2007 College Football Season to Kick Off with 25 Games Over Labor Day Weekend on Multiple ESPN Outlets

- Ten of Top 25 Teams in Action

- Saturday Night Football on ABC Returns with #15 Tennessee at #12 California and #19 Florida State at Clemson on Labor Day

August 28 , 2007 -- The 2007 college football season will kick off Thursday, Aug. 30 and feature 25 games over five days on ESPN on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV. From August 30 to September 3, the networks will offer coverage of 10 of the top 25 teams from the pre-season AP poll: #2 LSU, #7 Wisconsin, #9 Virginia Tech, #10 Louisville, #12 California, #13 Georgia, #15 Tennessee, #18 Auburn, #19 Florida State and #20 Nebraska.

The first weekend will be highlighted by #15 Tennessee at #12 California on the second season debut of Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines on ABC at 8 p.m. ET, the first weekly primetime college football series on broadcast television; the ninth Bowden Bowl pitting Bobby’s #19 Florida State against his son Tommy’s Clemson squad in a special Labor Day telecast Monday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. on ESPN; #2 LSU at Mississippi State on the Thursday ESPN College Football Primetime Presented by Applebee’s series at 8 p.m. (also on ESPN Mobile TV); East Carolina at #9 Virginia Tech at noon on ESPN; Marshall at Miami at noon on ESPNU; and a primetime game each on ESPN2 (Oklahoma State at #13 Georgia at 6:45 p.m.) and ESPN (Kansas State at #18 Auburn at 7:45 p.m. – also on ESPN Radio).

COMMENTATOR HIGHLIGHTS

ESPN’s 2007 college football coverage will feature a deep roster of knowledgeable and experienced commentators. Opening week highlights include:

* Analyst Kirk Herbstreit will work every broadcast of the second season of Saturday Night Football Presented by Southwest Airlines on ABC and ESPN’s Saturday morning College GameDay. On Saturday, Sept. 1, he will work College GameDay from Blacksburg, Va. before traveling cross country to call the Saturday Night Football #15 Tennessee at #12 California telecast.

* Mike Tirico, who serves as the commentator for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, will call ESPN’s coverage of East Carolina at #9 Virginia Tech with analysts Todd Blackledge and Bill Curry Saturday, Sept. 1 at noon.

* Chris Fowler will call ESPN’s Thursday night series with new analysts Doug Flutie and Craig James, and returning reporter Erin Andrews.

* Former Miami Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker will make his television debut as an ESPNU game analyst Saturday, Sept. 1 at noon, working Marshall at Miami with Clay Matvick.

* ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd of The Herd with Colin Cowherd will provide commentary from the booth of ESPN’s Washington at Syracuse telecast Friday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. Sean McDonough will call the game with analyst Chris Spielman and reporter Rob Stone.

ESPN on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Radio, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television, and ESPN GamePlan will combine to televise more than 450 regular-season, bowl games and NCAA football championship contests in 2007.

Schedule through September 3 (All times eastern):

Date
Time - Network
Game
Commentators

Thur., Aug. 30

7 p.m. - ESPN2
Tulsa at Louisiana-Monroe
Dave Lamont and Rod Gilmore

7 p.m. - ESPN360.com
Southeast Missouri State at Cincinnati
Dave Weekley and Todd Donnan

7:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Murray State at #10 Louisville
Mike Gleason and Jon Congemi

8 p.m. - ESPN / ESPN Mobile TV
#2 LSU at Mississippi State
Chris Fowler, Craig James, Doug Flutie and Erin Andrews

Fri., Aug. 31

7:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Navy at Temple
Beth Mowins and David Diaz-Infante

8 p.m. - ESPN / ESPN Mobile TV
Washington at Syracuse
Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Colin Cowherd and Rob Stone

Sat., Sept. 1

noon - ESPN
East Carolina at #9 Virginia Tech
Mike Tirico, Todd Blackledge, Bill Curry and Erin Andrews

noon - ESPN2
UAB at Michigan State
Ray Bentley and Quint Kessenich

noon - ESPNU
Marshall at Miami
Clay Matvick and Larry Coker

3 p.m. - ESPN Classic
Southern vs. Florida A&M (The MEAC•SWAC Challenge)
Erin Collins, Jay Walker and Monica Knowles

3:30 p.m. - ABC
Washington State at #7 Wisconsin *
Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Bonnie Bernstein

3:30 p.m. - ABC
Wake Forest at Boston College *
Bob Wischusen, David Norrie and Jeannine Edwards

3:30 p.m. - ABC
Nevada at #20 Nebraska
Dan Fouts, Tim Brant and Todd Harris

3:30 p.m. - ESPN
Reverse mirror of ABC: Washington State at Wisconsin and Wake Forest at Boston College *

3:30 p.m. - ESPN2
Missouri at Illinois
Dave Pasch, Andre Ware and Jimmy Dykes

3:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Iowa vs. Northern Illinois (from Soldier Field)
Doug Bell and Charles Arbuckle

6 p.m. - ESPN360.com
James Madison at North Carolina
Sam Smith and Sonny Randle

6 p.m. - ESPN360.com
Central Florida at N.C. State
Ryan Rose and Jim Hofher

6 p.m. - ESPN360.com
Villanova at Maryland
Frank Giardina and Doug Chapman

6:45 p.m. - ESPN2
Oklahoma State at #13 Georgia
Mark Jones, Bob Davie and Stacey Dales

7 p.m. - ESPNU
Purdue at Toledo
Dave Armstrong and Mike Gottfried

7:45 p.m. - ESPN
Kansas State at #18 Auburn
Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham and Holly Rowe
ESPN Radio - Dave Barnett and Rod Gilmore

8 p.m. - ABC
#15 Tennessee at #12 California
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters

10 p.m. - ESPNU
Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M ^
Charlie Neal and Ed Robinson, Jr.

Mon. Sept. 3

4 p.m. - ESPN
Texas Tech at SMU
Dave Lamont, James Hasty and Rob Stone

8 p.m. - ESPN
#19 Florida State at Clemson
Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe

Source: ESPN