College Football on TBS was the presentation of the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) cable channel's regular season college football television package.
TBS became the first cable station to nationally broadcast college football live when it began airing games during the 1982 season. The games were aired under a special "supplemental" television contract with the NCAA. ESPN followed later the same year, starting with a simulcast of the Independence Bowl match-up between Kansas State and the University of Wisconsin on December 11, 1982, which was the first college football game shown live on ESPN.
When TBS (or WTBS as it was officially known at the time) first broadcast college football in 1982, they aired a package of live Division I-AA games on Thursday night and Division I-A games on Saturday. games. WTBS was only able to show teams that had not been on national television in 1981. There were a maximum of four teams that had been on regional television on two occasions. Meanwhile, ABC and CBS had the right to take away a game from WTBS as long as it did so no later than the Monday before the game. Bob Neal and Tim Foley were the booth commentators for WTBS during this period. Meanwhile, Craig Sager, Paul Hornung and Pepper Rodgers anchored the pregame show for WTBS.
By 1984, WTBS started (primarily) carrying SEC games.
TBS dropped college football after the 1992 season and left the field for several years. However, it again broadcast college football games from 2002–2006, showing Big 12 and Pac-10 matchups. These were broadcast on the network as part of a sublicensing agreement with Fox Sports Net, who is the national cable partner for both conferences. TBS' coverage was originally known as Big Play Saturday, but this was dropped before the final season. The network aired two games a week for the first four seasons of the contract but dropped to one for some weeks during the final season.
Nickelback's (featuring Kid Rock and Dimebag Darrell) 2003 cover of Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" was used as the theme song for TBS' Saturday Night College Football telecasts. In the show's open, the song is accompanied by a drumline and cymbalists, while clips of the two teams playing the night's featured game are interspersed throughout.
TBS would also use the NFL on TNT theme c. 1997 for their Carquest/MicronPC.com Bowl and Senior Bowl coverage and their Saturday Night College Football coverage from 2002-2003.
1982
Sept. 4: TBASept 11: TBASept 18: TBASept 25: TBAOct 2: TBAOct 9: TBAOct 16: TBAOct 23: TBAOct 30: TBANov 6: TBANov 13: TBANov 20: TBANov 27: TBA1983
Sept 3: TBASept 10: TBASept 17: TBASept 24: TBAOct 1: TBAOct 8: Tennessee 20, LSU 6 at TennesseeOct 15: TBAOct 22: TBAOct 29: South Carolina 31, NC State 17 at South CarolinaNov 5: Kentucky 17, Vanderbilt 8 at VanderbiltNov 12: Ole Miss 13, Tennessee 10 at TennesseeNov 19: LSU 20, Tulane 7 at TulaneNov 26: TBA1984 SEC Full Package begins
Sept 1: TBASept 8: LSU 21, Florida 21 at FloridaSept 15: Georgia Tech 16, Alabama 6 at Georgia TechSept 22: Kentucky 30, Tulane 26 at TulaneSept 29: Auburn 29, Tennessee 10 at AuburnOct 6: TBAOct 13: Georgia 18, Ole Miss 12 at GeorgiaOct 20: Georgia 62, Vanderbilt 35 at GeorgiaOct 27: Georgia 37, Kentucky 7 at KentuckyNov 3: TBANov 10: Florida 27, Georgia 0Nov 17: Florida 25, Kentucky 17 at KentuckyNov 24: Ole Miss 24, Miss State 3 at Miss StateDec 1: Tennessee 29, Vanderbilt 13 at Vanderbilt1985
Sept 7: TBASept 14: Georgia 17, Baylor 14 at GeorgiaSept 21: Florida State 19, Memphis State 10 at FSUSept 28: Alabama 40, Vanderbilt 20 at VanderbiltOct 5: TBAOct 12: Auburn 59, Florida State 26 at AuburnOct 19: Tennessee 16, Alabama 14 at AlabamaOct 26: Georgia 26, Kentucky 6 at GeorgiaNov 2: LSU 14, Ole Miss 9 at Ole MissNov 9: Vanderbilt 31, Kentucky 24 at VanderbiltNov 16: Tennessee 34, Ole Miss 14 at TennesseeNov 23: Tennessee 42, Kentucky 0 at KentuckyNov 30: Tennessee 30, Vanderbilt 0 at TennesseeNov 30: Georgia Tech 20, Georgia 16 at Georgia Tech1986
