BCS Broadcasts Likely Returning to ESPN/ABC in 2011

Like a lost little puppy finding its way home -- or maybe not -- BCS bowl broadcasts appear likely to change hands from Fox to ESPN/ABC after the 2010 season.

From SportsBusiness Daily via Dr. Saturday via EDSBS:

The BCS is considering a proposal from ESPN that would see all BCS bowl games, including the championship game, wind up on ESPN, sources familiar with the negotiations are saying.
[...]
Sources say Fox still has another five days to accept the BCS' proposal, which is seeking about a 50% annual increase over the current deal's $82.5 million annual fee. The BCS is looking for a four-year, $500 million deal, which would put the average annual payout at around $125 million.

Fox has proposed a 25% increase, which would average a little more than $102 million per year. Though Fox still has several days to match, insiders say it is not likely to increase its bid by enough.

If this goes through, I couldn't be happier. Fox's BCS broadcasts, a toned down but still entertaining Matt Vasgergian aside, have been unanimously awful. They don't get college football and for all the money invested in such a high profile product, don't seem all that ambitious upon improving. Meanwhile ESPN diligently invests and expands its college football product.

This BCS contract is pure business, but from an emotional point of view, ESPN is due.

College football will never be as polished and slick as the NFL, but having a network that doesn't participate in the regular season carry the majority of the best bowl games is embarrassing particularly when that network throws a mostly NFL cast of characters into its broadcast. Jimmy Johnson won championships at Miami but everyone knows he's an NFL guy. Eddie George won a Heisman Trophy at Ohio State but the NFL also seems to be where his heart is.

College football fans pick up on that, and it adds to Fox's eroded credibility to carry those BCS broadcasts. It has made business sense for them before, but is a slap in the face to college football fans. Hopefully ESPN picks up the rights this time around and Fox can go back to the drawing board or consider adding some parent network regular season college broadcasts to sharpen its game and give it some real credibility with college football fans the next time around.

There is also this interesting nugget to ponder:

Nowadays most everyone has cable so this isn't a big deal, but most of us are old enough to remember the days before cable television and to think that the Rose Bowl could ever be on something other than a traditional network is still a bit foreign and amazing.