I spent this past weekend out at Cal and Stanford in Northern California for their first ACC home games, and man, what an incredible scene in Berkeley. There was a bit of trepidation about bringing “College GameDay” to Cal given uncertainty around whether students would show up at 6am instead of, you know, sleeping or any of the other things to do in the Bay Area on a given weekend. Safe to say things worked out OK.
Saturday’s edition of “GameDay” was an all-timer and ranked at or near the top of the many shows I’ve seen in-person. There’s a lot of craziness around college football these days, and frankly, it’s not necessarily with the best interests in mind for the sport or its fans. Still, Saturday was one of those days that reminded me why I fell so in love with college football.
‘College GameDay’ remains on pace for best audience yet as Saban/McAfee bring new flavor
An array of locales and a new vibe around the "College GameDay" set with Nick Saban’s inclusion has things looking up for the ESPN pregame show.
"GameDay" is averaging 2.17 million viewers across ESPN and ESPNU through Week 6, putting the program on pace for its best season yet (that average does not include the Week 9 show from Dublin ahead of Georgia Tech-Florida State, which would give the show an average of 2.08 million to date).
Some "GameDay" audience highlights from this season:
- Aug. 31: College Station (ahead of Notre Dame-Texas A&M): 2.5 million viewers, which is the third-best mark yet for the show, and best since November 2016
- Aug. 24: Dublin (first time abroad): 1.55 million: Best Week 0 show yet.
- Sept. 29: Tuscaloosa (ahead of Georgia-Alabama): 2.32 million: Best September show since 2010.
“It's our goal to put a show together for our viewers that’s a must-see every week, to give them a sense that your college football Saturday isn't complete unless you're kicking it off at 9am with ‘GameDay,’” said Matthew Garrett, ESPN’s coordinating producer for college football.
The new guys
That “GameDay” is seeing big numbers early in the season is layered. Pat McAfee has been a draw with his zany energy and bro-ish attitude that’s helping appeal to a younger audience. Throw in the addition of Saban, whose rapport with McAfee has become popular internet fodder, and there’s a refreshed formula for why the show is thriving.
“[McAfee] is a unique talent, and he has an incredible ability for engaging the on-site crowd,” Garrett said. “If you ask me, it's unmatched by anybody else on television. ... There is not anybody who I would rather have in front of a live audience than Pat. He's just the best at it. He's a weapon for us on the show and making every Saturday morning, really, appointment television.”
This past week’s show at Cal (its first at Berkeley) showcased the show’s latest dynamic morning. Unscripted moments -- like an undergrad nailing a kick for $100,000 in slip-on Vans, or Saban’s waving a red tie around his head to rile up the crowd -- drove an already raucous atmosphere to a boiling point.
To his credit, Saban has been a welcome addition with the deep X’s-and-O's knowledge he’s brought, along with a general energy the public only saw in spurts during his reign at Alabama. “He's elevated every single conversation and discussion that we've had,” Garrett said. “... He brings with him an expectation of excellence and doing things the right way and doing things to the best of everybody's ability. He's raised everybody's game just by his presence and the way he carries himself.”
The success of “GameDay” is a welcome sight for ESPN as competition in the space has grown in recent years. Fox’s "Big Noon Kickoff," for example, entered this season coming off its most-watched season yet as the network continues leaning into the 12pm window for its biggest game of the week.
That said, there’s been an energy around ESPN’s show, and after a wild week in Berkeley, that shows no signs of slowing down. “You look at the ratings, you see the success that we had last year and building on that to this year. ... It's affirmation that what we're providing to viewers is something that's resonating to them,” Garrett said.
ACC Commish on ‘Super League’ ideas and where things stand in ESPN discussions
“Super League” fever has caught on in college football.
College Sports Tomorrow , a group spearheaded by TurnkeyZRG Chairman Len Perna, unveiled its plan for a new-look structure that includes two tiers, collective bargaining and some level of Premier League-style relegation and promotion. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger also detailed a proposal by Smash Capital that offers a similar effort that centers on the existing Power Four.
So, how feasible are these proposals? We’ll see.
