Saturday Night Football
Saturday Night Football is an American weekly presentation of prime time broadcasts of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football games that are produced by ESPN, and televised on ABC. Games are presented each Saturday evening starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time/6:30 p.m. Central Time during the college football regular season, which has been the case since 2017. Saturday Night Football began in 2006, as both ESPN and ABC are owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is typically ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases, the city and/or campus of that night's game will host College GameDay.
, the primary broadcast team for the majority of the games includes play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit, with Holly Rowe as sideline reporter. Kevin Negandhi and Booger McFarland host the halftime show, with Dan Orlovsky joining them for select weeks. Negandhi also provides in game updates throughout the game. Other ESPN broadcast teams may also occasionally appear for regional telecasts.
Overview
Saturday Night Football premiered on September 2, 2006, with a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. While ABC and ESPN have aired college football games on Saturday nights for decades, this program marks the first time that a collegiate sports broadcast has officially been part of any major broadcast television network's primetime schedule.Twelve weeks of regular season games were televised during the three-month college football season in 2006, 2007 and from 2009 to 2011; the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Game closing out each season until a conference realignment in which four university football programs left and two others joined the Big 12 Conference resulted in the Championship Game being discontinued after the 2010 event. With the college football season being extended by one week, ABC televised thirteen weeks of games in 2008, closing with the 2008 [Big 12 Championship Game] on December 6. With the loss of the Sprint Cup Series to NBC and NBCSN, Saturday Night Football expanded its seasonal game schedule full-time to 13 weeks beginning in 2015, starting with the Advocare Classic.
Games from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the old Big East Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the Pac-12 Conference, the now-defunct Western Athletic Conference and the American Athletic Conference have aired on Saturday Night Football, as well as non-conference games in which teams from these conferences were either playing at home or a neutral-site game to which ABC holds the television rights. All BCS/CFP and Power 5 conferences have appeared on Saturday Night Football, as the Southeastern Conference has had its teams featured in 23 non-conference games. Boise State, Utah State, BYU,
Temple, UConn, UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, Tulsa, and Memphis are the only Group of 5 teams to be featured on Saturday Night Football to date, with the latter four teams being featured when they were members of the BCS-aligned Big East or American Athletic Conference.
In recent years, following the loss of some broadcast rights of the Pac-12 Conference to Fox Sports in 2012, the Pac-12's Saturday Night Football appearances have been limited, sometimes including home games against Notre Dame and games against the Southeastern Conference, as well as road games against conferences that still have broadcast rights with ABC.
Besides Pac-12 and Big Ten games, ABC makes most of its game broadcast selections or options twelve days prior to the game. This allows ABC to 'flex' the most compelling game it has the rights to broadcast into the Saturday Night Football slot. As a result, the Saturday night game is usually ABC's "game of the week".
With ESPN's acquisition of its top football package beginning in 2024, Southeastern Conference home games began to be featured on Saturday Night Football on ABC for the first time that season. As with afternoon games, SEC home games on Saturday Night Football utilize the distinct SEC on ABC graphics and theme music.
The Cowboys Kickoff Classic had become the opening game for Saturday Night Football beginning in 2011; however in 2013, the matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers served as the opening game with the Classic matchup between LSU and TCU being broadcast on ESPN. The Classic served as the opening game for Saturday Night Football again in 2014, 2015, and in 2016. In 2017, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, which had served as the opening game for Saturday Night Football from 2008-2010, served as the opening game in 2017, while the Advocare Classic aired in the 3:30 ET timeslot. In 2018, the new Camping World Kickoff served as the Saturday Night Football season premiere, while the Advocare Classic aired the next night in primetime. The Advocare Classic returned to Saturday Night Football in 2019. Since then, each season of Saturday Night Football has started with an on-campus game, the Duke's Mayo Classic in Charlotte, NC in Week 1, or, since 2023, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta during Week 0.
