From FOX Sports -
FOX Sports Presents College Football Championship Weekend
UCLA Battles Oregon For Pac-12 Football Championship Friday at 7:30 PM ET
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State For Big Ten Football Championship Saturday at 7:30 PM ET
Aikman on Rodgers: “No One Has Played The Position Better”
FOX SPORTS COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS AIR FRIDAY & SATURDAY
– Championship weekend on FOX Sports is here! Earlier today, the FOX
Sports Media Group conducted a conference call to preview Championship
weekend on FOX where the network proudly presents exclusive coverage of
the Pac-12 Conference Football Championship
game between UCLA and Oregon on Friday, Dec. 2 (7:30 PM ET) and the Big Ten Conference Football Championship game between Wisconsin and Michigan State on
Saturday, Dec. 3 (7:30 PM ET). FOX Sports Co-President and Executive Producer
Eric Shanks, was joined by FOX Sports college football announcer Gus Johnson and analysts
Charles Davis, John Lynch & Dhani Jones to preview both championship telecasts.
Lynch on Rick Neuheisel coaching his final game after being fired by UCLA:
“Rick Neuheisel
is handling it in as professional a manner as you can. After practice, I
heard him talking about going, ‘deep, deep, deep’ in their playbook.
Rick has nothing
to lose. I’ve been in those situations both in college and in pros.
Players are out of their comfort zones and you can’t blame it on the old
coach anymore, it’s on you. What you put out there is going to be on
film and you’re playing for your job next year.
Some kids are playing for scholarships. Neuheisel has been in a tight
situation where he knew that unless he moved the needle on the program,
his job was on the line. Now, he takes the gloves off and can coach
aggressively.”
Johnson on UCLA storylines:
“We have great stories, we have great leading men. UCLA deciding to part ways with
Rick Neuheisel gives us a great story. Now, we get to see if
coach Neuheisel can wrench out one last stand with his guys. Are they
going to come and play real hard for him?”
Lynch on what it’s like to be such a large underdog, like UCLA:
“I
was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the early-90’s and they
called us the “Yucks,” not the Bucs. People say, ‘a 31-point underdog,
how could it ever happen?’ How did my alma
mater, Stanford, and Jim Harbaugh in his first year go down to
the Coliseum and knock off USC when they were at a 41-point underdog? Is
it possible? Absolutely. Players know that and coaches are selling it.
I’ve been there before. The pressure is off
you because you aren’t supposed to win.”
Davis on Pac-12 Football Championship Game being played at the home stadium of the team with the best conference record:
“The Pac-12 is not a driving conference, yet it’s one of the most
perfectly modeled travel conferences. By comparison, the SEC is a
driving conference. You can pretty much get where you need to get to by
hopping in the car and that’s not easily done in the
Pac-12. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and his conference did a
great job in deciding early on to put it at home sites because
atmosphere is what makes a championship game too. We’ll have that
championship feel on Friday night. And remember, the
team that’s hosting has earned that opportunity.”
Johnson on Oregon storylines:
“For Oregon, you have a man like
Chip Kelly who came from New Hampshire and in four years has done
incredible things in leading this program to become one of the top-10
in the country. He has a unique style of play. Everything is fast,
uptempo and precise.”
Johnson on calling back-to-back championship college football games:
“It’ll be fun. This is an exciting time of year. We’re honored to be
the team that broadcasts these two back-to-back championships during
their inaugural seasons on FOX Sports. The NCAA Men’s Basketball
Tournament for all of those years was wonderful, sometimes
calling four games in one day but doing back-to-back college football
games is a totally different animal. Especially when you consider that
these two conferences are two of the great conferences in the history of
college football. There have been times
this year and in the past where I’ve done a college football game on a
Saturday and an NFL game on a Sunday. That happened to me this year
with Iowa St.-Texas. Charles and I did that game and then we got in a
car and drove to Kansas City and did Chiefs-Vikings.
I think those kinds of experiences give you more traction than doing
college basketball.”
Davis on what Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson needs to do to be successful on Saturday:
“For Wilson in this game he just needs to continue to be who he is. I
would not be surprised if they put a little bit more on him in the
throwing game, especially early in this game to start things off.”
