College Football: Week 9 announcer pairings
By Tim Kaiser
Find out which announcer pairings will cover the biggest games of Week 9 as three teams in the top five put their undefeated records on the line against Top 25 teams.
Week 9 will give fans a countrywide tasting menu of the best teams in college football. Whereas last week the best games on paper entering the weekend were mostly of the SEC variety, this week fans get a sample from across the Power 5 spectrum. The networks’ top announcer crews are spread coast-to-coast to cover the marquee games of the week.
ESPN either no longer fears the challenge from the other networks or is just willing to put editorial above “the brand” because, for the second week in a row, College GameDay will be featuring a game they are not broadcasting. No. 17 Utah is hosting No. 4 Washington, and GameDay made its most westerly trip for its first Pac-12 game of the season. Fox Sports’ top announcers, Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt, will be on the call.
Last week, it worked out having the split between GameDay and their prime-time game. Texas A&M and Alabama was the biggest game headed into the week, but Penn State’s upset of Ohio State was a far superior game in reality. ESPN and ABC are undoubtedly hoping for a similar scenario with No. 3 Clemson going to No. 12 Florida State in a game that would all but assure Clemson a berth in the ACC Championship Game.
The third matchup of Top 25 teams is No. 7 Nebraska at No. 11 Wisconsin. Nebraska has been one of the surprise undefeated teams as they are 7-0 for the first time since their 2001 BCS Championship Game appearance. However, their schedule has been incredibly soft. The next two weeks will show what the Cornhuskers really are with road games at Wisconsin and Ohio State. Joe Tessitore will be the lead announcer for Nebraska’s first test in the 7 p.m. slot on ESPN.
The SEC on CBS game will take a bit of backseat in Week 9. The fact a rivalry game like Florida-Georgia is a step down in quality speaks to just how good the SEC slate has been this season. Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson continue their last season together with a trip between the hedges as Georgia tries to spoil their rival’s SEC East aspirations.
Friday
No. 22 Navy at South Florida- 7 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN2
- Play-by-Play: Adam Amin
- Color Commentator: Mack Brown
- Sideline Reporter: Molly McGrath
Saturday
No. 10 West Virginia at Oklahoma State- 12 p.m. ET
- Network: FOX
- Play-by-Play: Joe Davis
- Color Commentator: Brady Quinn
- Sideline Reporter: Jenny Taft
No. 5 Louisville at Virginia- 12 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC/ESPN2
- Play-by-Play: Allen Bestwick
- Color Commentator: Mike Bellotti
- Sideline Reporter: Kris Budden
No. 2 Michigan at Michigan State- 12 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
- Color Commentator: Brock Huard
- Sideline Reporter: Allison Williams
No. 4 Washington at No. 17 Utah- 3:30 p.m. ET
- Network: FOX
- Play-by-Play: Gus Johnson
- Color Commentator: Joel Klatt
- Sideline Reporter: Shannon Spake
No. 14 Florida at Georgia– 3:30 p.m. ET
- Network: CBS
- Play-by-Play: Verne Lundquist
- Color Commentator: Gary Danielson
- Sideline Reporter: Allie LaForce
No. 8 Baylor at Texas- 3:30 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC
- Play-by-Play: Steve Levy
- Color Commentator: Brian Griese
- Sideline Reporter: Todd McShay
No. 7 Nebraska at No. 11 Wisconsin- 7 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPN
- Play-by-Play: Joe Tessitore
- Color Commentator: Todd Blackledge
- Sideline Reporter: Holly Rowe
No. 13 Boise State at Wyoming- 7 p.m. ET
- Network: CBS Sports Network
- Play-by-Play: Rich Waltz
- Color Commentator: Adam Archuleta
- Sideline Reporter: Cassie McKinney
No. 15 Auburn at Ole Miss- 7:15 p.m. ET
- Network: SEC Network
- Play-by-Play: Brent Musberger
- Color Commentator: Jesse Palmer
- Sideline Reporter: Kaylee Hartung
No. 3 Clemson at No. 12 Florida State- 8 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC
- Play-by-Play: Chris Fowler
- Color Commentator: Kirk Herbstreit
- Sideline Reporter: Samantha Ponder
Announcer pairings courtesy of Daniel Ormsby of Eye on Sky and Air Sports.