Schedules
''All rankings are from that week's AP Poll, and that week's CFP rankings since 2014.''2006 schedule
ABC did not air games on either October 21 or October 28 to avoid competing with the World Series.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| September 2 | #2 Notre Dame 14 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech] 10 | Series Premiere of Saturday Night Football College GameDay |
| September 9 | #1 Ohio State 24 | Texas Longhorns football team|#2 Texas] 7 | 2005 Week 2 rematch College GameDay |
| September 16 | #19 Nebraska 10 | #4 USC 28 | College GameDay |
| September 23 | #12 Notre Dame 40 | Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State] 37 | Michigan State-Notre Dame rivalry Split-national |
| September 23 | #3 USC 20 | Arizona Wildcats football team|Arizona] 3 | Split-national |
| September 30 | #1 Ohio State 38 | #13 Iowa 17 | College GameDay |
| October 7 | Oregon Ducks football team|#11 Oregon] 24 | #16 California 45 | Split-national |
| October 7 | #22 Nebraska 28 | Iowa State 14 | Iowa State-Nebraska rivalry Split-national |
| October 14 | #4 Michigan 17 | Penn State 10 | Michigan-Penn State rivalry Split-national |
| October 14 | Arizona State 21 | #3 USC 28 | Split-national |
| November 4 | Oklahoma Sooners football team|#18 Oklahoma] 17 | #21 Texas A&M 16 | Split-national College GameDay |
| November 4 | #23 Virginia Tech 17 | Miami (Fla.) 10 | Miami-Virginia Tech rivalry Split-national |
| November 4 | UCLA 24 | #10 California 38 | California-UCLA rivalry Split-national |
| November 11 | #4 Texas 42 | Kansas State Wildcats football team|Kansas State] 45 | Split-national |
| November 11 | #18 Wake Forest 30 | Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State] 0 | Split-national |
| November 18 | #17 California 9 | #4 USC 23 | |
| November 25 | #6 Notre Dame 24 | #3 USC 44 | Jeweled Shillelagh College GameDay |
| December 2 | #19 Nebraska 7 | #8 Oklahoma 21 | Big 12 Championship Game Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry |
2007 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.2008 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of NASCAR 2008 NASCAR [Sprint Cup Series|Sprint Cup Series] races.2009 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 12 or October 17 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.2010 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 11 or October 16 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.2011 schedule
Notes:- 1) ABC did not air games on either September 10 or October 15 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
- 2) Many of the markets scheduled to receive the Texas Tech–Oklahoma game on October 22 instead saw Washington–Stanford, as a thunderstorm delayed the start of the game, and most affiliates stuck with the latter even after the storm cleared. The Texas Tech–Oklahoma game was seen on ESPN2 after the Alabama-Tennessee game, Except in Big 12 markets, where it aired on ABC.
2012 schedule
ABC did not air Games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| September 1 | #8 Michigan 14 | #2 Alabama 41 | Cowboys Classic College GameDay 2000 Orange Bowl Rematch |
| September 15 | #20 Notre Dame 20 | #10 Michigan State 3 | Michigan State–Notre Dame rivalry |
| September 22 | #10 Clemson 37 | #4 Florida State 49 | Clemson–Florida State rivalry College GameDay |
| September 29 | Wisconsin 27 | #22 Nebraska 30 | Nebraska–Wisconsin rivalry |
| October 6 | #21 Nebraska 38 | #12 Ohio State 63 | |
| October 20 | #12 Florida State 33 | Miami 20 | Florida State-Miami rivalry Florida Cup Split-national |
| October 20 | Baylor 50 | #25 Texas 56 | Baylor–Texas rivalry Split-national |
| October 27 | #5 Notre Dame 30 | #8 Oklahoma 13 | College GameDay |
| November 3 | #24 Oklahoma State 30 | #2 Kansas State 44 | |
| November 10 | #4 Notre Dame 21 | Boston College 6 | Holy War |
| November 17 | #13 Stanford 17 | #1 Oregon 14 | Oregon-Stanford rivalry College GameDay |
| November 24 | #1 Notre Dame 22 | USC 13 | Jeweled Shillelagh College GameDay |
| December 1 | #18 Texas 24 | #6 Kansas State 42 |
2013 schedule
ABC did not air Games on either September 7 or October 12 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| August 31 | #5 Georgia 35 | #8 Clemson 38 | Clemson-Georgia rivalry College GameDay |
