College Football: Week 11 announcer pairings
By Tim Kaiser
Find out which announcer pairings will be calling the most anticipated games of Week 11.
For as deep as we are in the season, Week 11 is a little light on marquee matchups. There are only two games that feature a pair of Top 25 teams. Both will kick off in the 7 p.m. ET hour. In a bit of a strange move, only one will be covered by a network’s announcer “first team.”
The biggest game of the week is No. 20 USC at No. 4 Washington. Washington needs to show the College Football Playoff Committee that they are legit after the committee showed more respect to a one-loss SEC team. With the subpar level of play in the Pac-12 this year, this game has added importance. College GameDay will showcase the game in the morning. It will be the ESPN staple’s second time highlighting the Huskies this season and second time ever in Seattle. Fox will have their top line broadcasting the game led by play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson.
ESPN/ABC’s top crew of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Sam Ponder will be broadcasting the Michigan-Iowa game. So, as it has been for much of the season ESPN will have to shuttle their announcer pair pulling double duty on a cross country after the morning broadcast.
The other Top 25 matchup is No. 24 LSU at No. 25 Arkansas. However, both teams are out of the SEC West race.
The SEC on CBS is running their second straight doubleheader. This week the games will run back-to-back. Lead-announcer-in-waiting, Brad Nessler, will have the South Carolina-Florida game in The Swamp, aka the former Spurrier Bowl. SEC’s announcer A-Team will be at the 120th meeting of the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” No. 9 Auburn will be looking for their seventh straight win of the season against Georgia and to set up an all-important Iron Bowl.
Saturday
South Carolina at Florida– 12 p.m. ET
- Network: CBS
- Play-by-Play: Brad Nessler
- Color Commentator: Aaron Taylor
- Sideline Reporter: John Schriffen
No. 16 West Virginia at Texas- 12 p.m. ET
- Network: FS1
- Play-by-Play: Joe Davis
- Color Commentator: Brady Quinn
- Sideline Reporter: Jenny Taft
No. 10 Penn State at Indiana- 12 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC/ESPN2
- Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
- Color Commentator: Brock Huard
- Sideline Reporter: Allison Williams
Baylor at No. 11 Oklahoma- 12 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC/ESPN2
- Play-by-Play: Mike Patrick
- Color Commentator: Ed Cunningham
- Sideline Reporter: Jerry Punch
No. 9 Auburn at Georgia– 3:30 p.m. ET
- Network: CBS
- Play-by-Play: Verne Lundquist
- Color Commentator: Gary Danielson
- Sideline Reporter: Allie LaForce
No. 24 LSU at No. 25 Arkansas- 7 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
- Color Commentator: Greg McElroy
- Sideline Reporter: Tom Luginbill
Minnesota at No. 19 Nebraska- 7:30 p.m. ET
- Network: Big Ten Network
- Play-by-Play: Kevin Kugler
- Color Commentator: Matt Millen
- Sideline Reporter: Lisa Byington
Ole Miss at No. 8 Texas A&M- 7:30 p.m. ET
- Network: SEC Network
- Play-by-Play: Brent Musburger
- Color Commentator: Jesse Palmer
- Sideline Reporter: Kaylee Hartung
No. 20 USC at No. 4 Washington- 7:30 p.m. ET
- Network: FOX
- Play-by-Play: Gus Johnson
- Color Commentator: Joel Klatt
- Sideline Reporter: Shannon Spake
No. 3 Michigan at Iowa- 8 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC
- Play-by-Play: Chris Fowler
- Color Commentator: Kirk Herbstreit
- Sideline Reporter: Samantha Ponder
California at No. 23 Washington State- 10:30 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Play-by-Play: Mark Jones
- Color Commentator: Rod Gilmore
- Sideline Reporter: Quint Kessenich
Announcer pairings courtesy of Daniel Ormsby of Eye on Sky and Air Sports.