Not as severe, but that’s got some Rhoads/Mangino feel to it
These guys both come across as entitled a holes though
***Official 2024-25 College Football (non-ISU) Thread***
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Not as severe, but that’s got some Rhoads/Mangino feel to it
These guys both come across as entitled a holes though
That’s actually awesome, I wouldn’t have guessed that. And if we are being honest, he’s probably the person on the team that least needs the degree because he’s going to be wealthy regardless and isn’t ever likely to need a real job.
The Athletic ran a survey on CFB TV viewership. Here are the results:
"Every fan who watches college football has strong opinions about its broadcasts, and with major conference realignment settled and new TV situations now two months into their new eras, it’s time for a check-in.
This is our third annual college football TV survey for The Athletic readers. More than 3,700 of you responded, up from 3,100 a year ago. What do you like? What do you dislike? Here are the results.
ESPN/ABC: 67.8 percent
CBS: 15.3 percent
Fox/FS1: 12.1 percent
NBC: 4.8 percent
What is your favorite conference network for games?
SEC Network: 46.2 percent
Big Ten Network: 42.5 percent
ACC Network: 11.3 percent
Do you like the SEC on ABC more or less than the SEC on CBS?
Less: 38.5 percent
No opinion: 36.2 percent
More: 25.3 percent
ESPN not only remains the king but sees a notable jump from last year’s 57.7 percent preference score. Both CBS and Fox saw drops from last year’s numbers. The conference affiliation breakdown of readers who took the survey is not known, but the ESPN-Big Ten divorce remains a fascinating change in the sport. How much does the quality of the games play a role in this? CBS went from broadcasting the SEC’s game of the week to showing what is typically a second-tier Big Ten game, and CBS support dropped by five percent from last year, while the early returns on the new SEC on ABC are not as good as the old CBS slot.
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe (ESPN): 42.8 percent
Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft (Fox): 13.6 percent
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath (ESPN): 12 percent
Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell (CBS): 11.7 percent
Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George (ESPN): 4.8 percent
Jason Benetti, Brock Huard and Allison Williams (Fox): 4.5 percent
Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen (NBC): 4 percent
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic (SEC Network): 1.4 percent
Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden (ESPN): 1 percent
Tim Brando, Devin Gardner and Josh Sims (Fox): 1 percent
All others less than 1 percent
Who is your favorite college football TV analyst (broadcast or studio)?
Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN): 36 percent
Nick Saban (ESPN): 12.9 percent
Joel Klatt (Fox): 10.6 percent
Greg McElroy (ESPN): 5.5 percent
Pat McAfee (ESPN): 5.4 percent
Todd Blackledge (NBC): 5.4 percent
Gary Danielson (CBS): 3.9 percent
Josh Pate (CBS): 2.4 percent
Brock Huard (Fox): 2.3 percent
Paul Finebaum (ESPN): 2.2 percent
Rick Neuheisel (CBS): 2.2 percent
Desmond Howard (ESPN): 2.1 percent
Lee Corso (ESPN): 2 percent
Brady Quinn (Fox): 1.1 percent
Urban Meyer (Fox): 1.1 percent
All others less than 1 percent
I’ve added sideline reporters to the broadcast team question, something I should’ve done years ago. They’re an important part of the broadcast, as we’ve seen at games that don’t have one. ESPN/ABC’s top team with Fowler, Herbstreit and Rowe increased its lead on the field from 38.3 percent last year to 42.8 percent this year, but the top four are the same. It’s probably a good sign that the top broadcast team for ESPN/ABC, Fox and CBS each made the top four, but ESPN’s No. 2 team with Sean McDonough leading the play-by-play also rates well.
College GameDay: 84.7 percent
Big Noon Kickoff: 15.3 percent
How do you feel about Pat McAfee on “College GameDay”?
Like it: 37.7 percent
Don’t like it: 42.5 percent
No opinion: 19.8 percent
How do you feel about Nick Saban on “College GameDay”?
Like it: 79.6 percent
No opinion: 13.4 percent
Don’t like it: 7 percent
Do you watch pregame shows more or less than you used to?
Less: 54 percent
No change: 33.1 percent
More: 12.9 percent
This part of the survey got a lot of reaction a year ago. McAfee publicly expressed how upset he was by the results and by other fan backlash, openly questioning whether he would return to “College GameDay”. He ultimately did, and his numbers have improved in the survey this year to nearly an even split. The percentage of respondents who don’t like his contribution to the show dropped from 48.9 percent to 42.5 percent, and those who like him increased from 30.1 percent to 37.7 percent.