| September 14 | #21 Notre Dame 31 | Purdue 24 | Notre Dame-Purdue rivalry |
| September 21 | #15 Michigan 24 | Connecticut 21 | Split-national |
| September 21 | Kansas State 21 | Texas 31 | Split-national |
| September 28 | #23 Wisconsin 24 | #4 Ohio State 31 | |
| October 5 | #4 Ohio State 40 | #16 Northwestern 30 | College GameDay |
| October 19 | #5 Florida State 51 | #3 Clemson 14 | Clemson-Florida State rivalry College GameDay |
| October 26 | Penn State 14 | #4 Ohio State 63 | Ohio State-Penn State rivalry |
| November 2 | #7 Miami 14 | #3 Florida State 41 | Florida State-Miami rivalry Florida Cup College GameDay |
| November 9 | #24 Notre Dame 21 | Pittsburgh 28 | Notre Dame-Pittsburgh rivalry |
| November 16 | #5 Stanford 17 | USC 20 | Stanford-USC rivalry College GameDay |
| November 23 | #4 Baylor 17 | #12 Oklahoma State 49 | College GameDay |
| November 30 | #22 UCLA 35 | #23 USC 14 | Victory Bell |
| December 7 | #22 Duke 7 | #1 Florida State 45 | ACC Championship Game">2013 ACC Championship Game">ACC Championship Game |
2014 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 6 or October 11 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| August 30 | #1 Florida State 37 | Oklahoma State 31 | Cowboys Classic College GameDay |
| September 13 | Tennessee 10 | #4 Oklahoma 34 | |
| September 20 | #22 Clemson 17 | #1 Florida State 23 | Florida State-Clemson rivalry College GameDay |
| September 27 | #8 Notre Dame 31 | Syracuse 15 | |
| October 4 | #19 Nebraska 22 | #10 Michigan State 27 | |
| October 18 | #5 Notre Dame 27 | #2 Florida State 31 | College GameDay |
| October 25 | #13 Ohio State 31 | Penn State 24 | Ohio State-Penn State rivalry |
| November 1 | Illinois 14 | #16 Ohio State 55 | Illibuck Split-national |
| November 1 | Oklahoma State 14 | #9 Kansas State 48 | Split-national |
| November 8 | #14 Ohio State 49 | #8 Michigan State 37 | College GameDay |
| November 15 | #3 Florida State 30 | Miami 26 | Florida State-Miami rivalry Florida Cup |
| November 22 | USC 20 | #9 UCLA 38 | Victory Bell |
| November 29 | #2 Oregon 47 | Oregon State 19 | Civil War |
| December 6 | #4 Florida State 37 | #11 Georgia Tech 35 | 2014 ACC Championship Game |
2017 schedule
Beginning this season, all games involving Big Ten teams started at 7:30 ET.2019 schedule
Beginning this season, all games, excluding the ACC Championship Game, started at 7:30 ET.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| August 31 | #11 Oregon 21 | #16 Auburn 27 | Advocare Classic College GameDay 2011 BCS National Championship Game rematch |
| September 7 | #6 LSU 45 | #9 Texas 38 | College GameDay |
| September 14 | #1 Clemson 41 | Syracuse 6 | |
| September 21 | Oklahoma State 30 | #12 Texas 36 | 2018 Week 9 Rematch |
| September 28 | #5 Ohio State 48 | Nebraska 7 | College GameDay |
| October 5 | #25 Michigan State 10 | #4 Ohio State 34 | |
| October 12 | #10 Penn State 17 | #17 Iowa 12 | |
| October 19 | #16 Michigan 21 | #7 Penn State 28 | College GameDay Michigan-Penn State rivalry |
| October 26 | #8 Notre Dame 14 | #19 Michigan 45 | Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry |
| November 2 | #15 SMU 48 | #24 Memphis 54 | College GameDay |
| November 9 | #5 Clemson 56 | NC State 10 | Textile Bowl |
| November 16 | #10 Oklahoma 34 | #13 Baylor 31 | College GameDay |
| November 23 | #6 Oregon 28 | Arizona State 31 | |
| November 30 | Colorado 15 | #6 Utah 45 | Rumble in the Rockies |
| December 7 | #23 Virginia 17 | #3 Clemson 62 | 2019 ACC Championship Game; 8 ET kickoff |
| December 21 | #19 Boise State 7 | Washington 38 | 2019 Las Vegas Bowl |
2024 schedule
Beginning this season, all Saturday Night Football games, as well as all regular season games airing on ABC, are simulcast on ESPN+2025 schedule
Beginning this season, all games on ABC are simulcast on ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service.Broadcast teams
2006
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit and Bob Davie, analysts; and Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
- *Ten games: Notre Dame–Georgia Tech, Ohio State–Texas, Nebraska–USC, Notre Dame–Michigan State, Ohio State–Iowa, Oregon–California, Michigan–Penn State, Oklahoma–Texas A&M, Wake Forest–Florida State, and Notre Dame–USC.
