NFL Talent Calling College Games...

I think this has been a topic of discussion for quite sometime now, but watching the games on Fox the last few nights it has really started to irritate me again.

The NFL analyst that Fox used to call the play by play, and to breakdown games during pregame, halftime, and post game were terrible. It is obvious that none of them have done their homework prior to showing up to the stadium or studio that day. A few examples: 1) All I should have to say is Pat Sumarall. During the OSU- Ole Miss game, he mixed the names of the two schools repeatedly and really struggled in general. That guy’s retirement is way past due. 2) ISU-Minnesota game as mentioned in the register, the announcer one play commentated that the 5 wide set is classic ISU. Only two or three plays later he referred to ISU as a traditional power football team. I am sorry but you can't be both. 3) Jimmy Johnson last night referred to Ferentz as Fuhr-rents, and Amari Spievey as Spy-Vee during the half. I know Ferentz is mispronounced all the time, but you think commentators would be able to get that down ahead of time.

I know these guys are Fox’s big guns, but you think they could find a few commentators that have taken in at least a half of college football over the course of the season. If the article I read online is correct, the BCS games move to ESPN next year. If that is the case, the talent and quality should improve greatly. I am disappointed that the games won’t be available over the air. Oh well, I guess I will take that trade off any time. End of rant.

Agreed, they are terrible. I can't stand the fact that Fox usually has most of the BCS games.

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Originally Posted by The_Architect

Agreed, they are terrible. I can't stand the fact that Fox usually has most of the BCS games.

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Isn't this the last year of Fox and the BCS? I believe ESPN gets the rights for BCS games (non-Rose Bowl) for a few years now as mentioned above. How long does ESPN get the rights? I thought I read somewhere that the ESPN contract is long enough that it eliminates any playoff system in the near future?

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Originally Posted by cyfanatic

Isn't this the last year of Fox and the BCS? I believe ESPN gets the rights for BCS games (non-Rose Bowl) for a few years now as mentioned above. How long does ESPN get the rights? I thought I read somewhere that the ESPN contract is long enough that it eliminates any playoff system in the near future?

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ESPN gets rights to BCS games starting in 2011 - ESPN

Are they actually going to put the BCS games on a cable channel? I really can't see that happening. I would think they would be done like the ESPN on ABC presentations they typically do for the game of the week during the regular season. They are all the same company.

Fortunately the BCS moves to ESPN for next year. As long as we don't have to hear Pam Ward we'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by aeroclone

Are they actually going to put the BCS games on a cable channel? I really can't see that happening. I would think they would be done like the ESPN on ABC presentations they typically do for the game of the week during the regular season. They are all the same company.

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Quote from above article makes it seem like only on ESPN:

"Of the people who watched the BCS title game on Fox last season, 95 percent had cable or satellite, ESPN said."

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Originally Posted by d4nim4l

Fortunately the BCS moves to ESPN for next year. As long as we don't have to hear Pam Ward we'll be fine.

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Yeah...she has the most annoying/monotone voice ever!

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Originally Posted by khess83

I think this has been a topic of discussion for quite sometime now, but watching the games on Fox the last few nights it has really started to irritate me again.

The NFL analyst that Fox used to call the play by play, and to breakdown games during pregame, halftime, and post game were terrible. It is obvious that none of them have done their homework prior to showing up to the stadium or studio that day. A few examples: 1) All I should have to say is Pat Sumarall. During the OSU- Ole Miss game, he mixed the names of the two schools repeatedly and really struggled in general. That guy’s retirement is way past due. 2) ISU-Minnesota game as mentioned in the register, the announcer one play commentated that the 5 wide set is classic ISU. Only two or three plays later he referred to ISU as a traditional power football team. I am sorry but you can't be both. 3) Jimmy Johnson last night referred to Ferentz as Fuhr-rents, and Amari Spievey as Spy-Vee during the half. I know Ferentz is mispronounced all the time, but you think commentators would be able to get that down ahead of time.

I know these guys are Fox’s big guns, but you think they could find a few commentators that have taken in at least a half of college football over the course of the season. If the article I read online is correct, the BCS games move to ESPN next year. If that is the case, the talent and quality should improve greatly. I am disappointed that the games won’t be available over the air. Oh well, I guess I will take that trade off any time. End of rant.

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Your overall premise is correct...not just for the talent but the overall production of these games on Fox has been inferior to what ESPN/ABC/CBS do on a regular basis.

You are wrong on Pat Sumarall...he is retired...the Cotton Bowl is the only game he has done in quite a few years. You are wrong that Fox is using their big NFL guns...none of the guys doing these BCS games is on either their first or second announcing crew.

ISU getting a bowl on the NFL Network was really a bad break...it is almost like that old saying...if a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it (if a CFB bowl game appears on the NFL Network did it really happen if no one was able to see it). Unfortunately, ISU got no pregame pub on ESPN, no casual fan viewers (sure ISU fans were able to seek out the NFL Network but non-vested fans certainly did not seek it out), and virtually no postgame analysis. Just too bad IMO.

is it just me or is Fox a bit excessive with panning the crowd between every freaking play? It's like a Cubs game on WGN on steroids...

Last night featured the WORST announcing I've ever heard in a BCS game. Apparently Brandon Wegher plays for the Buckeyes.

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Originally Posted by isuaggie

Quote from above article makes it seem like only on ESPN:

"Of the people who watched the BCS title game on Fox last season, 95 percent had cable or satellite, ESPN said."

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I guess I'm one of the 5% who doesn't. Unless they put them on ESPN360, I guess I'll just be one viewer who won't be watching next year. The BCS games aren't a big enough deal to me to swing me into getting cable/satellite TV (especially now that I have 30+ HD OTA channels available), or to head out to a bar to watch them all. If ISU is playing, I would head out to a friend's place for that game.

What is the quality of the HD on the basic cable tiers that would carry ESPN?

The Dallas Cowboys make arrangements to have any cable-only games (i.e MNF on ESPN) broadcast over a local OTA channel. From what I'm told, other NFL teams do this as well. To me, this seems to indicate that there is a significant demographic of sports viewers that does not have cable/satellite.

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Originally Posted by frontrangeclone

is it just me or is Fox a bit excessive with panning the crowd between every freaking play?

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Agreed. There were several replays I was interested in seeing that were not shown because of this.

Mispronouncing names happens all the time. I am a teacher and that is one of the hardest things to do on the first day. Trying to get the names right is d*** near impossible. Some names look like they should be said this way and they are not. On a side note Ferentz referred to Georgia Tech as Wake Forest last night in the post game.

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Originally Posted by mac4cy

Mispronouncing names happens all the time. I am a teacher and that is one of the hardest things to do on the first day. Trying to get the names right is d*** near impossible. Some names look like they should be said this way and they are not. On a side note Ferentz referred to Georgia Tech as Wake Forest last night in the post game.

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I agree. I've never understood why fans get so upset about that. Are these guys supposed to learn 60 or so pronounciations in a few days of prep?

Even if you've heard them, it doesn't always roll off the tip of your tounge correctly in the real world.