Saban has clearly been a big hit on the show. It’s also worth noting “College GameDay” has widened the gap to “Big Noon Kickoff” in this survey, with 84.7 percent of readers picking it, similar to what the number was two years ago before it dropped to 77 percent last year. It’s also worth pointing out that although a majority of readers say they watch it less than they used to, the last two seasons of “College GameDay” have been the two highest-rated in its history, and this year is on pace to set another record.
Yes: 82.6 percent
No: 17.4 percent
Do you believe TV networks play an active role in driving conference realignment?
Yes: 92 percent
No: 8 percent
These numbers are nearly identical to a year ago. Fans remain upset about the collapse of the old Pac-12, though decisions by Pac-12 leaders played a big role in that..
YouTube TV: 40.1 percent
Cable/satellite: 37.7 percent
Hulu + Live TV: 8.7 percent
DirecTV Stream: 3.7 percent
Fubo: 2.8 percent
Antenna: 2.6 percent
Sling: 1.8 percent
These numbers are also very similar to a year ago, with a slight uptick for YouTube TV. Considering YTV claims somewhere over 8 million subscribers and cable is still somewhere above 65 million, these numbers reflect our readership more than college football fans as a whole.
Have you watched a college football game on The CW or truTV this season?
No: 61.2 percent
Yes, The CW: 25 percent
Yes, both: 12.4 percent
Yes, truTV: 1.4 percent
Have you paid for a streaming-only service (like ESPN+ or Peacock) specifically to watch college football?
Yes: 36.3 percent
No: 63.7 percent
How many hours of college football do you typically watch on a Saturday?
Less than 4 hours: 12.1 percent
4-8 hours: 56.9 percent
8-12 hours: 25.5 percent
More than 12 hours: 5.5 percent
How often do you watch a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday Group of 5 game?
Rarely, if ever: 44.1 percent
Once per month: 29.4 percent
At least once per week: 26.5 percent
How do you feel about the increase in Friday night college football?
Like it: 45.7 percent
Don’t like it: 33.5 percent
No opinion: 20.8 percent
How do you feel about the length of college football game broadcasts?
Too long: 55.8 percent
No opinion: 42 percent
Too short: 2.3 percent
What’s your biggest issue watching college football on TV?
Too many commercials/too long: 68.7 percent
Too hard to change between games: 12.3 percent
Poor broadcast quality/announcers: 7.1 percent
Too expensive: 4.6 percent
Too many games: 1.6 percent
Other: 2.5 percent
All other responses less than 1 percent
Have you ever decided against attending a game in person because of the TV experience at home?
Yes: 41.1 percent
No: 58.9 percent
Viewership for midweek games ticked down a little bit from last year’s survey. The Friday night question is a new one given its renewed focus this year in the Big Ten and Big 12, and only a third of respondents don’t like it. The number of readers who have paid for an ESPN+ or Peacock subscription specifically for college football remains low. A majority of respondents feel games are too long, up from 48 percent last year, with the vast majority of the blame placed on commercials.
If you could have any college football play-by-play announcer in history call your game, who would it be?
Keith Jackson: 43.7 percent
Verne Lundquist: 11.3 percent
Brent Musberger: 11.2 percent
Al Michaels: 4.8 percent
Chris Fowler: 4.5 percent
Gus Johnson: 4.3 percent
Larry Munson: 3.9 percent
Mike Tirico: 3 percent
**** Enberg: 2.2 percent
Sean McDonough: 2 percent
Ron Franklin: 1.7 percent
Lindsey Nelson: 1.5 percent
Brad Nessler: 1.4 percent
Joe Tessitore: 1.2 percent
All others less than 1 percent"
"Every fan who watches college football has strong opinions about its broadcasts, and with major conference realignment settled and new TV situations now two months into their new eras, it’s time for a check-in.
This is our third annual college football TV survey for The Athletic readers. More than 3,700 of you responded, up from 3,100 a year ago. What do you like? What do you dislike? Here are the results.
Network comparisons
Which network do you prefer for national game broadcasts?ESPN/ABC: 67.8 percent
CBS: 15.3 percent
Fox/FS1: 12.1 percent
NBC: 4.8 percent
What is your favorite conference network for games?