- Dan Fouts, play-by-play; Tim Brant, analyst; and Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
- *Three games: USC–Arizona, Nebraska–Iowa State, and UCLA–California.
- Mark Jones, play-by-play; David Norrie, analyst; and Stacey Dales, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Arizona State–USC and Virginia Tech–Miami.
- Gary Thorne, play-by-play; Andre Ware, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Texas–Kansas State.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Bob Griese and Paul Maguire, analysts; and Erin Andrews, sideline reporter.
- *One game: California–USC.
- Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Nebraska–Oklahoma.
2007
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Lisa Salters, and Chris Spielman, sideline reporters.
- *Eleven games: Tennessee–California, USC–Nebraska, Iowa–Wisconsin, USC–Washington, Ohio State–Purdue, Michigan–Illinois, Ohio State–Penn State, Florida State–Boston College, Kansas–Oklahoma State, Missouri–Kansas, and Oklahoma–Missouri.
- Dan Fouts, play-by-play; Tim Brant, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Washington State–USC and Notre Dame–UCLA.
- Terry Gannon, play-by-play; David Norrie, analyst; and Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Oregon State–USC and USC–California.
- Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Texas A&M–Oklahoma.
- Dave LaMont, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Boston College–Maryland.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Bob Griese and Paul Maguire, analysts; and Bonnie Bernstein, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Oklahoma–Texas Tech.
2008
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters or Erin Andrews, sideline reporter.
- *Twelve games: Alabama–Clemson, Ohio State–USC, Georgia–Arizona State, Illinois–Penn State, Missouri–Texas, Penn State–Ohio State, Texas–Texas Tech, Oklahoma State–Texas Tech, Boston College–Florida State, Texas Tech–Oklahoma, Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Missouri–Oklahoma.
- Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and Heather Cox or Jack Arute, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Michigan State–California and Oklahoma State–Colorado.
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Rob Stone or Erin Andrews, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Virginia Tech–Nebraska and California–USC.
- Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Ohio State–Wisconsin.
- Mark Jones, play-by-play; Bob Davie, analyst; and Todd Harris, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Oregon–USC.
2009
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
- *Twelve games: Alabama–Virginia Tech, Texas Tech–Texas, Iowa–Penn State, Oklahoma–Miami, Michigan–Iowa, Texas–Missouri, USC–Oregon, Connecticut–Cincinnati, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Oregon–Arizona, Notre Dame–Stanford, and Texas–Nebraska.
- Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Craig James, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
- *Three games: Oregon State–USC, USC–Arizona State, and Texas Tech–Oklahoma State.
- Ron Franklin, play-by-play; Ed Cunningham, analyst; and Shelley Smith, sideline reporter.
- *Three games: USC–California, Oklahoma–Nebraska, and Kansas–Texas.
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Texas–Oklahoma State and Georgia–Georgia Tech.
2010
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Erin Andrews, Heather Cox, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Ten games: LSU–North Carolina, Oregon State–Boise State, Stanford–Oregon, Florida State–Miami, Oklahoma–Missouri, Oregon–USC, Arizona–Stanford, Nebraska–Texas A&M, Oklahoma–Oklahoma State, and Nebraska–Oklahoma .
- Mike Patrick, play-by-play; and Craig James, analyst.
- *Four games: USC–Stanford, Ohio State–Minnesota, Clemson–Florida State, and Florida State–Maryland.
- Ron Franklin, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst.
- *Three games: Texas–Texas Tech, Missouri–Texas Tech, and USC–Arizona.
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Notre Dame–Boston College and Oklahoma State–Texas.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; and Todd Blackledge, analyst.
- *Two games: Notre Dame–Michigan State and Notre Dame–USC.
- Mark Neely, play-by-play; Mike Bellotti and Brock Huard, analysts.
- *One game: USC–Oregon State.
2011
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Erin Andrews or Lisa Salters, and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
- *Seven games: Oregon–LSU, Oklahoma–Florida State, LSU–West Virginia, Nebraska–Wisconsin, Stanford–USC, Kansas State–Oklahoma State, and Oregon–Stanford.
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Heather Cox or Jeannine Edwards, sideline reporter.
- * Two games: Ohio State–Nebraska and Washington–Stanford.
