See main article: College football on television, ESPN College Football on ABC and List of ESPN College Football on ABC personalities.
ABC has been airing college football since acquiring the NCAA contract in 1966. Chris Schenkel and Bud Wilkinson were the number one broadcast team through 1973. Keith Jackson, its best-known college football play-by-play man, announced games from 1966 through 2005 on ABC (and for 14 years before that for various outlets), and was considered by many to be "the voice of college football." Jackson was ABC's lead play-by play man for 25 years, from 1974 through 1998. He originally was to retire after the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, but agreed to remain on a more restricted schedule (primarily broadcasting West Coast games) and remained with ABC through the 2006 Rose Bowl.
See main article: New Year's Six and Bowl Championship Series on television and radio.
From 1999 to 2006 (1998-2005 seasons), all games of the Bowl Championship Series[1] were televised by ABC Sports. Generally, coverage consisted of two games on New Year's Day, one on January 2, and one on either January 3 or 4. ABC paid nearly $25 million per year for the broadcast rights to the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls during that time.[2] Overall, the contract was worth $550 million over the eight years for all the bowl games.[3]
Starting with the 2006 season, coverage would be split between ABC and Fox. Fox paid for each bowl game US$20 million.[4] Four of the BCS bowl games were on FOX: the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and a new fifth game, the BCS National Championship Game. ABC will continue to broadcast the Rose Bowl Game. ABC had a $300 million eight-year contract that extends to 2014 for the broadcast rights for the Rose Bowl.
In 2007, ABC and Fox showed one game each on January 1, Fox then showed one game each on January 2 and 3 and came back with the championship game on January 8. A similar schedule is planned for future years.
Fox showed all BCS championship games the first three years of the contract, while in 2010 the Rose Bowl stadium was the location of the BCS Championship game, and ABC televised it.
From 1999 to 2006, the game aired on ABC as part of the first BCS package.
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2, 2006 | Jack Arute | |||
| January 1, 2005 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 2, 2004 | Sam Ryan | |||
| January 3, 2003 | Todd Harris and Lynn Swann | |||
| January 1, 2002 | Jack Arute | |||
| January 1, 2001 | Leslie Gudel | |||
| January 2, 2000 | Dean Blevins | |||
| January 4, 1999 | Lynn Swann |
ABC held the rights to the event from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1999 to 2006.
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 3, 2006 | Erin Andrews | |||
| January 4, 2005 | Lynn Swann and Todd Harris | |||
| January 1, 2004 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 2, 2003 | Sam Ryan | |||
| January 2, 2002 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 3, 2001 | Lynn Swann and Jack Arute | |||
| January 1, 2000 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 2, 1999 | Dean Blevins | |||
| January 1, 1964 | ||||
| January 1, 1963 | Jim McKay | |||
| January 1, 1962 |
| Date | Network | Play-by-play announcers | Color commentators | Sideline reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 29, 1990 | ABC | Steve Zabriskie | Lynn Swann | Susan Hunt |
| December 30, 1989 | Gary Bender | Dick Vermeil |
From 1989 to 2010, the game was broadcast on ABC, usually at 2 p.m. PST; the 2005 edition was the first one broadcast in HDTV. Beginning in 2007, FOX had the broadcast rights to the other Bowl Championship Series games, but the Rose Bowl, which negotiates its own television contract independent of the BCS, had agreed to keep the game on ABC.
Beginning with the 2010 season, ESPN (majority-owned by ABC's parent company, The Walt Disney Company) now broadcasts all the BCS/CFP games, including the Rose Bowl game.[5] [6]
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2010[7] | ABC[8] | Brent Musburger[9] | Lisa Salters | |
| January 1, 2009[10] [11] | ||||
| January 1, 2008 | ||||
| January 1, 2007[12] | ||||
| January 4, 2006[13] | Keith Jackson[14] | Todd Harris and Holly Rowe | ||
| January 1, 2005[15] [16] [17] | Todd Harris | |||
| January 1, 2004[18] | ||||
| January 1, 2003[19] | Jack Arute | |||
| January 3, 2002 | Todd Harris and Lynn Swann | |||
| January 1, 2001[20] | Todd Harris | |||
| January 1, 2000[21] [22] | ||||
| January 1, 1999[23] | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 1, 1998[24] [25] | ||||
| January 1, 1997[26] [27] [28] | Jack Arute | |||
| January 1, 1996[29] [30] [31] [32] | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 2, 1995 | ||||
| January 1, 1994[33] | ||||
| January 1, 1993[34] [35] [36] | Dick Vermeil | |||
| January 1, 1992[37] [38] | Bob Griese | |||
| January 1, 1991 | ||||
| January 1, 1990 | Mike Adamle and Jack Arute | |||
| January 2, 1989[39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] |
From 1999 to 2006, the game aired on ABC as part of its BCS package, where it had also been televised from 1969 through 1998. The Sugar Bowl was the only Bowl Alliance game to stick with ABC following the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons; the Fiesta and Orange Bowls were televised by CBS.