SEC Network: 46.2 percent
Big Ten Network: 42.5 percent
ACC Network: 11.3 percent
Do you like the SEC on ABC more or less than the SEC on CBS?
Less: 38.5 percent
No opinion: 36.2 percent
More: 25.3 percent
ESPN not only remains the king but sees a notable jump from last year’s 57.7 percent preference score. Both CBS and Fox saw drops from last year’s numbers. The conference affiliation breakdown of readers who took the survey is not known, but the ESPN-Big Ten divorce remains a fascinating change in the sport. How much does the quality of the games play a role in this? CBS went from broadcasting the SEC’s game of the week to showing what is typically a second-tier Big Ten game, and CBS support dropped by five percent from last year, while the early returns on the new SEC on ABC are not as good as the old CBS slot.
Announcers
Who is your favorite broadcast announcer team?Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe (ESPN): 42.8 percent
Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft (Fox): 13.6 percent
Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath (ESPN): 12 percent
Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell (CBS): 11.7 percent
Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George (ESPN): 4.8 percent
Jason Benetti, Brock Huard and Allison Williams (Fox): 4.5 percent
Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen (NBC): 4 percent
Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic (SEC Network): 1.4 percent
Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick and Kris Budden (ESPN): 1 percent
Tim Brando, Devin Gardner and Josh Sims (Fox): 1 percent
All others less than 1 percent
Who is your favorite college football TV analyst (broadcast or studio)?
Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN): 36 percent
Nick Saban (ESPN): 12.9 percent
Joel Klatt (Fox): 10.6 percent
Greg McElroy (ESPN): 5.5 percent
Pat McAfee (ESPN): 5.4 percent
Todd Blackledge (NBC): 5.4 percent
Gary Danielson (CBS): 3.9 percent
Josh Pate (CBS): 2.4 percent
Brock Huard (Fox): 2.3 percent
Paul Finebaum (ESPN): 2.2 percent
Rick Neuheisel (CBS): 2.2 percent
Desmond Howard (ESPN): 2.1 percent
Lee Corso (ESPN): 2 percent
Brady Quinn (Fox): 1.1 percent
Urban Meyer (Fox): 1.1 percent
All others less than 1 percent
I’ve added sideline reporters to the broadcast team question, something I should’ve done years ago. They’re an important part of the broadcast, as we’ve seen at games that don’t have one. ESPN/ABC’s top team with Fowler, Herbstreit and Rowe increased its lead on the field from 38.3 percent last year to 42.8 percent this year, but the top four are the same. It’s probably a good sign that the top broadcast team for ESPN/ABC, Fox and CBS each made the top four, but ESPN’s No. 2 team with Sean McDonough leading the play-by-play also rates well.
Pregame shows
Do you prefer ESPN’s “College Gameday” or Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff”?College GameDay: 84.7 percent
Big Noon Kickoff: 15.3 percent
How do you feel about Pat McAfee on “College GameDay”?
Like it: 37.7 percent
Don’t like it: 42.5 percent
No opinion: 19.8 percent
How do you feel about Nick Saban on “College GameDay”?
Like it: 79.6 percent
No opinion: 13.4 percent
Don’t like it: 7 percent
Do you watch pregame shows more or less than you used to?
Less: 54 percent
No change: 33.1 percent
More: 12.9 percent
This part of the survey got a lot of reaction a year ago. McAfee publicly expressed how upset he was by the results and by other fan backlash, openly questioning whether he would return to “College GameDay”. He ultimately did, and his numbers have improved in the survey this year to nearly an even split. The percentage of respondents who don’t like his contribution to the show dropped from 48.9 percent to 42.5 percent, and those who like him increased from 30.1 percent to 37.7 percent.
Saban has clearly been a big hit on the show. It’s also worth noting “College GameDay” has widened the gap to “Big Noon Kickoff” in this survey, with 84.7 percent of readers picking it, similar to what the number was two years ago before it dropped to 77 percent last year. It’s also worth pointing out that although a majority of readers say they watch it less than they used to, the last two seasons of “College GameDay” have been the two highest-rated in its history, and this year is on pace to set another record.
Conference realignment
Do you believe TV networks are biased toward certain conferences?Yes: 82.6 percent
No: 17.4 percent
Do you believe TV networks play an active role in driving conference realignment?
Yes: 92 percent
No: 8 percent
These numbers are nearly identical to a year ago. Fans remain upset about the collapse of the old Pac-12, though decisions by Pac-12 leaders played a big role in that..
