ESPN’s Week 8 CFB Coverage Features Four Of The Top Five, More Than Three Dozen Showdowns Set For ESPN Networks

• Key matchups: No. 2 Cincinnati at Navy, No. 3 Oklahoma at Kansas, Tennessee at No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana, Illinois at No. 7 Penn State, No. 10 Oregon at UCLA, No. 18 NC State at Miami, Clemson at No. 23 Pittsburgh
• Primetime Sun Belt showdown between No. 14 Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State kicks off Week 8

ESPN networks will highlight nearly a dozen ranked squads during Week 8 of the college football season, including four of the top five programs ranked in the AP Top 25. In total, nearly 40 games are set for the spotlight on ESPN platforms, with every game available on the ESPN App.

One of the week’s biggest matchups is No. 10 Oregon taking on UCLA on Saturday afternoon. Set for ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will be on the call. The game will be amplified by ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot pregame show on Saturday morning (9 a.m. – noon) on the campus of UCLA.

ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One features the fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes visiting the Indiana Hoosiers, with Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill announcing the action at 7:30 p.m. Rounding out the ranked teams taking the field Saturday on ABC, No. 7 Penn State hosts Illinois at noon with Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Kris Budden on the call.

A trio of ranked squads are set for ESPN Saturday, as No. 3 Oklahoma kicks off the action at noon against Kansas. The Big 12 battle, this week’s 4K Game of the Week, features Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III and Quint Kessenich calling the action. At 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, No. 23 Pittsburgh clashes with Clemson, as Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Molly McGrath provide commentary. The Panthers-Tigers matchup will be supplemented by the AT&T 5G SkyCast on ESPN3 and the ESPN App.

ESPN’s Saturday lineup is rounded out by Tennessee traveling to fourth-ranked Alabama. The matchup is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN Radio, with Jason Benetti, Greg McElroy and Katie George on ESPN and Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones and Ian Fitzsimmons on the ESPN Radio call from Tuscaloosa. The Great Clips Command Center and SkyCast viewing option will also be available on ESPN3 and the ESPN App for the primetime presentation.

ESPN2 highlights two conference contests with ranked road squads on Saturday. At noon, No. 2 Cincinnati takes on Navy with Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore and Stormy Buonantony announcing the American Athletic Conference action. At 7:30 p.m., No. 18 NC State flies to South Florida to face off against Miami. Anish Shroff, Mike Golic Jr. and Taylor McGregor will commentate the ACC cross-divisional matchup.

ESPN networks will showcase two early-week games featuring ranked teams, highlighting No. 14 Coastal Carolina and No. 21 SMU. On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., the Chanticleers take on Appalachian State on ESPN2, with Anish Shroff, Tom Luginbill and Tiffany Blackmon on the call. Thursday, Matt Barrie, Roddy Jones and Harry Lyles Jr. are on the call for Tulane at the 21st-ranked Mustangs, set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.

College Football Original Series on ESPN+

• Why Not Us: FAMU Football presented by Cricket Wireless – “We Are FAMULY,” the first episode of the second season of the acclaimed series from The Undefeated on ESPN+ and executive produced by NBA All-Star Chris Paul, premiered last week and is available to stream now. After nearly two years without competitive football and with the departure of his star quarterback, FAMU head football coach Willie Simmons is searching for the identity of his team as they prepare for their season opener against Deion Sanders and the Jackson State Tigers.
• Eli’s Places – Episode 7: “Born to Run” is available to stream now, featuring Eli Manning meeting up with two of college football’s all-time great running backs, Eric Dickerson and Ricky Williams, to discuss their ability to elude defenders on the gridiron. Episode 8: “Hidden History” debuts Wednesday, where Eli connects with HBCU alums Jerry Rice, Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Eddie George to explore the outstanding tradition of football at some of the country’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
• Our Time: UCF Football – Available to stream now on ESPN+, Episode 5: “Refuse to Lose,” looks at the Knights’ win against East Carolina, but another injury dampens the spirit of the team. New episodes debut every Thursday throughout the season.
• SMU Football: The Hilltop – “23 Years,” the seventh episode of SMU Football: The Hilltop, features Sonny Dykes and the SMU Mustangs heading to Annapolis, Md. as they look to stay perfect and break a 23-year-old record against the Navy Midshipmen. New episodes of The Hilltop will be available to stream every Thursday during the season.

Additional ESPN Networks – Week 8 Highlights

• South Carolina at No. 17 Texas A&M: Saturday at 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
  • Talent: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic
• Georgia Tech at Virginia: Saturday at 7:30 p.m., ACC Network
  • Talent: Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelsey Riggs

Additional college football updates will be forthcoming, and the schedule is subject to change. Please continue to check @ESPNPR and ESPN Press Room for more information.

The full schedule and on-air talent grid can be found here.