Lee Corso interview by Dave Biddle

[LightningRod]

I really don't give a hoot about ESPN's ratings. If the Buckeyes played on PBS, PBS's ratings would likewise soar. I can't imagine why Herbstreit and Corso would not want to be in Ann Arbor on 9/10. The two winningest teams in football history, the struggling Irish lead onto the field by the offensive mind of the 3 time Super Bowl champion NE Pats, the lengendary Big House, the academic pillars of college sports, the moral compass of college athletics - it's all in Ann Arbor on 9/10. Who cares if Gameday's ratings will not be as high. That will not detract from the fact that Columbus will be electric that day.

[ashlandbuck]

In a sense I do believe in a conspiracy on ESPN's part against tOSU.
I don't believe it was in any way premeditated but I do think that it is a simple case of covering one's ass. What I mean is this; ESPN's article with MoC was simply bad journalism. It was an article that was written and published with minimum investigation. The piece was obviously biased.
Instead of admitting to the nation that they were unprofessional and should not have published the article without further investigation into the facts and instead of risking their own integrety and because of the fear that the sports world may view them as being unreliable the network goes on an all smear campaign against the university to take any pressure or heat off of themselves. It's a tactic as old as mankind itself.
Hopefully in the not too distance future, Espn's monopoly on 24/7 sports will end. I'm just waiting for someone to start something that can in any way compare to their current programing. Fox tried it and failed.

[Dryden]

Originally Posted by ashlandbuck

Hopefully in the not too distance future, Espn's monopoly on 24/7 sports will end. I'm just waiting for someone to start something that can in any way compare to their current programing. Fox tried it and failed.

My sentiment exactly. There aren't too many choices after the ESPN/ABC duopoly. I can't stand a single broadcast FOX does, from the sound effects to their obtrusive scoreboard/gametracker to the announcers, everything about FOX blows.

I guess that's a credit to the greatness of this past years ALCS between the Yankees and BoSox. FOX brought out everything in their arsenal to try and destroy that series, from Tim McCarver to Jeannie Zelasko to Scooter the talking baseball to the obscenely inappropriate dialogue regarding Mariano Rivera's personal tragedy. Hell, even the guys in the production truck for the games got their licks in by playing the first few bars of "Superman's Dead" by Our Lady Peace while going away to commercial in the 1st half-inning of Game 1, despite the fact Christopher Reeve passed away the day before.

God forbid FOX ever gets rights to college football.

[LightningRod]

Fox already has the future rights to the BCS games other than the Rose Bowl.

BCS Newsroom

BCS-FOX Reach Agreement on TV Deal

November 22, 2004

FOX SPORTS AND BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES REACH MULTI-MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT

DEAL ESTABLISHES STAND-ALONE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Also Includes Television, Radio, Internet, Sponsorship & Merchandising Rights

The League Championship Series and World Series. The NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. NASCAR's Daytona 500. Clearly, FOX Sports is America's king of televised sports championships, and its crown now shines more brilliant as college football's most precious jewel moves to FOX.

FOX Sports and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) announced today that they have reached an exclusive four-year agreement covering all media distribution and sponsorship rights for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl and Nokia Sugar Bowl from 2007 through 2010, and a new, stand-alone, BCS National Championship Game from 2007 through 2009. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with FOX Sports," said Kevin Weiberg, Big 12 Commissioner and BCS Coordinator. "We very much look forward to the creative energy that the FOX team will bring to the Bowl Championship Series, and I am certain that college football fans will find that the presentation of the games will bring a new level of excitement and energy to these classic bowl contests."

"I am also pleased that we were able to successfully negotiate a television contract for the expanded BCS," added Weiberg. "The new model brings an enhanced opportunity for highly-rated teams to play in BCS games, including teams from conferences that have not had an automatic berth. This model will also showcase in a more distinct fashion the BCS National Championship Game in a unique telecast window after the BCS bowl games."

"Few sports boast the passion and pageantry of college football, and the BCS is the Mt. Everest of college football," said Peter Chernin, President & COO, News Corp. "The deal we've agreed to with the BCS will prove to be financially advantageous for all concerned."

In addition to telecast rights, the contract also covers national radio rights; Internet rights; all sponsorship rights, including naming rights, signage and virtual signage opportunities and in-game enhancements; ancillary programming on FOX and/or FSN; and a joint venture (FOX, BCS and Bowls) to identify and exploit merchandising opportunities.