Davis previews Wisconsin vs. Michigan State:
“It
wouldn’t surprise me if both teams come out with some wrinkles. We are
going to get some things that we have not seen. We know who they are and
these two teams fit perfectly in terms
of style to make it a fight. Both teams are very tough on defense, run
the football on offense, with big offensive lines, quarterbacks that
don’t make mistakes but know how to make winning plays when the game is
on the line. The only difference this year is
that Michigan State hasn’t run the ball as well as Wisconsin has.
That’s the glaring stat that jumps out at you.”
Jones & Davis react to Wisconsin running back Montee Ball’s season and a lack of Heisman recognition:
Jones:
“He’s having a fantastic season. Sometimes Big Ten players
don’t get as much recognition. I think there is a lot of focus on
other conferences. For this championship game he will be able to show a
lot of his skills on a national platform which gives him more visibility
and at the end of the day, your contention for
those awards [Heisman trophy, etc.] rest on people seeing what you’ve
done. As he starts to gain interest within the league later down the
line, that’s going to be a part of it because they know he’s a capable
running back that can score touchdowns.”
Davis: “If you look at the Wisconsin website for most of the season,
the Heisman Trophy campaign was for Russell Wilson, not Montee Ball. He’s having a season as good as a running back can have as we have seen in recent years. When you start using the name
Barry Sanders in the same sentence with a young man, you know
he’s having that kind of season, but I think those back-to-back losses
for Wisconsin in the last second, blew him and
Russell Wilson off of the Heisman grid because there were so many other candidates and they just got over looked.”
BIG TEN NETWORK PROVIDES EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF THE BIG TEN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BEGINNING FRIDAY
– The Big Ten Network’s wall-to-wall coverage of the Big Ten’s inaugural football conference championship (#B1GFCG)
begins Friday, as the Michigan State Spartans prepare to take on the
Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Coverage kicks
off at 4:00 PM ET as
Mike Hall hosts live coverage of the press conferences for Michigan State coach
Mark Dantonio and Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema as well as key players from both teams.
Rick Pizzo and analysts Derek Rackley and Tim Doyle host a new episode of
The Pulse at 6:30 PM ET. At 7:00 PM ET, BTN replays the epic Oct.
22 matchup between the two teams when Michigan State upset Wisconsin,
37-31. The win dashed Wisconsin’s national title hopes and propelled
Michigan State into the conference championship
race. At 9:00 PM ET, Dave Revsine, Hall, Howard Griffith, Gerry DiNardo and
Glen Mason host a full 60-minute preview on a special edition of the Big Ten Football Report from Lucas Oil Stadium. They are joined on the set by Bielema and Dantonio.
On Saturday, Revsine, DiNardo, Griffith and Mason are live at Lucas Oil Stadium for the
Championship Pregame Show Saturday at 6:30 PM ET. Pizzo will
join the BTN team in Indianapolis to provide viewers with arrival
interviews and a behind the scenes glimpse at the championship game.
Immediately following the championship game on FOX,
Revsine, DiNardo, Griffith and Mason will return for complete postgame
coverage, analysis and interviews with coaches and players.
FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
*All Times Eastern
Friday, Dec. 2
7:30 PM UCLA at Oregon (Pac-12 Championship) FOX
Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Tim Brewster
Saturday, Dec. 3
12:30 PM Iowa State at Kansas State FSN
Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis
Saturday, Dec. 3
7:30 PM Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (B1G Championship, Indianapolis, IN) FOX
Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Tim Brewster
DREAM FOUNDATION GETS NATIONAL EXPOSURE THIS WEEKEND ON FOX SPORTS –
In
what turned out to be an outstanding college football season for the
FOX Sports Media Group’s networks – Fox Sports Regional Networks, Fox
College Sports, the Big Ten Network,
and FX – FSMG has proudly supported the Dream
Foundation. The charity reaches an even larger audience this Friday
& Saturday night as FOX Sports carries in-game mentions and a
special Public Service Announcement featuring actor Jeff
Bridges, along with FOX Sports broadcasters Gus Johnson and Charles
Davis during exclusive coverage of College Football’s Pac-12 and Big Ten
Conference Championship games on FOX Sports. The Dream Foundation is
the
first wish granting organization for adults whose mission is to
enhance the quality of life for families battling life-threatening
illness. For more information please visit
www.dreamfounation.org
TEBOW/BRONCOS AND RODGERS/PACKERS BOOKEND NFL ON FOX DOUBLEHEADER –
On Sunday, Dec. 4 FOX Sports commences Week 13 with
doubleheader coverage of six hard-hitting matchups – each presented in
true HD. Action kicks-off at 1:00 PM ET as
Tim Tebow leads the resurgent Broncos into Minneapolis to face Christian Ponder
and the Vikings. NFC and AFC South foes meet as Matt Ryan, Michael Turner
and the Falcons travel to Houston to battle Arian Foster and the Texans. FOX closes out the first-half of the doubleheader with
Cam Newton and the Panthers in Tampa taking on the Bucs. The second half of the NFL on FOX doubleheader kicks off in a major way as
Eli Manning and the Giants look to end their four-game losing streak and the Packers undefeated run.
