ESPN loading up for UGA-Bama coverage

[Kelly Quinlan]

• Additional Camera Complement and Technology Planned for Top-Tier Tussle
• College GameDay Built by The Home Depot Expands to Provide Pregame and Halftime Coverage Under the Lights of Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium
• Thirteen Top 25 Teams Set for ESPN Platforms in Week 5

One of the most anticipated regular season showdowns of the season takes center stage in Week 5 on ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One, as No. 2 Georgia travels to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 4 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+. ESPN’s top commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will be on the call from Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which is also this week’s 4K Game of the Week.

ESPN will be utilizing additional cameras and technology for the game, including:

• (2) ISO cameras to lock in on every key play
• (1) reverse sideline cart that will move up and down the field following the action
• (1) Sony 4800 high-frame rate camera that will capture super slow-motion footage from the sidelines
• Robotic cameras on each goal line
• Additional pylon cameras at the rear of the endzone to provide definitive looks of catches in the back of the endzone
• Additional replay capacity for all extra cameras

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be live from the University of Alabama’s Denny Chimes on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. – noon (8-11 a.m. local) on ESPN and ESPNU. The premier pregame show’s presence will expand Saturday to include pregame and halftime studio wraps of the heavyweight SEC bout on ABC. Host and Alabama alum Rece Davis will be joined at the desk by GameDay analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who will make his first appearance in Tuscaloosa with the GameDay crew. College football insider Pete Thamel, college football betting analyst ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the GameDay cast.

Also on ABC this Saturday are conference clashes featuring No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 21 Oklahoma, as ABC is highlighting its second SEC on ABC tripleheader of the season. The sixth-ranked Rebs host Kentucky at noon with Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath providing commentary from Oxford with a Command Center viewing option slated for SEC Network. At 3:30 p.m., the Sooners travel to Auburn for their first SEC road test with Joe Tessitore, Jordan Rodgers and Katie George on the call.

In primetime on Friday, No. 7 Miami faces a conference test at home against Virginia Tech at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, as Anish Shroff, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra announce the all-ACC action.

Eight additional ranked teams are in action across ESPN platforms on Saturday, including:

• No. 1 Texas vs. Mississippi State | 4:15 p.m. | SEC Network & ESPN Radio
  • TV: Tom Hart, Cole Cubelic, Alyssa Lang
  • Radio: Mike Couzens, Jordan Reid, Ashley Stroehlein
• No. 10 Utah vs. Arizona | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN
  • Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler, Stormy Buonantony
• No. 13 USC vs. Wisconsin | 3 p.m. | ESPN Radio
  • Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer, Ian Fitzsimmons
• No. 14 LSU vs. South Alabama | 7:45 p.m. | SEC Network
  • Dave Neal, Aaron Murray, Ashley ShahAhmadi
• No. 17 Clemson vs. Stanford | 7 p.m. | ESPN
  • Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich
• No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State | Noon | ESPN
  • Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden
• No. 24 Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (at AT&T Stadium) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
  • Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor

ESPN+ Spotlight
In addition to the simulcast of No. 2. Georgia at No. 4 Alabama, Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss, and No. 21 Oklahoma at Auburn, 18 of the FCS Top 25 Coaches’ Poll will make appearances on ESPN+, including three matchups with ranked teams facing each other: No. 2 North Dakota State at No. 15 Illinois State, No. 7 Southern Illinois at No. 6 South Dakota and No. 4 Idaho at No. 12 UC Davis. Other FCS ranked teams playing in Week 5 on ESPN+ include No. 3 Montana State traveling to Idaho State, No. 9 North Dakota hosting Murray State, No. 10 Montana at Eastern Washington and more.