"The agreement with FOX proves that the new BCS model has great market appeal," said David Frohnmayer, President, University of Oregon and BCS Presidential Oversight Committee Chair. "We look forward to our partnership with the network and joining its lineup of high-profile championship sporting events."

The addition of the BCS to FOX's already impressive array of championship caliber events comes just two weeks after the network reached a new six-year agreement to continue as television home to the NFL's NFC Sunday afternoon package, which gives FOX the next eight NFC Championship games plus Super Bowls this February and in 2008 and 2011. Existing agreements with MLB and NASCAR guarantee that the next two American and National League pennant winners and world champions will be decided on FOX, as will Daytona 500 victors in 2005 and 2007. Since 1995, over 35 champions have been crowned on FOX.

"Since our inception, FOX Sports has worked aggressively to provide our viewers the very best sports programming possible," offered FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. "Some of the nation's most dramatic and memorable sports series, games and moments over the last decade have been captured by our cameras, and described by our announcers, and I know that in years to come that the BCS will add to our legacy. We're just sorry that we'll have to wait two years for this to begin."

Over the last two years, the Fiesta, Orange, and Sugar Bowls have averaged an 11.1 household rating, which would rank the three BCS Bowls in a tie for seventh among all prime time shows this broadcast season-to-date. These games also attract audiences that are both upscale and better-educated than average, both compelling features for advertisers.

The BCS championship game, which right now is presented as the Fiesta, Orange, Rose or Sugar Bowl on a rotating basis, is one of the most powerful events in television. The last two BCS title games (the 2004 Sugar Bowl and 2003 Fiesta Bowl) averaged a 15.0/26 household rating/share. Only one show in all of prime time is averaging a better rating this season-to-date. The 15.0 for the last two BCS title games is better than the two-year averages of the NBA Finals (9.0/16), NCAA Tournament Final (11.8/19), Monday Night Football (11.5/19), the final round of the Masters (7.8/19), and the Belmont Stakes (10.4/25). An estimated 50 million Americans are expected to watch the 2005 Orange Bowl, this year's BCS championship game.

FOX and its related cable channels are not strangers to college football. FOX Sports has televised the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day since 1999. FSN has national cable rights to Pac 10 and Big 12 football, and the recently launched Fox College Sports carries over 100 games culled from FSN's owned-and affiliated regional sports networks.

Here comes FOX

[IrontonBuck]

I think it would be a huge mistake for OSU to allow Gameday in for the Texas game. I guarantee there will be many, many Buckeye fans ready to exact some revenge on ESPN with signs, profanity, and throwing of objects. It will make OSU look ugly, even though I understand why people would act that way. And, I think that ESPN deserves to be excluded for the way they have smeared OSU. As is evidenced elsewhere in this thread, ESPN has knowingly carried forward this campaign against Ohio State. They've made their bed.

[zincfinger]

Anyone see these quotes from Corso? I got them from Michigan Insiders, supposedly from the Defiance Crescent News:

On the greatest football team he's ever seen,
"What USC did to a really good Oklahoma football team was unbelievable and they absolutely destroyed them. It could have been 80 points and it was the best all-around game I’ve ever seen a team play. Some of the other teams were the Buckeyes with Archie Griffin were as good as any teams I’ve seen when I coached against them. Also the Nebraska team with Tommy Frazier when they beat Florida like 63-10, but the best was USC in the Orange Bowl this year.”

On the worst place to visit with GameDay,
“Michigan and LSU are the worst two places. Michigan because the people are so obnoxious and they don’t pay attention to the show and are ‘blue’ everything and that’s disrespectful. LSU people, they can party.”

On MoC,
“The situation was unfortunate because he tarnished a great university with great football players. This is all people want to talk about. I saw him and he had nothing to do with winning the national championship, nothing. Krenzel, defense and a great coaching job, along with a great kicker and punter, that’s why they won the title. My opinion, he has absolutely just destroyed a great football program with great players and he was not worth all the talk.”

On what to look for next fall,
“Texas and Ohio State, the winner of that game has got to be really tough to beat. USC, Oklahoma and all the same teams, but if you take a look at that Ohio State game against Texas, that is a big game for the national title.”

[HabaneroBuck]

Yeah, I saw that interview posted by TrojanWarrior, of all people. It sounds like the type of thing Corso would say in the audience of a bunch of Buckeye supporters. You have to remember the context, which was a local gathering, if the accounts are true. Not to say he doesn't believe those things, but he was laying it on thick for the home folk.

[zincfinger]

Originally Posted by HabaneroBuck

Not to say he doesn't believe those things, but he was laying it on thick for the home folk.

And doing a damn fine job of it.