ESPN brokered a deal with the NFL for a 10 percent stake in the company, with the most notable part of the deal being the network now owns rights to NFL RedZone. Because the trademark is now under ESPN’s ownership, realistically, they could parlay that name across other sports.
The big thing is, how realistic is a college football whip-around style show? It’s been tried before but failed. It mainly failed because of other teams’ TV deals that prohibited ESPN from being able to do “live look-ins” or getting in depth coverage. While getting Notre Dame coverage and coverage from the Big Ten would be massive, what if it wasn’t necessary?
ESPN already treats the SEC like the crown jewel of college football. If they built their whip-around show around SEC coverage, while sprinkling in some of the other smaller schools and the ACC, that could go a long way to feeding rabid college football fans’ appetite. It won’t be easy, logistically speaking, but it could work. Here’s how ESPN could pull off another flagship, college football show.
Build it around the SEC, feature the schools nobody gets to watch
I don’t know about you but on college football Saturday’s I don’t just have a one-TV up. I have at least two, sometimes three, plus at least one game on my laptop. There’s no shortage of games to watch. I’m not the only one that does this so for ESPN to omit the Big Ten games and Notre Dame shouldn’t hinder that show, if it’s done right.
College football fans will still find a way to tune into the Big Ten games while keeping tabs on the rest of the games. This isn’t a flagship show for everybody, this is for the rabid fan that can’t get enough of SEC football as well as less popular Sun Belt and other smaller conference’s games.
With this model, the SEC games will get airtime and be heavily favored, but you won’t miss the moments that might not show up on SportsCenter from the smaller schools, or you won't miss the bizarre plays that happen to gag anyone actively watching.
How many times have you tuned into a game you couldn’t care less about just because it was on? Now it can be part of your weekly college football appetite.
Who would host a College Football RedZone, style show?
It’s the most important question because personality is everything when it comes to the face of new shows. College GameDay has worked because of the concept, but it’s become even more successful because of the people and personalities that have shaped the show. Scott Hanson has already pledged his loyalty to a college football version. But what if there’s a better option.
Like him or hate him, Pat McAfee is probably the perfect person to host this show. Again, with him being on GameDay, I’m not sure if it logistically would be possible. But it would provide alternative entertainment. I think this isn’t about have a fully fledged, professional setup. This is about audience engagement.
I think if someone like McAfee, who’s quickly become a spectacle on College GameDay, it would add some of that excitement, especially for games that don’t have as much to them. The college version of NFL RedZone isn’t for everybody, but it’s something that could generate a lot of excitement if you strip the normal rules of highlights shows.
Where would a College Football Redzone set be stationed?
Another one of the biggest logistical hurdles for a college football style redzone is where the home of the set will be? I almost feel like having it on a campus site would fun, almost as an extension to College GameDay. But how do you decide which campus it goes to? If that becomes too difficult of a task, would a traditional studio set have the same excitement behind it?
I think with this thing being built around the SEC, going to different SEC schools and hosting it on campus site would be fun. Not sure how doable that would be and that would make it even harder for a personality like McAfee to host with GameDay, but it might be what makes it a lot more successful than it was.
What would make this rendition succeed over the one that failed?
The one thing that I think would separate a re-imagined college football redzone from it’s predecessor is that it has to be lowkey and relatable. This isn’t where you can watch every game, but you can keep up with the SEC plus the keep track of the smaller schools. Think the ManningCast that ESPN does on Monday Night Football. Or the alternative casts during the College Football Playoff.
That’s why a re-imagined version could succeed. If it breaks the traditional molds of what the NFL does, it could lean on the pageantry of college football and create a new style that both fits and relates to fans eager to watch as many games as possible.