Saturday Night Football
ESPN Saturday Night Football on ABC is a 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. The ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football coverage began in 2006, as both ESPN and ABC are owned by The Walt Disney Company. It is ESPN's biggest game of the week, and in most cases, the city and/or campus of that night's game is where that day's ESPN College GameDay had originated.
, the primary broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit, with Maria Taylor as sideline reporter, with Tom Rinaldi joining the crew on some Saturday nights. Kevin Negandhi and Mark Sanchez host the studio halftime show, and Cassidy Hubbarth hosts the brief “Ford Wrap-Up” post-game shows. 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. Only Indiana has not appeared on Saturday Night Football. All BCS and Power 5 conferences have appeared on Saturday Night Football, as the Southeastern Conference has had its teams featured in 13 non-conference games. Boise State, Temple, UConn, UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, 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 to non-conference games, especially 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".
As of the 2016 college football season, all games on ABC are broadcast in the 16:9 letterbox format on both the SD and HD feeds.
As ESPN has signed new contracts with various conferences to produce college football coverage, the network has begun branding its coverage of select conferences to which it has rights. This branding was first seen on SEC broadcasts in 2011, which became the "SEC on ESPN". ACC broadcasts followed suit in 2012 becoming the "ACC on ESPN". In 2018, the network started branding games aired on ABC as the "ACC on ABC", even though the ACC on ESPN logo is still used for replay wipes. Similarly, all Pac-12 games broadcast under the branding of "Pac-12 on ESPN" or as the "Pac-12 on ABC". In 2016, a new contract brought conference branding to Big Ten telecasts as well, which air on both ESPN and ABC. While Big Ten games that air on ESPN cable channels are branded as the "Big Ten on ESPN", games airing on ABC are now branded as the "Big Ten on ABC". While the program is still officially part of ESPN College Football which is reflected when talent appears on screen, the Big Ten on ABC logo and branding is used for intro, program IDs, and replay wipes. Similarly, because of the new ESPN-Big 12 deal, games featuring teams from the Big 12 will appear on the network under the "Big 12 on ESPN" or "Big 12 on ABC" brand, with replay wipes having the Big 12 on ESPN brand logo. Similarly, with the American Conference, games with teams from the American will appear under the "American Conference on ESPN" or "American Conference on ABC" brand. This is the first time any regularly schedule sporting event outside of the National Spelling Bee has carried any ABC branding since 2006.
The Advocare Classic became 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, in 2015 and in 2016. In 2017, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game served as the opening game for Saturday Night Football, while the Advocare Classic featuring the Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators aired in the 3:30 ET timeslot. In 2018, the Camping World Kickoff served as the Saturday Night Football season premiere. The Advocare Classic, between the 2017 ACC Runner-Up Miami Hurricanes and LSU Tigers, aired the next night in primetime, as it served as the Sunday Night Kickoff game presented by NHTSA. The Advocare Classic will return to Saturday Night Football in 2019, with the Oregon Ducks facing the Auburn Tigers, for the first time since the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game, in which Auburn won 22-19.
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; and Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
- *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, 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; and Erin Andrews or Lisa Salters, sideline reporter.
- *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; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
- *Twelve games: Michigan–Alabama, Notre Dame–Michigan State, Clemson–Florida State, Wisconsin–Nebraska, Nebraska–Ohio State, Florida State–Miami, Notre Dame–Oklahoma, Oklahoma State–Kansas State, Notre Dame–Boston College, Stanford–Oregon, and Notre Dame–USC.
- Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Chris Spielman, analyst; and Quint Kessenich, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Baylor–Texas.
- Brad Nessler, play-by-play; Todd Blackledge, analyst; and Holly Rowe, sideline reporter.
- *One game: Texas–Kansas State.
2013
- Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Kirk Herbstreit, analyst; and Heather Cox, sideline reporter.
- *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, Michigan-Ohio State
- 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, Penn State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma State, Clemson-Boston College, Cincinnati-UCF, Notre Dame-USC, Clemson-Pittsburgh
- 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 reporter.