Sept 6: Alabama 42, Vanderbilt 10 at AlabamaSept 13: Miss State 27, Tennessee 23 at TennesseeSept 20: Florida State 10, North Carolina 10 at FSUSept 27: Michigan 20, Florida State 16 at MichiganOct 4: Georgia 14, Ole Miss 10 at GeorgiaOct 11: TBAOct 18: Georgia 38, Vanderbilt 16 at GeorgiaOct 25: Georgia Tech 14, Tennessee 13 at Georgia TechNov 1: Alabama 38, Miss State 3 at Miss StateNov 8: Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 22 at KentuckyNov 15: Tennessee 22, Ole Miss 10 at Ole MissNov 22: Ole Miss 24, Miss State 3 at Ole MissNov 29: Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 24 at Georgia1987
Sept 5: Miami 31, Florida 3 at MiamiSept 12: Tennessee 38, Miss State 10 at Miss StateSept 19: Florida 23, Alabama 14 at AlabamaSept 26: Auburn 20, Tennessee 20 at TennesseeOct 3: Tennessee 38, California 12 at TennesseeOct 10: TBAOct 17: LSU 34, Kentucky 9 at LSUOct 24: Georgia 17, Kentucky 14 at GeorgiaOct 31: TBANov 7: Georgia 23, Florida 10Nov 14: TBANov 21: TBANov 28: TBA1988
Sept 10: Auburn 20, Kentucky 10 at AuburnSept 17: LSU 34, Tennessee 9 at TennesseeSept 24: South Carolina 23, Georgia 10 at So. CarolinaOct 1: Alabama 31, Kentucky 27 at KentuckyOct 8: Ole Miss 22, Alabama 12 at AlabamaOct 15: Vanderbilt 24, Florida 9 at VanderbiltOct 22: Kentucky 16, Georgia 10 at KentuckyOct 29: LSU 31, Ole Miss 20 at LSUNov 5: Georgia 26, Florida 3Nov 12: LSU 20, Miss State 3 at Miss StateNov 19: TBANov 26: Georgia 24, Georgia Tech 3 at Georgia1989
Sept 2: Southern Miss 30, Florida State 26 in JacksonvilleSept 2: Ole Miss 24, Florida 19 at FloridaSept 9: TBASept 16: Georgia 15, Baylor 3 at GeorgiaSept 23: Alabama 15, Kentucky 3 at AlabamaSept 30: Alabama 20, Vanderbilt 14 at VanderbiltOct 7: TBAOct 14: Georgia 35, Vanderbilt 16 at VanderbiltOct 21: TBAOct 28: Tennessee 45, LSU 39 at LSUNov 4: Alabama 23, Miss State 10 at AlabamaNov 11: Georgia 17, Florida 10Nov 18: Auburn 20, Georgia 3 at GeorgiaNov 25: TBADec 2: Tennessee 17, Vanderbilt 10 at Tennessee1990
Sept 1: TBASept 8: Tennessee 40, Miss State 7 at Miss StateSept 15: Florida 17, Alabama 13 at AlabamaSept 22: Vanderbilt 24, LSU 21 at VanderbiltSept 29: Florida 34, Miss State 21 at FloridaOct 6: TBAOct 13: Ole Miss 28, Georgia 12 at GeorgiaOct 20: TBAOct 27: Florida State 27, LSU 3 at FSUNov 3: Alabama 22, Miss State 0 at Miss StateNov 10: Florida 38, Georgia 7Nov 17: Florida 47, Kentucky 15 at KentuckyNov 24: Tennessee 42, Kentucky 28 at TennesseeDec 1: Georgia Tech 40, Georgia 23 at Georgia1991
Sept 7: TBASept 14: Tennessee 30, UCLA 16 at TennesseeSept 21: Tennessee 26, Miss State 24 at TennesseeSept 28: Florida 29, Miss State 7 at Citrus BowlOct 5: Southern Miss 10, Auburn 9 at AuburnOct 12: TBAOct 19: LSU 29, Kentucky 26 at KentuckyOct 26: Georgia 49, Kentucky 25 at GeorgiaNov 2: Alabama 13, Miss State 7 at AlabamaNov 9: TBANov 16: Georgia 37, Auburn 27 at GeorgiaNov 23: Tennessee 16, Kentucky 7 at TennesseeNov 30: TBAGary BenderChip CaraySkip CarayKevin HarlanVerne LundquistBob NealLindsey NelsonRon ThulinPete van Wieren - After joining TBS Sports in 1975, he covered the Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League, Big Ten Conference college football games on TBS, the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Falcons NFL pre-season football.Trev AlbertsCharles DavisArchie GriffinPat HadenPaul HornungTim FoleyMark MayAlan PageTom RanseyDave RoweSam WycheErin Andrews - She worked as a studio host for Turner Sports from 2002–04, covering the Atlanta Braves and college football for TBS and Atlanta Thrashers and Atlanta Hawks for Turner South.Marc FeinCraig Sager - Sager reported from the sideline for TBS' Pac-10/Big 12 college football coverage from 2002 to 2006. He also served as the sideline reporter for the 50th annual Delchamps Senior Bowl from Ladd Memorial Stadium in Mobile, AL, and the 1998 and 2000 Micron PC Bowl, formerly known as the Carquest Bowl.Kevin ChristopherMarc FeinErnie Johnson, Jr.Craig SagerBrian BosworthPaul HornungPepper RodgersList of Champs Sports Bowl broadcasters (1995 (December)-2000)List of Gator Bowl broadcasters (1993-1994)List of Insight Bowl broadcasters (1989-1991)List of Outback Bowl broadcasters (1983-1986)
