1. I rarely lead a Monday Traina Thoughts with college football simply because… NFL.
But ESPN had such a banner weekend covering college football that I need to recap it here in case any of you missed it.
Things started early on College GameDay when actor Timothée Chalamet joined the crew for their weekly picks segment. Chalamet was basically like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, but with college football knowledge.
The actor, who stars in an upcoming biopic portraying Bob Dylan, must have studied for his appearance for hours because he came PREPARED.
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET ELITE BALL KNOWLEDGE 😤 😂 @RealChalamet pic.twitter.com/Vci23UK8nx
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 7, 2024
Saturday’s edition of College GameDay also had Nick Saban dropping an expletive while giving a funny analogy for college football fining teams over the planting flags nonsense.
"To fine these schools $100,000 is like worrying about mouse manure when you're up to ears in elephant shit." - Nick Saban. pic.twitter.com/qGqUqh1MVs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 7, 2024
Later in the night, ESPN’s Sean McDonough put on a broadcasting clinic at the end of the Clemson-SMU ACC championship.
McDonough (who will be the guest on this week’s SI Media Podcast) perfectly added to the excitement and shock of SMU’s wild comeback and deflating defeat with a pair of tremendous calls: SMU’s game-tying touchdown and Clemson’s game-winning field goal.
Sean McDonough is the best college football play-by-play guy. pic.twitter.com/hniKSPf5J8
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) December 8, 2024
This is one of the best game-winning calls I’ve ever heard, via Sean McDonough. pic.twitter.com/AjJB5iq3HN
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) December 8, 2024
ESPN’s strong run of content for the huge college football weekend continued Sunday morning when Kirk Herbstreit had two great moments discussing the playoff.
Herbstreit caught heat last season for saying Florida State shouldn’t be in the top four. So, when he appeared on NFL Sunday Countdown and was asked by Mike Greenberg if a team should be penalized for losing in a conference title game, Herbstreit refused to get involved this time around.
Kirk Herbstreit on the CFP:
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 8, 2024
"After last year, I have learned, I have no opinions about anything. I think everybody gets a trophy. Everybody gets in. I want no death threats, I want no punishment for 8 months from #FSUTwitter. So I have no opinion on anything. I love everybody." pic.twitter.com/gyqEZtx8U6
Herbstreit also made an intriguing point about Ohio State hosting a home game in the playoff.
Kirk Herbstreit's thoughts on Ohio State hosting a CFP game...
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 8, 2024
"I don't know if it would have been better for Ohio State to go on the road to get away from their home crowd that'll be booing after their third down, not converting and their punter comes out. Booing Ryan Day..." pic.twitter.com/vkNOcWbaa2
2. Here are the broadcast crews for the first round of the college football playoff:
-Indiana vs. Notre Dame, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN: Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy
-SMU vs. Penn State, Dec. 21, Noon ET on TNT: Mark Jones and Roddy Jones
-Clemson vs. Texas, Dec. 21, 4 p.m. on TNT: Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek
-Tennessee vs. Ohio State, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit
3. On a recent SI Media Podcast, I reminded my guest, Kyle Brandt, that Sean McDermott is a horrendous game coach. McDermott again showed why he’s a horrendous game coach late in the Bills’ loss to the Rams yesterday and Tom Brady, working the game for Fox, was all over it in what might have been Brady’s best moment as an analyst this season.
Tom Brady was FED UP with McDermott.
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) December 9, 2024
“That may have just cost them the game.” 🤣👏 https://t.co/fZhiFA3nBi pic.twitter.com/swug2Lgvno
4. Amazon set a new viewership record last week for Thursday Night Football. The Packers-Lions thriller drew 17.2 million viewers, making it the most-streamed NFL game in history. The rating was up a whopping 61% from last season’s Patriots-Steelers Week 14 game.
5. Solid job by the Vikings on Sunday, paying tribute to White Chicks during a touchdown celebration.
The Vikings hit the "White Chicks" celly 😂 🔥
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 8, 2024
📺: Fox pic.twitter.com/vegfuHOCRP
6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast features a conversation with The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis.
Topics covered with Curtis include why something feels off about the Inside the NBA–ESPN deal; Stephen A. Smith reportedly getting a new six-year, $120 million contract from ESPN; how Tom Brady has progressed, whether the coverage of him has been fair and what we want to see more of from Brady. Curtis also reveals which two networks he thinks do the best job with their NFL game coverage.
Following Curtis, Sal Licata, from WFAN radio and SNY TV, joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss a Bills-Lions Super Bowl vs. a Chiefs-Lions Super Bowl, an NFL Sunday disaster for a family member, the new season of HBO’s Hard Knocks and much more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of what I think is the single greatest scene in Sopranos history.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Had a Banner Weekend Covering the College Football Madness.
