Wikipedia

College Football on NFL Network

College Football on NFL Network is the branding used for college football broadcasts of NCAA college football games that are broadcast by NFL Network.

College Football on NFL Network
Also known asNFL Network College Football
GenreCollege football telecasts
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons13
Production
Production locationsVarious college football stadiums (game telecasts)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time180 minutes (varies depending on game length)
Original release
NetworkNFL Network
NFL+
ReleaseDecember 26, 2006 (2006-12-26) –
present
Related
NFL Network

NFL Network first began airing college football in 2006, when it acquired the rights to three postseason games: the Texas Bowl, the Insight Bowl, and the Senior Bowl.

Currently, NFL Network airs the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic, the East–West Shrine Bowl, the Senior Bowl, and the HBCU Legacy Bowl.

History

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In 2006, NFL Network began a foray into televising college football bowl games, acquiring rights to the newly established Texas Bowl in Houston (whose management rights were held by the Houston Texans at the time), the Insight Bowl, as well as two all-star events—the Senior Bowl (which features prospects that had completed their college eligibility) and the Las Vegas All-American Classic (which, however, was canceled at the last minute due to financial and sponsorship issues). These games were intended to help make NFL Network more attractive to television providers.[1][2][3][4] The 2006 Insight Bowl, played between Minnesota and Texas Tech, would also achieve notoriety for featuring the largest comeback victory in Division I FBS bowl game history, with Texas Tech coming back from a 38–7 third-quarter deficit to win 44–41 in overtime.[5][6] Due to concerns that many cable carriers did not carry NFL Network, its bowl games were also simulcast on local over-the-air networks and cable providers.[7][8][9]

On April 14, 2007, the network televised the Nebraska Cornhuskers' spring football game.[10] The network again aired the Insight, Texas and Senior bowls in late 2007 and early 2008. Prior to the start of the season, NFL Network debuted College Football Now. A daily studio show covering college football.[11] In addition, it carried two games between historically black colleges and universities during the 2007 season, including the Circle City Classic at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, the first regular season game to air on the network.[12] The Circle City Classic also aired on NFL Network in 2008.[13] In 2009, the Texas Bowl moved to ESPN.[14] In 2010, the Insight Bowl did the same.[15] In 2011, NFL Network began airing the East–West Shrine Bowl.[16]

Since 2019, NFL Network has annually carried the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic, a college football kickoff game that features a matchup of two historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on the Sunday before Labor Day.[17] The HBCU Legacy Bowl, a postseason all-star game involving draft-eligible HBCU players, also has broadcast rights held by NFL Network.[18] In May 2019, NFL Network announced a four-year deal with Conference USA to air a weekly regular-season game on Saturday afternoons beginning in the 2019 season.[19] NFL Network opted out of the agreement after one season.[20]

In the 2022 season, NFL Network returned to carrying regular college football games through a weekly sub-license agreement with ESPN. Games feature host teams from the Sun Belt Conference, Mid-American Conference, Conference USA, and American Athletic Conference.[20][21][22] In 2023, NFL Network began airing the Brick City HBCU Kickoff Classic, and began simulcasting all games on NFL+.[23][24]

NFL Network lost the ESPN sublicense prior to the 2024 season, leaving the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic as NFL Network's only regular season game.[25]

Rights

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Current Rights

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Past Rights

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References

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  1. ^ "Las Vegas All-American Classic canceled at last minute". ESPN.com. 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  2. ^ "NFL Network gets bowl game in Houston". NFL.com. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
  3. ^ Grossman, Ben. "NFL Net Adds Fourth Game". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  4. ^ Shuck, Barry. "Senior Bowl: More Than Just an All-Star Game". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  5. ^ Zarett, E. Jay. "10 of the greatest comebacks in college football history". Sporting News. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  6. ^ "How TCU pulled off the impossible in Alamo Bowl comeback". ESPN.com. 2016-01-03. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  7. ^ Arnett, Dugan (2008-12-16). "TKU Insight Bowl matchup to be aired on KC's Fox 4". kusports.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  8. ^ Danielson, Dar (2009-12-11). "Insight Bowl seeking to get local TV approval from NFL Network". radioiowa.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  9. ^ "Cablevision to broadcast Texas Bowl". ESPN. 2006-12-22. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  10. ^ Johnston, John (2007-04-11). "Spring Game on NFL Network". cornnation.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  11. ^ "NFL Network 2008 programming lineup". NFL.com. 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  12. ^ "NFL Network to Air College Game". Next TV. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  13. ^ "Tuskegee and Alabama A&M meet in Circle City Classic on NFL Network". NFL.com. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  14. ^ "2009 Texas Bowl televised on ESPN". Houston Texans. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  15. ^ "Insight Bowl moves to ESPN, up selection order". ESPN. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  16. ^ Conrad, Charles (2011-01-16). "2011 NFL Draft: East-West Shrine Game Rosters". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  17. ^ "2021 Black College Hall of Fame Classic Airs September 5 on NFL Network | NFL Football Operations".
  18. ^ "Black College Football Hall of Fame establishes HBCU Legacy Bowl".
  19. ^ "NFL Network signs a four-year deal with Conference USA". Awful Announcing. 2019-05-20. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  20. ^ a b Jimenez, James H. (2022-08-22). "Pair of Sun Belt vs. MAC games to air nationally on NFL Network". Hustle Belt. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  21. ^ "Two MAC Football Matchups Selected for NFL Network". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  22. ^ "EMU-Louisiana Football Game to Air Nationally on NFL Network". emueagles.com. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  23. ^ "East Coast HBCU football Classic to feature Grambling State and Hampton". hbcusports.com. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  24. ^ Barnes, Randall (2023-08-11). "Two HBCU football games to get additional distribution on NFL+". hbcusports.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  25. ^ Cleary, Kilty (September 1, 2024). "2024 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic: Virginia State at Benedict, live stream, TV channel, how to watch". The Big Lead. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
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