- *Thirteen games: Auburn–Oregon, 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, sideline reporter
Schedules
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 10 | Series Premiere of Saturday Night Football |
| September 9 | #1 Ohio State 24 | #2 Texas 7 | |
| September 16 | #19 Nebraska 10 | #4 USC 28 | |
| September 23 | #12 Notre Dame 40 | Michigan State 37 | Split-national |
| September 23 | #3 USC 20 | Arizona 3 | Split-national |
| September 30 | #1 Ohio State 38 | #13 Iowa 17 | |
| October 7 | #11 Oregon 24 | #16 California 45 | Split-national |
| October 7 | #22 Nebraska 28 | Iowa State 14 | Split-national |
| October 14 | #4 Michigan 17 | Penn State 10 | Split-national |
| October 14 | Arizona State 21 | #3 USC 28 | Split-national |
| November 4 | #18 Oklahoma 17 | #21 Texas A&M 16 | Split-national |
| November 4 | #23 Virginia Tech 17 | Miami 10 | Split-national |
| November 4 | UCLA 24 | #10 California 38 | Split-national |
| November 11 | #4 Texas 42 | Kansas State 45 | Split-national |
| November 11 | #18 Wake Forest 30 | Florida State 0 | Split-national |
| November 18 | #17 California 9 | #4 USC 23 | |
| November 25 | #6 Notre Dame 24 | #3 USC 44 | |
| December 2 | #19 Nebraska 7 | #8 Oklahoma 21 | Big 12 Championship Game |
2007 schedule
''ABC did not air games on either September 8 or October 13 due to broadcasts of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| September 1 | #15 Tennessee 31 | #12 California 45 | |
| September 15 | #1 USC 49 | #14 Nebraska 31 | |
| September 22 | Washington State 14 | #1 USC 47 | Split-national |
| September 22 | Iowa 13 | #9 Wisconsin 17 | Split-national |
| September 29 | #1 USC 27 | Washington 24 | |
| October 6 | #4 Ohio State 23 | #23 Purdue 7 | Split-national |
| October 6 | Notre Dame 20 | UCLA 6 | Split-national |
| October 20 | #24 Michigan 27 | Illinois 17 | |
| October 27 | #1 Ohio State 37 | #24 Penn State 17 | |
| November 3 | Florida State 27 | #2 Boston College 17 | Split-national |
| November 3 | Texas A&M 14 | #5 Oklahoma 42 | Split-national |
| November 3 | Oregon State 3 | #13 USC 24 | Split-national |
| November 10 | #5 Kansas 43 | Oklahoma State 28 | Split-national |
| November 10 | #8 Boston College 35 | Maryland 42 | Split-national |
| November 10 | #12 USC 24 | #24 California 17 | Split-national |
| November 17 | #3 Oklahoma 27 | Texas Tech 34 | |
| November 24 | #3 Missouri 36 | #2 Kansas 28 | Border Showdown |
| December 1 | #9 Oklahoma 38 | #1 Missouri 17 | Big 12 Championship Game |
2008 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 | #24 Alabama 34 | #9 Clemson 10 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Split-national |
| August 30 | Michigan State 31 | California 38 | Split-national |
| September 13 | #5 Ohio State 3 | #1 USC 35 | |
| September 20 | #3 Georgia 27 | Arizona State 10 | |
| September 27 | #22 Illinois 24 | #12 Penn State 38 | Split-national |
| September 27 | Virginia Tech 35 | Nebraska 30 | Split-national |
| October 4 | #14 Ohio State 20 | #18 Wisconsin 17 | Split-national |
| October 4 | #23 Oregon 10 | #9 USC 44 | Split-national |
| October 18 | #11 Missouri 31 | #1 Texas 56 | |
| October 25 | #3 Penn State 13 | #10 Ohio State 6 | |
| November 1 | #1 Texas 33 | #6 Texas Tech 39 | |
| November 8 | #8 Oklahoma State 20 | #2 Texas Tech 56 | Split-national |
| November 8 | #21 California 3 | #7 USC 17 | Split-national |
| November 15 | Boston College 27 | #20 Florida State 17 | Split-national |
