College football’s 150th birthday is Wednesday, and to mark the occasion ESPN will amplify its College Football 150 celebration throughout the week.
College football’s 150 greatest games were revealed this morning, beginning a week that will include ESPN’s Monday Night Football recognising the anniversary; The American Game examining “Games of the Century”; The Greatest debating the sport’s biggest upsets; and a special ESPN CFB150 Showcase Game between MAC East Division leaders Miami (Ohio) and Ohio on the night of the anniversary, among many other elements.
The night before the sport’s birthday, ESPN will look to the immediate future, as the College Football Playoff committee’s first rankings will be revealed exclusively on ESPN Tuesday night (at approximately 9pm ET).
A blue-ribbon panel comprising 150 influential figures and minds from across the spectrum of college football have voted the 1971 Nebraska at Oklahoma contest as the greatest game in the sport’s history. The Thanksgiving showdown (November 25, 1971) saw Nebraska win 35-31, the Cornhuskers’ 30th consecutive game without a loss.
Nebraska’s match-up vs. Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl was voted the second greatest match-up ever, as the Cornhuskers and Hurricanes are represented in five of the top six games.
ESPN will air two ESPN CFB150 Showcase Games this week, beginning with Miami (Ohio) at Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m. (ESPN2) and continuing with Princeton vs. Dartmouth in a battle of Ivy League undefeated teams on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU) from Yankee Stadium.
Both games have intriguing storylines, as Ohio head coach Frank Solich enters the game with 110 conference victories, tying him for the most ever among MAC head coaches. A win on the anniversary date will make him the all-time winning coach in the conference. For the Ivy League match-up, both teams enter the game with 7-0 overall records and 4-0 conference records. Overall, this will be the 98th matchup in a series which began in 1903, with the Big Green holding an 49-44-4 all-time advantage.
On Wednesday, a special College Football Countdown (7:30 p.m. on ESPN2) precedes the MAC game. Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard is calling the game along with Matt Barrie and Holly Rowe. ESPN Senior Writer Ivan Maisel, the Editor-at-Large of ESPN College Football 150, will also join the telecast.