- Mike Patrick, play-by-play; Craig James, analyst; and Jenn Brown, sideline reporter.
- * One game: Clemson–Georgia Tech.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- * One game: Texas Tech–Oklahoma.
- Mark Jones, play-by-play; and Ed Cunningham, analyst.
- * One game: Notre Dame–Wake Forest.
2012
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox, and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
- *Twelve games: Michigan–Alabama, Notre Dame–Michigan State, Clemson–Florida State, Wisconsin–Nebraska, Florida State–Miami, Notre Dame–Oklahoma, Oklahoma State–Kansas State, Notre Dame–Boston College, Stanford–Oregon, and Notre Dame–USC.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Nebraska–Ohio State, Texas–Kansas State.
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Baylor–Texas.
2013
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox, and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
- *Eleven games: Georgia–Clemson, Notre Dame–Purdue, Kansas State–Texas, Wisconsin–Ohio State, Ohio State–Northwestern, Florida State–Clemson, Miami–Florida State, Notre Dame–Pittsburgh, Stanford–USC, Baylor–Oklahoma State, Duke–Florida State
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Shannon Spake, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Michigan–Connecticut, UCLA–USC.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Penn State–Ohio State.
2014
- Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox, and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
- *Nine games: Florida State–Oklahoma State, Tennessee–Oklahoma, Clemson–Florida State, Notre Dame–Syracuse, Nebraska–Michigan State, Notre Dame–Florida State, Ohio State–Michigan State, Florida State–Miami, Florida State–Georgia Tech
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Three games: Ohio State–Penn State, USC–UCLA, Oregon-Oregon State
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Todd McShay, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Illinois–Ohio State
- Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Matt Millen, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Oklahoma State–Kansas State
2015
- Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
- *Eleven games: Wisconsin–Alabama, Oregon–Michigan State, UCLA–Arizona, Notre Dame–Clemson, Miami–Florida State, Penn State–Ohio State, Ohio State–Rutgers, Notre Dame-Temple, Oklahoma-Baylor, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, North Carolina-Clemson
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Minnesota-Ohio State, TCU-Oklahoma
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Todd McShay, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Stanford–USC
2016
- Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Samantha Ponder and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters, Jerry Punch and Marty Smith pit reporters
- *Thirteen games: USC-Alabama, Virginia Tech-Tennessee, Stanford-UCLA, Louisville-Clemson, Florida State-Miami, Ohio State-Wisconsin, Ohio State-Penn State, Clemson-Florida State, Nebraska-Ohio State, Michigan-Iowa, Oklahoma-West Virginia, Clemson-Virginia Tech
- Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: USC-Stanford, Florida-Florida State
2017
- Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters
- *Thirteen games: Florida State–Alabama, Oklahoma–Ohio State, Clemson-Louisville, Penn State-Iowa, Clemson-Virginia Tech, Michigan State-Michigan, Michigan-Penn State, Georgia Tech-Clemson, Virginia Tech-Miami, Notre Dame–Miami, UCLA–USC, Notre Dame–Stanford, Miami-Clemson
- Steve Levy, play-by-play, Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter
- *Two games: Utah-USC, Texas Tech-Oklahoma
2018
- Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi, sideline reporters.
- *Thirteen games: Louisville-Alabama, Ohio State-TCU, Stanford-Oregon, Ohio State-Penn State, Notre Dame-Virginia Tech, Wisconsin-Michigan, Ohio State-Purdue, Texas-Oklahoma State, Clemson-Boston College, Cincinnati-UCF, Notre Dame-USC, Clemson-Pitt
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
- *One game: Penn State-Pittsburgh
- Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, sideline reporter
- *One game: Oklahoma-Texas Tech
2019
- Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, Sean McDonough, or Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor or Molly McGrath, sideline reporters.
- *Thirteen games: Oregon-Auburn, LSU–Texas, Clemson–Syracuse, Oklahoma State–Texas, Ohio State-Nebraska, Michigan State–Ohio State, Michigan–Penn State, Notre Dame-Michigan, SMU-Memphis, Clemson–NC State, Oklahoma-Baylor, Oregon-Arizona State, Boise State–Washington
- Steve Levy, play-by-play; Brian Griese, analyst; Todd McShay, and Molly McGrath or Maria Taylor, sideline reporters.
- *Two games: Colorado–Utah, Virginia-Clemson
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter
- *One game: Penn State-Iowa
2020
- Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Maria Taylor, Allison Williams, Molly McGrath, or Holly Rowe, sideline reporters.
