ESPN football

Whether you were born and raised in the yellowhammer state or just moved to Pell City from Siberia, you are more than aware of Alabama's fascination with college football. Sure some die hard alums may watch high school football on Fridays, and some of us may tune in on Sundays to watch an NFL team or two. But it's not even worth debating that the collegiate version of the sport reigns supreme among the gridiron-enjoyers in our 67 counties. But what about this culture- the analysts, the sideline reporting, the athletes and coaches-- is almost addicting for us to engage with? What subtle tactics are the producers of The College Gameday show using to get your blood pumping on Saturday mornings, and what tricks does ESPN have up it's sleeve to keep us tuned in each and every weekend?

Alabama’s 41-34 victory over Georgia on Saturday night averaged 12 million viewers on ABC and ESPN’s streaming platforms, according to Nielsen. It was the most-watched regular season prime-time game since 2017.

Nick Saban apparently isn’t staying retired for very long. The former head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide is joining ESPN's "College GameDay,” the long-running Saturday pregame road show he appeared on as a guest so frequently during his 17 seasons as Alabama coach.

Number eleven ranked Texas and number four Alabama are set to meet again a year after going down to the wire. The two tradition-rich programs and future Southeastern Conference opponents are set to face off in a potential Top-10 showdown in Tuscaloosa. Alabama won 20-19 last year on a field goal in the final seconds.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham will move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. UAB officials said this shift will allow the school to gain more exposure, better finance its athletic programs and renew historic sports rivalries.

Southeastern Conference leaders have been debating what to do with their football schedule for more than a year. Play eight conference games each season including one rival or go to nine league games with three?