 2017, 8:00 ET | #3 Florida State | 7 | #1 Alabama | 24 | 12.3 | 6.9 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game/College GameDay |
4 | November 1, 2008, 8:00 ET | #1 Texas | 33 | #7 Texas Tech | 39 | 12.2 | 7.5 | Texas-Texas Tech Rivalry |
5 | September 13, 2008, 8:00 ET | #5 Ohio State | 3 | #1 USC | 35 | 11.8 | n.a | |
6 | September 4, 2016, 7:30 ET | #10 Notre Dame | 47 | Texas | 50 | 10.9 | 6.4 | |
7 | November 22, 2008, 8:00 ET | #2 Texas Tech | 21 | #5 Oklahoma | 65 | 10.7 | n.a | |
8 | October 25, 2008, 8:00 ET | #3 Penn State | 13 | #9 Ohio State | 6 | 10.4 | 6.4 | Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry |
9 | November 29, 2008, 8:00 ET | #3 Oklahoma | 61 | #12 Oklahoma State | 41 | 9.5 | n.a | Bedlam Series |
10 | October 1, 2016, 8:00 ET | #3 Louisville | 36 | #5 Clemson | 42 | 9.3 | 5.5 |
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Saturday Night Football on ABC.
Season | Episodes | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Season rank |
Viewers (in millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 18 | Saturday 8:00 | September 2, 2006 | December 2, 2006 | 2006–2007 | #97 | 7.6[147] |
2nd | 18 | September 1, 2007 | December 1, 2007 | 2007–2008 | #121 | 6.2[148] | |
3rd | 18 | August 30, 2008 | December 6, 2008 | 2008–2009 | #61 | 8.3[149] | |
4th | 20 | September 5, 2009 | December 5, 2009 | 2009–2010 | #78 | 6.3[150] | |
5th | 22 | September 4, 2010 | December 4, 2010 | 2010–2011 | #95 | 6.0[151] | |
6th | 16 | September 3, 2011 | December 3, 2011 | 2011–2012 | #88 | 6.4[152] | |
7th | 14 | September 1, 2012 | December 1, 2012 | 2012–2013 | #66 | 6.9[153] | |
8th | 14 | August 31, 2013 | December 7, 2013 | 2013–2014 | #82 | 5.6[154] | |
9th | 14 | August 30, 2014 | December 6, 2014 | 2014–2015 | #88 | 6.4[155] | |
10th | 14 | September 5, 2015 | December 5, 2015 | 2015–2016 | #92 | 5.2[156] | |
11th | 14 | September 3, 2016 | December 3, 2016 | 2016–2017 | #67 | 6.0[157] | |
12th | 15 | September 2, 2017 | December 2, 2017 | 2017–2018 | #78 | 5.8[158] | |
13th | 14 | September 1, 2018 | December 1, 2018 | 2018–2019 | #86 | 5.1[159] | |
14th | 16 | Saturday 7:30 | August 31, 2019 | December 21, 2019 | 2019–2020 | #71 | 4.9[160] |
15th | 15 | September 12, 2020 | December 19, 2020 | 2020–2021 | #80 | 3.8[161] | |
16th | 15 | September 4, 2021 | December 18, 2021 | 2021–2022 | #52 | 4.6[162] | |
17th | 15 | September 3, 2022 | December 17, 2022 | 2022–2023 | #56 | 4.0[163] | |
18th | 17 | August 26, 2023 | December 23, 2023 | 2023–2024 | TBD | TBA | |
19th | 18 | August 24, 2024 | December 28, 2024 | 2024–2025 | TBD | TBA |
At the time the Saturday night package began in 2006, ABC Sports was integrated with ESPN, resulting in ESPN production concepts being applied to ABC-televised sports events. As a result, during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the theme music used for the ESPN College Football and College GameDay broadcasts was used on ABC's college football telecasts – including Saturday Night Football – with the exception in both years being the Rose Bowl, during which it used the bowl game version of the network's 1998-2005 sports theme (a cut that had traditionally been used in broadcast intros). Saturday Night Football games began using the bowl version of the 1998-2005 theme as well in 2008, continuing through the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.
The intro theme was updated in 2011, with the main theme music being changed to a different cut of the 1998-2005 bowl game theme (one that had usually been used during studio shows in the past). Bowl Championship Series games aired on ESPN during this period were produced identically to Saturday Night Football productions, and used this same theme music arrangement.
In 2012, the theme for all college football telecasts on both ESPN and ABC was changed to a heavily updated version of yet another one of ABC's 1998-2005 themes (this one had usually been used for intro teasers in the past). However, unlike previous SNF themes, this theme was a completely new recording, using the tune of the 1998-2005 song as the base.
In 2015, ABC began using the same theme used by all ESPN college football productions since the 2014-15 New Years' Six bowl games.
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