- *Nine games: Miami-Louisville, Florida State-Miami, Miami-Clemson, Michigan-Minnesota, Ohio State-Penn State, Stanford–Oregon, Wisconsin-Michigan, Oklahoma State–Oklahoma, Clemson-Virginia Tech
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; Todd McShay, and Allison Williams or Molly McGrath, sideline reporters.
- *Three games: Clemson–Wake Forest, Oklahoma-Iowa State, North Carolina-Florida State
- Dave Pasch or Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Allison Williams or Holly Rowe, sideline reporters
- *Two games: USC–UCLA, Tulsa–Cincinnati
- Beth Mowins, play–by–play; Kirk Morrison, analyst; and Stormy Buonantony, sideline reporter
- *One game: Utah–Washington
2021
- Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Six games: Georgia-Clemson, Auburn-Penn State, West Virginia-Oklahoma, TCU-Oklahoma, Penn State-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
- *Four games: Washington-Michigan, Indiana-Penn State, Michigan-Nebraska, Oregon-Utah
- Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Ohio State-Indiana, Notre Dame-Virginia
- Mark Jones, play-by-play; Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Oregon-Washington, Pittsburgh-Wake Forest
- Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Laura Rutledge, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Utah State-Oregon State
2022
- Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst: Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Seven games: Notre Dame–Ohio State, USC–Stanford, Wisconsin–Ohio State, NC State–Clemson, Clemson–Florida State, TCU–Texas, Notre Dame-USC
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
- *Three games: Clemson-Boston College, Michigan State-Michigan, Clemson-North Carolina
- Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Katie George, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Minnesota-Penn State, Florida State-Miami
- Tom Hart, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter.
- *One game: SMU–BYU
- Mark Jones, play-by-play; Robert Griffin III, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Michigan State–Washington
- Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Oklahoma State-Oklahoma
2023
- Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst: and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *Five games: Notre Dame-Duke, Duke-Florida State, Colorado-UCLA, Washington-USC, Washington-Oregon State
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Molly McGrath or Stormy Buonantony, sideline reporter.
- *Five games: North Carolina–South Carolina, Pitt-West Virginia, Miami-North Carolina, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Utah-Northwestern
- Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Tom Luginbill, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Texas-Baylor, Texas-TCU
- Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Jordan Rodgers or Jesse Palmer, analyst; and Katie George, sideline reporter.
- *Two games: Notre Dame-Louisville, Louisville-Florida State
- Mark Jones, play-by-play; Louis Riddick, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Wisconsin–Washington State
- Tiffany Greene, play-by-play; Jay Walker, analyst; Harry Lyles Jr., and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporters.
- *One game: South Carolina State–Jackson State
- Dave Flemming, play-by-play; Brock Osweiler, analyst; and Kayla Burton, sideline reporter.
- *One game: UCLA-Boise State
2024
- Chris Fowler or Rece Davis, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Holly Rowe, Laura Rutledge, Katie George or Marty Smith, sideline reporters.
- *Twelve games: Notre Dame-Texas A&M, Tennessee-NC State, Tennessee-Oklahoma, Georgia-Alabama, Tennessee-Arkansas, Georgia-Texas, LSU-Texas A&M, Alabama-LSU, Tennessee-Georgia, Alabama-Oklahoma, Texas-Texas A&M, Tennessee-Ohio State
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; and Molly McGrath, sideline reporter.
- *Four games: Georgia-Kentucky, Ole Miss-LSU, Texas A&M-South Carolina, Clemson-SMU
- Tiffany Greene, play-by-play; Jay Walker, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Florida A&M–Norfolk State
- Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter.
- *One game: BYU-Colorado
2025
- Chris Fowler, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath or Laura Rutledge, sideline reporters.
- *Ten games: LSU-Clemson, Michigan-Oklahoma, Florida-Miami, Alabama-Georgia, Miami-Florida State, Texas A&M-LSU, Oklahoma-Tennessee, Texas-Georgia, Tennessee-Florida, Alabama-Auburn
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; Molly McGrath and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporters.