I spent the weekend shadowing ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips during his first West Coast swing this fall (more to come on that experience). Asked directly about Perna’s proposal, Phillips deferred, but he did offer a few thoughts about the future makeup of college football that feel particularly relevant.
“I don't want to speak to any specific model, but when you're going through a period of time, as we are now, I think we’re all wise [enough] to at least listen and understand and learn any and all options that may be possible,” he said. “You run those down through questions, through education, through understanding of what some of the elements would be of whatever that structure is. But we are all striving for a new model that has a chance to be sustainable now and into the future.”
The ACC remains in a complicated place as it continues to work with ESPN regarding an extension of their agreement that includes the conference’s Tier I media rights. Court documents revealed last year that ESPN’s deal with the league, long believed to run until 2036, actually runs until 2027 and includes an option for the network to extend.
Phillips told SBJ talks between the league and ESPN remain ongoing as an early 2025 deadline for ESPN’s commitment looms. If the network did decide against extending the deal, those rights hit the open market. The ACC could seek a better deal from another partner in that situation, but more pressing, it might also open the door for another drastic round of realignment.
“We’re in a good place,” Phillips said. “We continue to talk about ways we can garner and create more value for both of us since we are 50/50 partners. Those have been very healthy conversations on a really regular basis -- if not daily, certainly every other day we're engaged with our partners.”
DirectTV to unveil tailgate at Notre Dame on Saturday
DirecTV has a new-look tailgate activation in-store for Fighting Irish fans this Saturday.
The company is set to unveil the “Couch Cushion Challenge” when Notre Dame welcomes Stanford to South Bend this weekend. The game is designed for fans to dig through an oversized couch for prizes -- including a gold football that grants the winner a year of free DirecTV.
“We recognize fandom. We recognize the entertainment they want to watch at home,” said Josh Stern, DirecTV’s AVP/brand strategy and investments. “So, we're going to bring you the entertainment here while you're at campus that day and the game, and then tell you that it doesn't end here. This can extend to your watching experience every day.”
GCI Outdoors, Traeger Grills, Duke Cannon Supply and DripDrop will be involved in the campaign via various prizes and giveaways as the activation will be in place at the USC-Notre Dame Game on Nov. 30 and the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 7 (DripDrop will only be part of future activations, not this weekend).
“Other brands recognize what we're doing, how we're getting in touch and in front of the college football audience,” Stern said. “They came and they said, ‘We want to be part of this.’”
DirecTV has increased its marketing efforts in college football this fall via its partnerships with Notre Dame, USC and the Big Ten. That included a multiyear deal with USC for DirecTV field signage to be painted along the end zone out-of-bounds lines in September.
Speed reads
- College Sports Tomorrow, a contingent of thought leaders in and around the college sports industry, unveiled a plan last week for the creation of what it’s dubbed the “College Student Football League” (CSFL). The vision centers on reshaping college football into two leagues: a 72-school league that falls largely along Power Five lines, along with a second tier of 64 programs concentrated on the current Group of Five.
- Replacing retractable seating with a permanent structure at the CFSB Center should help Murray State athletics net a seven-figure return on its investment. SBJ's Bret McCormick writes in the magazine this week that the project is the latest from a college sports world desperately reacting to a shifting economic landscape.
- Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval of a proposed settlement in the House, Hubbard and Carter antitrust cases on Monday afternoon, and this opens the door for a complete reshaping of the way in which college athletic departments operate.
- The NCAA today announced the sites of 240 championships to be held in the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, with Florida garnering the most with 22, reports SBJ's David Broughton.
- Net food and beverage sales through four home games at Michigan Stadium are up 67% year-over-year, a second consecutive year of hospitality success for Wolverines and its F&B provider, Sodexo Live, notes McCormick.
- Detroit's bowl game has a new naming rights sponsor in GameAbove, which works in sports business development, investments and entertainment. The GameAbove Sports Bowl is set for Dec. 26 at Ford Field. It replaces Quick Lane as the bowl's naming rights sponsor.
- In the most recent Sports Media Podcast, host Austin Karp took advantage of Playfly Sports' visit to the SBJ home office to grab a few minutes with CEO Craig Sloan, focusing on the firm's work with RSNs and college multimedia rights.