BRISTOL, Conn.—Though some major conferences have been sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN is ready to televise college football matchups on Saturday and will feature new music and graphics during the games.
ESPN will kick off with Austin Peay playing Central Arkansas in Montgomery Ala., with Matt Barrie and Mike Golic Jr. calling the action from the network’s headquarters in Bristol., Conn. Sideline reporter Lauren Sisler will actually be on the field at Crampton Bowl.
The ESPN production will feature a new college football anthem featuring Juice WRLD & Marshmello’s "Come & Go."
ESPN has also revamped its college football graphic and animation package.
One of the newest elements viewers will appreciate is the updated clock and score design, which adds more information about scoring drives and in game statistics to the lower-third of the screen.
“We pride ourselves on being the Willy Wonkas of graphics,” said Dana Drezek, supervisor of motion graphics at ESPN “We set out to make something fun, inventive and visually delicious. With the game scoreboard, we made something akin to an Everlasting Gobstopper. It never disappears, but rather morphs into many different layouts and shapes based on the needs of the game and production. More stats. More content. More possibilities.”
It took teamwork and pivoting to new solutions to build the 3D-heavy package, creating new event and studio graphics packages, the network said.
“When our entire team transitioned to a work-from-home format in March, we made a strategic decision and worked to collectively ensure we crafted efficient, team-based solutions, without compromising the overall aesthetic,” said Lindsay Reiff, supervisor of motion graphics design. “We leveraged a unique, edit-based approach that diversifies the product.”
For the first full weekend of college action, ESPN has four Labor Day weekend games, with Eastern Kentucky at Marshall, SMU at Texas State and Arkansas State at Memphis on Sept. 5 and a Monday night game pitting BYU against Navy.