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call all of the action from MetLife Stadium.
Tony Romo and the NFC East-leading Cowboys travel to the desert to face
Beanie Wells and the Cardinals. The NFL on FOX action closes with the NFC west-leading 49ers hosting the Rams.
Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with America’s most-watched Sunday afternoon pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY.
Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts
Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. NFL Insider
Jay Glazer presents the latest league news and scoops from the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio while comedic prognosticator
Frank Caliendo contributes his weekly “Frank’s Picks” segment. FOX Sports rules analyst
Mike Pereira is also on hand to go over any impactful officiating issues.
For instant updates during the week and games from the entire NFL on FOX crew, follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/NFLONFOX.
Follow the NFL on FOX on-air personalities @Jay_Glazer, @JimmyJohnson,
@CurtMenefee, @MikePereira, @MichaelStrahan, @TroyAikman, @KennyAlbert,
@CoachBillick, @TimBrewster, @CFD22 (Charles Davis), @DarylJohnston,
@The_ChrisMyers, @LauraOkmin, @ChadPennington,
@TimRyan99 & @TonySiragusa on Twitter as they provide insight and
analysis all weekend.
Fans can gain
more access to exclusive FOX Sports content by logging on to
www.facebook.com/foxsports.
AIKMAN ON RODGERS: “NO ONE HAS PLAYED THE POSITION BETTER”:
NFL on FOX lead analyst
Troy Aikman heads to New York this weekend to call the Giants’ attempt to end the Packers undefeated streak alongside
Joe Buck and Pam Oliver. The Hall of Famer sizes up his impression of Green Bay quarterback
Aaron Rodgers and his place among elite quarterbacks in the game:
“I’ve seen Aaron a lot during this stretch. We also had him to finish
the season last year, the last six games including the Super Bowl. This
is our third straight game of the Packers
coming up this week. He’s making it look a hell of a lot easier than it
is. I think right now it’s as good a time as I have ever seen in the
NFL for the quarterback position.
Tom Brady has been outstanding for a really long time and we saw what Drew Brees
did this week against the Giants but I’d say if you look at 2011, Aaron
Rodgers is playing better than all of them. The remarkable thing is he
has been playing that
well since last year. I think the numbers say no one has played the
position better. I’m a big fan of Aaron’s. I said last year if I were
starting a team, he’d be the first guy I would want.”
Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings - 1pm 61% of nation
Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin
Mall of America Field – Minneapolis, MN
MARKETS
INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus,
Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Jacksonville, Kansas
City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Milwaukee, New York, Norfolk,
Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence,
Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle,
St. Louis, Tulsa, West Palm Beach
Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans - 1pm 20% of nation
Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & on-field analyst Tony Siragusa
Reliant Stadium– Houston, TX
MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, San
Antonio
Carolina
Panthers at Tampa Bay Bucs - 1pm 5% of nation
Ron Pitts, Jim
Mora & Drea Avent
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
MARKETS INCLUDE:
Charlotte, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh
Green
Bay Packers at New York Giants - 4:15pm 77% of nation
Joe Buck, Troy
Aikman & Pam Oliver
MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ
MARKETS
INCLUDE: Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Denver,
Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Indianapolis,
Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,
Louisville, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New
York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland,
Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle,
Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach
Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals - 4:15pm 14% of nation
Dick Stockton, John Lynch & Jennifer Hale
University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, AZ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Antonio, Tulsa
St.
Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers - 4:15pm 7% of nation
Chris Myers,
Tim Ryan & Jaime Maggio
Candlestick Park – San Francisco, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Sacramento, San Francisco, St. Louis
