Behind the Mic: ESPN Rolls Out Broadcasting Teams for Week 1 of College Football Season; CBS Reveals Names of NFL On-Air Talent

Behind the Mic: ESPN Rolls Out Broadcasting Teams for Week 1 of College Football Season; CBS Reveals Names of NFL On-Air Talent By SVG Staff

Thursday, August 26, 2021 - 7:00 am

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Behind the Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, ESPN kicks off college football coverage with dynamic commentator teams in Week 1, CBS Sports unveils NFL on CBS announcer lineup, and more.

ESPN Kicks Off College Football Week 1 Coverage With Dynamic Commentator Teams ESPN will kick off its coverage of the 2021-22 college football season in Week 1 with nearly 60 games, including the highly-anticipated non-conference matchups in the Duke's Mayo Classic in Charlotte - No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 3 Clemson - and Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta - No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 14 Miami. The opening weekend slate features games on six consecutive nights (Sept. 1-6) and culminates with primetime showdowns Sunday on ABC (No. 9 Notre Dame at Florida State) and on the traditional Labor Day Monday on ESPN (Louisville vs. Ole Miss).

In all, four of the top-five teams and nine of the top 10 in the 2021 AP preseason rankings will be in action across ESPN platforms during week 1.

ESPN's week 1 schedule features teams from all 10 FBS conferences and games are set for a total of 10 ESPN platforms - ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN , ESPN3, ESPN , SEC Network (SECN ) and ESPN Radio.

With the start of the new season, ESPN's unmatched roster of commentators will feature a mix of familiar faces, new assignments, a host of newcomers and the return of many veteran voices.

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and reporter Holly Rowe will team up to call the weekly ABC Saturday Night Football presented by Capital One marquee matchup, beginning with one of the most-anticipated games of the season - the top-five showdown between Georgia and Clemson in the Duke's Mayo Classic in Charlotte.

The 2021 season marks Fowler and Herbstreit's eighth year in the SNF booth and their 26th season as college football teammates, having worked together since 1996 on College GameDay. Fowler and Herbstreit have called every College Football Playoff National Championship. Rowe joins the team following the recent announcement of her move to the SNF crew, as she kicks off her 26th season covering college football for ESPN and ABC.

Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, field analyst Todd McShay, and reporter Molly McGrath will open the season with defending College Football Playoff National Champion and preseason No. 1 Alabama against No. 14 Miami in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta.

McDonough and Blackledge will work together for the third year, joined for a second season by McShay and McGrath, who is back on the sidelines after taking maternity leave at the end of 2020. McDonough - also a leading voice in ESPN's NHL coverage this fall - and Blackledge combine for more than four decades of broadcast experience, while McShay continues to serve as one of ESPN's NFL Draft experts and McGrath covers a multitude of college sports across ESPN networks as both a reporter and host.

Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy, and Katie George will open the season in Tallahassee for a Sunday primetime matchup on ABC that is steeped in tradition - No. 9 Notre Dame at Florida State.

This will be the second straight season that longtime ESPN play-by-play voice Tessitore and former Alabama National Champion quarterback McElroy are partnering in the ABC and ESPN booth. For the better part of two decades, Tessitore has been a premier broadcaster for ESPN and ABC's coverage of college football, as well as the veteran blow-by-blow ringside commentator for Top Rank Boxing on ESPN and the co-host of Holey Moley on ABC. McElroy is beginning his sixth season calling games for ESPN and has studio experience on ESPN and SEC Network as well. This fall, George moves to ABC and ESPN games following her first two seasons on ACC Network Primetime.

Notable ESPN and ABC games on Saturday, Sept. 4:

ESPN Events' Texas Kickoff: Texas Tech vs. Houston (7 p.m., ESPN): ESPN newcomer and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III joins ESPN mainstays Mark Jones and Quint Kessenich this season. Jones completed his 30th year with ESPN last fall, serving as a college football commentator as well as one of the company's leading NBA play-by-play voices.

Western Michigan vs. Michigan (Noon, ESPN): Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky are back together for a third season, joined in Ann Arbor by Kris Budden. Wischusen, a college football, basketball and NHL voice for ESPN, is also the New York Jets radio voice. In addition to calling college games, Orlovsky continues to appear across a number of ESPN shows, including as a lead analyst on NFL Live. Budden has been a regular on ABC and ESPN coverage since moving over from SEC Network following the 2018 season.

No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Tulane (Noon, ABC): Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek will call games together for the first time this fall, beginning with the Sooners-Green Wave matchup. A versatile football and basketball play-by-play voice - who also calls Arizona Cardinals NFL games, Pasch joined ESPN in 2003. A two-time Oklahoma captain and former NFL Draft pick, Dvoracek continues to expand his ESPN role. Veteran field analyst Tom Luginbill, who has been with ESPN for more than 15 years and previously worked with Pasch, will join the duo.

ESPN Events' Vegas Kickoff Classic: BYU vs. Arizona (10:30 p.m., ESPN): Dave Flemming and Rod Gilmore are teaming up on ESPN and ABC this fall, with Flemming continuing his play-by-play commentary for college football, basketball, baseball and MLB, and Gilmore kickin

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