Viewing habits
What form of TV do you typically use to watch college football?YouTube TV: 40.1 percent
Cable/satellite: 37.7 percent
Hulu + Live TV: 8.7 percent
DirecTV Stream: 3.7 percent
Fubo: 2.8 percent
Antenna: 2.6 percent
Sling: 1.8 percent
These numbers are also very similar to a year ago, with a slight uptick for YouTube TV. Considering YTV claims somewhere over 8 million subscribers and cable is still somewhere above 65 million, these numbers reflect our readership more than college football fans as a whole.
Have you watched a college football game on The CW or truTV this season?
No: 61.2 percent
Yes, The CW: 25 percent
Yes, both: 12.4 percent
Yes, truTV: 1.4 percent
Have you paid for a streaming-only service (like ESPN+ or Peacock) specifically to watch college football?
Yes: 36.3 percent
No: 63.7 percent
How many hours of college football do you typically watch on a Saturday?
Less than 4 hours: 12.1 percent
4-8 hours: 56.9 percent
8-12 hours: 25.5 percent
More than 12 hours: 5.5 percent
How often do you watch a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday Group of 5 game?
Rarely, if ever: 44.1 percent
Once per month: 29.4 percent
At least once per week: 26.5 percent
How do you feel about the increase in Friday night college football?
Like it: 45.7 percent
Don’t like it: 33.5 percent
No opinion: 20.8 percent
How do you feel about the length of college football game broadcasts?
Too long: 55.8 percent
No opinion: 42 percent
Too short: 2.3 percent
What’s your biggest issue watching college football on TV?
Too many commercials/too long: 68.7 percent
Too hard to change between games: 12.3 percent
Poor broadcast quality/announcers: 7.1 percent
Too expensive: 4.6 percent
Too many games: 1.6 percent
Other: 2.5 percent
All other responses less than 1 percent
Have you ever decided against attending a game in person because of the TV experience at home?
Yes: 41.1 percent
No: 58.9 percent
Viewership for midweek games ticked down a little bit from last year’s survey. The Friday night question is a new one given its renewed focus this year in the Big Ten and Big 12, and only a third of respondents don’t like it. The number of readers who have paid for an ESPN+ or Peacock subscription specifically for college football remains low. A majority of respondents feel games are too long, up from 48 percent last year, with the vast majority of the blame placed on commercials.
If you could have any college football play-by-play announcer in history call your game, who would it be?
Keith Jackson: 43.7 percent
Verne Lundquist: 11.3 percent
Brent Musberger: 11.2 percent
Al Michaels: 4.8 percent
Chris Fowler: 4.5 percent
Gus Johnson: 4.3 percent
Larry Munson: 3.9 percent
Mike Tirico: 3 percent
**** Enberg: 2.2 percent
Sean McDonough: 2 percent
Ron Franklin: 1.7 percent
Lindsey Nelson: 1.5 percent
Brad Nessler: 1.4 percent
Joe Tessitore: 1.2 percent
All others less than 1 percent"
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Those are interesting results, but I’d take that with a grain of salt cause it’s an ESPN survey. Those users will be more pre-disposed to ESPN vs other networks (see the skewed results on on the conference network and gameday show questions).
The CBS drop is interesting though. They gave up the SEC game of the week for a mid-tier B10 game. Kind of dumb on their part.
The CBS drop is interesting though. They gave up the SEC game of the week for a mid-tier B10 game. Kind of dumb on their part.
Benetti/Huard getting the absolute shaft.
People only think Fowler is good because he calls big games. Give him Mississippi State at Kentucky at 11:00 and tell me he's a great pxp guy...
People only think Fowler is good because he calls big games. Give him Mississippi State at Kentucky at 11:00 and tell me he's a great pxp guy...
I thought the Athletic is owned by the New York Times are they involved with ESPN somehow?
Ohhh my mistake. I thought that was an ESPN survey. Ok that gives the results a little more credence
CBS didn't give up anything, they just couldn't afford to keep it anymore. ESPN overpaid for exclusivity. The "problem" CBS is having isn't because they have Big 10 games, it's because they have to split the second tier with NBC so some weeks they'll have the third best game and rarely will they have the first.
"problem" is in quotes because I think CBS is still doing pretty well financially in this arrangement. It's not as good as the arrangement they had with the SEC but that was a buy low situation that wasn't going to be repeated.