| November 15 | #11 Oklahoma State 30 | Colorado 17 | Split-national |
| November 22 | #2 Texas Tech 21 | #5 Oklahoma 65 | |
| November 29 | #3 Oklahoma 61 | #11 Oklahoma State 41 | |
| December 6 | #19 Missouri 21 | #4 Oklahoma 62 | Big 12 Championship Game |
2009 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 12 or October 17 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| September 5 | #5 Alabama 34 | #7 Virginia Tech 24 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game |
| September 19 | Texas Tech 24 | #2 Texas 34 | |
| September 26 | Iowa 21 | #5 Penn State 10 | |
| October 3 | #8 Oklahoma 20 | #17 Miami 21 | Split-national |
| October 3 | #7 USC 30 | #24 California 3 | Split-national |
| October 10 | Michigan 28 | #12 Iowa 30 | |
| October 24 | #3 Texas 41 | Missouri 7 | Split-national |
| October 24 | Oregon State 36 | #4 USC 42 | Split-national |
| October 31 | #4 USC 20 | #10 Oregon 47 | Split-national |
| October 31 | #3 Texas 41 | #13 Oklahoma State 14 | Split-national This marked the first time that the "reverse mirror" was used in primetime |
| November 7 | Connecticut 45 | #4 Cincinnati 47 | Split-national |
| November 7 | #20 Oklahoma 3 | Nebraska 10 | Split-national |
| November 7 | #12 USC 14 | Arizona State 9 | Split-national |
| November 14 | Notre Dame 22 | #8 Pittsburgh 27 | Split-national |
| November 14 | Texas Tech 17 | #17 Oklahoma State 24 | Split-national |
| November 21 | #11 Oregon 44 | Arizona 41 | Split-national |
| November 21 | Kansas 20 | #3 Texas 51 | Split-national |
| November 28 | Notre Dame 38 | Stanford 45 | Split-national |
| November 28 | Georgia 30 | #7 Georgia Tech 24 | Split-national |
| December 5 | #3 Texas 13 | #21 Nebraska 12 | Big 12 Championship Game |
2010 schedule
ABC did not air games on either September 11 or October 16 due to broadcasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| September 4 | #21 LSU 30 | #18 North Carolina 24 | Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game |
| September 18 | #6 Texas 24 | Texas Tech 14 | Split-national |
| September 18 | Notre Dame 31 | Michigan State 34 | Split-national |
| September 25 | #24 Oregon State 24 | #3 Boise State 37 | |
| October 2 | #9 Stanford 31 | #4 Oregon 52 | Split-national |
| October 2 | Notre Dame 31 | Boston College 13 | Split-national |
| October 9 | #23 Florida State 45 | #13 Miami 17 | Split-national |
| October 9 | USC 35 | #16 Stanford 37 | Split-national |
| October 23 | #3 Oklahoma 27 | #18 Missouri 36 | |
| October 30 | #1 Oregon 53 | #24 USC 32 | Split-national |
| October 30 | #10 Ohio State 52 | Minnesota 10 | Split-national |
| November 6 | #13 Arizona 17 | #10 Stanford 42 | Split-national |
| November 6 | #14 Missouri 17 | Texas Tech 24 | Split-national |
| November 13 | #12 Oklahoma State 33 | Texas 16 | Split-national |
| November 13 | Clemson 13 | Florida State 16 | Split-national |
| November 13 | USC 24 | #18 Arizona 21 | Split-national |
| November 20 | #9 Nebraska 6 | #18 Texas A&M 9 | Split-national |
| November 20 | Florida State 30 | Maryland 16 | Split-national |
| November 20 | #20 USC 7 | Oregon State 36 | Split-national |
| November 27 | #14 Oklahoma 47 | #10 Oklahoma State 41 | Split-national |
| November 27 | Notre Dame 20 | USC 16 | Split-national |
| December 4 | #10 Oklahoma 23 | #13 Nebraska 20 | Big 12 Championship Game |
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, expect in Big 12 markets, where it aired on ABC.
