With the scarcity of top match-ups on September 1st, plus the fact that the game is
scheduled to be broadcast by ABC, the Cal-Tennessee game was a logical selection.
The Cal-Tennessee game is currently the only college football game scheduled
to be broadcast by ABC/ESPN while the only other intersectional match-up of even mild
national interest is Notre Dame/Georgia Tech, which is scheduled to be televised by
NBC. Other nationally televised games for that day are relatively low-profile;
Kansas State at Auburn (ESPN or ESPN2), Arizona at BYU (Versus), Virginia at Wyoming
(Versus), New Mexico at UTEP (CSTV), and Baylor at TCU (CSTV).
The college football pre-game show, which features host Chris Fowler along with
analysts Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, includes interviews, features, and prediction.
From the set, the trio also offers updates during the day, as well as segments on ESPN's
SportsCenter, College Football Scoreboard Show, and College GameDay Final. By going
to a different campus each week and including a backdrop of hundreds, and sometimes
thousands of people, the show helps show the sprit and energy unique to college football.
While preparations for the show will begin well in advance of September 1st, the Cal
community will get its first sign of what's in store when five big rigs and two production
compounds arrive on campus the Wednesday before the game. To learn about the details
of the show as well as what the preparation week consists of, ESPN's College GameDay site
offers a detailed
explanation.
While no location has yet been finalized, sources close to the athletic department
indicate that Sproul Plaza is being strongly considered. While Sproul Plaza isn't as
close to the stadium as other GameDay locations have been, it does have the benefit of
being closer to the center of campus, having lots of available open space, and offering
the backdrop of the pre-game rally and band performance.
Cal's last experience with College GameDay was in 2004, when the show was broadcast
outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum prior to the Cal-USC game. Producers' concerns
that choosing a West Coast location might result in low attendance due to the early start
were for naught as both schools' student groups actively organized themselves to get prime
positions behind the set in hopes of getting a sign or a flag on camera and arrived
several hours in advance of the show.
Because the show will be broadcast at an hour far earlier than college students are
accustomed to waking up on a Saturday, expect a significant effort from the marketing
department to bolster attendance.
Official announcements from the Cal athletic department and ESPN are expected shortly.
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