- *Five games: Florida-LSU, Georgia-Auburn, Tennessee-Alabama, LSU-Alabama, Duke-Virginia
- Dave Pasch, play-by-play; Dusty Dvoracek, analyst; and Taylor McGregor, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Boise State-Washington
- Bob Wischusen, play-by-play; Louis Riddick, analyst; and Kris Budden, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Virginia-Missouri
- Tiffany Greene, play-by-play; Jay Walker, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: North Carolina Central–Southern
Nielsen ratings
Seasonal
Seasonal rankings of Saturday Night Football on ABC.| Season | Episodes | Timeslot | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Season rank | Viewers |
| 1st | 18 | Saturday 8:00 | September 2, 2006 | December 2, 2006 | 2006–2007 | #97 | 7.6 |
| 2nd | 18 | Saturday 8:00 | September 1, 2007 | December 1, 2007 | 2007–2008 | #121 | 6.2 |
| 3rd | 18 | Saturday 8:00 | August 30, 2008 | December 6, 2008 | 2008–2009 | #61 | 8.3 |
| 4th | 20 | Saturday 8:00 | September 5, 2009 | December 5, 2009 | 2009–2010 | #78 | 6.3 |
| 5th | 22 | Saturday 8:00 | September 4, 2010 | December 4, 2010 | 2010–2011 | #95 | 6.0 |
| 6th | 16 | Saturday 8:00 | September 3, 2011 | December 3, 2011 | 2011–2012 | #88 | 6.4 |
| 7th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | September 1, 2012 | December 1, 2012 | 2012–2013 | #66 | 6.9 |
| 8th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | August 31, 2013 | December 7, 2013 | 2013–2014 | #82 | 5.6 |
| 9th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | August 30, 2014 | December 6, 2014 | 2014–2015 | #88 | 6.4 |
| 10th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | September 5, 2015 | December 5, 2015 | 2015–2016 | #92 | 5.2 |
| 11th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | September 3, 2016 | December 3, 2016 | 2016–2017 | #67 | 6.0 |
| 12th | 15 | Saturday 8:00 | September 2, 2017 | December 2, 2017 | 2017–2018 | #78 | 5.8 |
| 13th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | September 1, 2018 | December 1, 2018 | 2018–2019 | #86 | 5.1 |
| 14th | 16 | Saturday 7:30 | August 31, 2019 | December 21, 2019 | 2019–2020 | #71 | 4.9 |
| 15th | 15 | Saturday 7:30 | September 12, 2020 | December 19, 2020 | 2020–2021 | #80 | 3.8 |
| 16th | 15 | Saturday 7:30 | September 4, 2021 | December 18, 2021 | 2021–2022 | #52 | 4.6 |
| 17th | 15 | Saturday 7:30 | September 3, 2022 | December 17, 2022 | 2022–2023 | #56 | 4.0 |
| 18th | 17 | Saturday 7:30 | August 26, 2023 | December 23, 2023 | 2023–2024 | #55 | 3.9 |
| 19th | 18 | Saturday 7:30 | August 24, 2024 | December 28, 2024 | 2024–2025 | #68 | 7.4 |
| 20th | 18 | Saturday 7:30 | August 23, 2025 | December 27, 2025 | 2025–2026 | TBD | TBA |
Theme music
At the time the Saturday night package began in 2006, ABC Sports was integrated with ESPN, resulting in ESPN production concepts being applied to ABC-televised sports events. As a result, during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the theme music used for the ESPN College Football and College GameDay broadcasts was used on ABC's college football telecasts – including Saturday Night Football – with the exception in both years being the Rose Bowl, during which it used the bowl game version of the network's 1998-2005 sports theme. Saturday Night Football games began using the bowl version of the 1998-2005 theme as well in 2008, continuing through the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.The intro theme was updated in 2011, with the main theme music being changed to a different cut of the 1998-2005 bowl game theme. Bowl Championship Series games aired on ESPN during this period were produced identically to Saturday Night Football productions, and used this same theme music arrangement.
In 2012, the theme for all college football telecasts on both ESPN and ABC was changed to a heavily updated version of yet another one of ABC's 1998-2005 themes. However, unlike previous SNF themes, this theme was a completely new recording, using the tune of the 1998-2005 song as the base.
In 2015, ABC began using the same theme used by all ESPN college football productions since the 2014-15 New Years' Six bowl games. The theme was later revamped in 2020, and again in 2025.
Starting with the addition of the conference in 2024, Southeastern Conference home games on Saturday Night Football will use the SEC on ABC theme, a modernized version of ESPN's college football theme from the 2000s, composed by Bob Christianson,.