| Date | Away | Home | Notes |
| September 3 | #3 Oregon 27 | #4 LSU 40 | Cowboys Classic Cowboys Stadium |
| September 17 | #1 Oklahoma 23 | #5 Florida State 13 | |
| September 24 | #2 LSU 47 | #16 West Virginia 21 | |
| October 1 | #8 Nebraska 17 | #7 Wisconsin 48 | |
| October 8 | Ohio State 27 | #14 Nebraska 34 | |
| October 22 | Texas Tech 41 | #3 Oklahoma 38 | Split-national |
| October 22 | #22 Washington 21 | #7 Stanford 65 | Split-national |
| October 29 | #4 Stanford 56 | #20 USC 48 | Split-national |
| October 29 | #6 Clemson 17 | Georgia Tech 31 | Split-national |
| November 5 | #17 Kansas State 45 | #3 Oklahoma State 52 | Split-national |
| November 5 | Notre Dame 24 | Wake Forest 17 | Split-national |
| November 12 | #6 Oregon 53 | #3 Stanford 30 | |
| November 19 | #18 USC 38 | #4 Oregon 35 | Split-national |
| November 19 | #5 Oklahoma 38 | #25 Baylor 45 | Split-national |
| November 26 | #22 Notre Dame 14 | #4 Stanford 28 | |
| December 3 | #13 Oklahoma 10 | #3 Oklahoma State 44 |
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 |
| September 15 | #20 Notre Dame 20 | #10 Michigan State 3 | |
| September 22 | #10 Clemson 37 | #4 Florida State 49 | |
| September 29 | Wisconsin 27 | #22 Nebraska 30 | |
| October 6 | #21 Nebraska 38 | #12 Ohio State 63 | |
| October 20 | #12 Florida State 33 | Miami 20 | Split-national |
| October 20 | Baylor 50 | #25 Texas 56 | Split-national |
| October 27 | #5 Notre Dame 30 | #8 Oklahoma 13 | |
| November 3 | #24 Oklahoma State 30 | #2 Kansas State 44 | |
| November 10 | #4 Notre Dame 21 | Boston College 6 | |
| November 17 | #13 Stanford 17 | #1 Oregon 14 | |
| November 24 | #1 Notre Dame 22 | USC 13 | |
| 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 | |
| September 14 | #21 Notre Dame 31 | Purdue 24 | |
| 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 | |
| October 19 | #5 Florida State 51 | #3 Clemson 14 | |
| October 26 | Penn State 14 | #4 Ohio State 63 | |
| November 2 | #7 Miami 14 | #3 Florida State 41 | |
| November 9 | #24 Notre Dame 21 | Pittsburgh 28 | |
| November 16 | #5 Stanford 17 | USC 20 | |
| November 23 | #4 Baylor 17 | #12 Oklahoma State 49 | |
| November 30 | #22 UCLA 35 | #23 USC 14 | |
| December 7 | #22 Duke 7 | #1 Florida State 45 | 2013 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 |
| September 13 | Tennessee 10 | #4 Oklahoma 34 | |
| September 20 | #22 Clemson 17 | #1 Florida State 23 | |
| 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 | |
| October 25 | #13 Ohio State 31 | Penn State 24 | |
| November 1 | Illinois 14 | #16 Ohio State 55 | Split-national |
| November 1 | Oklahoma State 14 | #9 Kansas State 48 | Split-national |
| November 8 | #14 Ohio State 49 | #8 Michigan State 37 | |
| November 15 | #3 Florida State 30 | Miami 26 | |
| November 22 | USC 20 | #9 UCLA 38 | |
| November 29 | #2 Oregon 47 | Oregon State 19 | |
| December 6 | #4 Florida State 37 | #11 Georgia Tech 35 | 2014 ACC Championship Game |
2015 schedule
2016 schedule
2017 schedule
2018 schedule
2019 schedule
2020 schedule
Standings
Nielsen ratings
Series high: 14.6 million viewers ; Series low: 2.368 million viewersSeasonal
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 | 15 | Saturday 8:00 | August 31, 2019 | December 7, 2019 | 2019–2020 | TBD | TBA |
| 15th | 14 | Saturday 8:00 | September 5, 2020 | December 5, 2020 | 2020–2021 | 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 2013, 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.