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2, 2006 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 3, 2005 | Suzy Shuster | |||
| January 4, 2004 | Jack Arute and Lynn Swann | |||
| January 1, 2003 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 1, 2002 | Jerry Punch | |||
| January 2, 2001 | Jack Arute | |||
| January 4, 2000 | Jack Arute and Lynn Swann | |||
| January 1, 1999 | Jack Arute | |||
| January 1, 1998 | ||||
| January 2, 1997 | Lynn Swann | |||
| December 31, 1995 | Dean Blevins | |||
| January 2, 1995 | Dick Vermeil | |||
| January 1, 1994 | ||||
| January 1, 1993 | Bob Griese | |||
| January 1, 1992 | Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf | |||
| January 1, 1991 | ||||
| January 1, 1990 | Lynn Swann | |||
| January 2, 1989 | ||||
| January 1, 1988 | Bob Griese | |||
| January 1, 1987 | Tim Brant | |||
| January 1, 1986 | ||||
| January 1, 1985 | ||||
| January 2, 1984 | ||||
| January 1, 1983 | Jim Lampley | |||
| January 1, 1982 | Bill Flemming | |||
| January 1, 1981 | ||||
| January 1, 1980 | ||||
| January 1, 1979 | Jim Lampley | |||
| January 1, 1978 | Ara Parseghian | |||
| January 1, 1977 | ||||
| December 31, 1975 | Bud Wilkinson | |||
| December 31, 1974 | Barry Switzer | |||
| December 31, 1973 | Bud Wilkinson and Howard Cosell | |||
| December 31, 1972 | Bud Wilkinson | |||
| January 1, 1972 | ||||
| January 1, 1971 | ||||
| January 1, 1970 |
The bowl has been broadcast by Mizlou (1976–1983), NBC (1984–1985), and ABC since then, with the exception of ESPN for the 2011 and 2012 editions.[45]
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 30, 1985 | ABC | |||
| December 28, 1984 | Lynn Swann | |||
| December 30, 1983 | Frank Broyles | |||
| December 30, 1982 | Lee Grosscup | Anne Simon | ||
| December 28, 1981 | Steve Davis | |||
| December 29, 1980 | ||||
| December 28, 1979 | Frank Broyles | Dave Diles | ||
| December 29, 1978 | Ara Parseghian | |||
| December 30, 1977 | ||||
| December 27, 1976 | Ara Parseghian | |||
| December 29, 1975 | ||||
| December 30, 1974 | ||||
| December 29, 1973 | ||||
| December 30, 1972 | Bill Flemming | Lee Grosscup | ||
| December 28, 1968 | ABC | |||
| December 30, 1967 | Bud Wilkinson | |||
| December 31, 1966 | Chris Schenkel | Bill Flemming | ||
| December 31, 1965 | Johnny Lujack | |||
| January 2, 1965 | Curt Gowdy | Paul Christman |
The Las Vegas Bowl has been televised by ABC since 2013; ABC also televised the game in 2001. Other editions of the game were broadcast by ESPN or ESPN2.[46]
Since 1990, the game has been broadcast predominantly by ESPN, with some editions on ABC.[47]
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color Commentator(s) | Sideline Reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 30, 2017 | ABC | Mike Patrick | Tommy Tuberville | |
| December 31, 2011 | ABC | Dave LaMont | Ray Bentley | Quint Kessenich |
| December 30, 1995 | ABC | |||
| December 27, 1980 | ABC | Jim Lampley | Steve Davis | |
| December 22, 1979 | Keith Jackson | Ara Parseghian | Verne Lundquist | |
| December 23, 1978[48] | Chris Schenkel | |||
| December 19, 1977 | Keith Jackson | Frank Broyles | ||
| December 20, 1976 | Ara Parseghian | |||
| December 20, 1971 | Chris Schenkel | Bud Wilkinson | ||
| December 12, 1970 | ||||
| December 13, 1969 | Chris Schenkel | Bud Wilkinson |