Pac-12 Networks Unveils 2018 Football Slate, To Take The Pregame on the Road

Pac-12 Networks Unveils 2018 Football Slate, To Take The Pregame on the Road 34 games will be covered live; The Drive series gets a new format By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Thursday, July 26, 2018 - 8:29 am

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Pac-12 Networks is ramping up football coverage this upcoming season, airing 34 live games and will take its signature Saturday Pregame show on the road all season long. Pac-12 Networks will also bring back its award-winning The Drive series with a new format, as well as a full slate of football-oriented original programming.

Thirty-Plus Games in 13 Weeks

The schedule calls for 13 games to air live over the first three weeks and will finish strong with 11 in the month of November. Surrounding this season's coverage of 34 total live games, as well as all Pac-12 football action, will be programming across Pac-12 Networks' linear and digital channels.

In addition, the Pac-12 Conference will expand its pilot program to shorten the length of football games, with year two of the initiative to feature not only non-conference games on Pac-12 Networks but also selected conference and ESPN- and Fox Sports-televised games. In all, at least 30 games are expected to be included in the program for the 2018 season, up from 15 games in 2017. The program was launched in an effort to be responsive to fan and broadcaster feedback on game length and is designed to improve the fan experience.

The Pregame To Make Its Road-Show Debut

For the first time ever, Pac-12 Networks will take its signature Saturday show on the road all season long. Each Saturday, beginning the second week of the season, the hour-long program will kick-start the day live from a different Pac-12 campus: the show will make stops at all 12 universities, anchoring Pac-12 Networks' coverage from a different campus all season.

For kickoff week, a special premiere episode of The Pregame will debut from on-field at Utah when the Utes take on Weber State.

Starting the 12-week tour of campuses, in week two, the show will travel to Stanford when the Cardinals take on USC. Full schedule information for The Pregame and its tour across all 12 campuses will be announced at a later date.

The announce team all season will include hosts Ashley Adamson and Mike Yam and analysts Evan Moore, Nigel Burton, and Yogi Roth.

Also for the first time ever, as part of the Pregame tour, onsite coverage will begin the Wednesday before game day with content appearing across the networks' linear, digital, and social-media channels every day, leading up to The Pregame on Saturday.

The Drive To Spotlight Key Storylines at All 12 Schools

Pac-12 Networks has given its award-winning series a new format as it continues to cover all 12 programs from an all-access and in-depth perspective.

This season of The Drive will focus on key storylines from the 12 programs, with short-form features debuting across the digital and social-media platforms. Features will also air on Pac-12 Network on The Pregame and Inside Pac-12 Football throughout the year.

On Pac-12 Network, five compilation episodes will air throughout the season, featuring the most compelling storylines from various teams. All 12 institutions will be covered across four half-hour episodes, starting with a special hour-long season preview on Aug. 27.

Short-Form Pac-12 Playlist'

Also introduced this year, Pac-12 Playlist will provide updates and coverage of daily news from around the conference in a short-form fashion, airing across Pac-12 Networks digital, linear, and social-media channels beginning in August during training-camp season.

Returning Programming: Inside Pac-12 Football, Game Break

Returning this season with a new nightly home every Tuesday evening, Inside Pac-12 Football will again provide all football analysis on Pac-12 Network. A pair of special episodes covering 2018 Pac-12 Football Media Day will lead off the series; regular episodes return to Pac-12 Network on Tuesday, Aug. 28 as part of kickoff week for Pac-12 Networks.

Additional special episodes will air throughout the season, covering the conference's football championship game from onsite at Levi's Stadium, bowl selections and bowl previews, All-Conference awards, the Rose Bowl, both signing-day periods, the NFL Draft, and other key football initiatives. Hosted by Yam, Inside Pac-12 Football will feature expert analysis by Curtis Conway, Roth, and others.

Returning to Saturdays on Pac-12 Network, both Pac-12 Football Game Break and Pac-12 Football Postgame Report will air live throughout the day from Pac-12 Networks studios and feature onsite elements of The Pregame from that week's on-campus location. Hosts will include Ashley Adamson and Yam; expert analysis will be provided by Nick Aliotti, Lincoln Kennedy, and others.

Also returning every Saturday, Pac-12 Final Score will recap all the action from across the conference. The announce team will include hosts Adamson and Yam and analysts Aliotti and Kennedy.

As in past years, Pac-12 Networks will re-air each of the previous week's Pac-12 football games in an hour-long weekly package dubbed Football in 60. Episodes will again include enhanced footage not seen in the live broadcast.

New this year will be Football in 60 Seconds. Pac-12 Networks will produce short-form recaps of all conference football games for its digital and social-media channels, one 60-second recap for each team every week. Each episode will also be available on demand on the Pac-12 Now app and Pac-12.com.

Introduced last season and honored with one local Emmy Award and several other nominations, The 12 Greatest returns for its second season on Pac-12 Networks with four half-hour episodes - about Pac-12 football coaches, quarterbacks, running backs, and defensive linemen, respectively - set to air. Dates and times for

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