NBCSports announcing teams for 2023 B1G games; UM opener gets Mike Tirico
NBC Sports announced their B1G and Notre Dame announcing lineups today. Some of this was previously announced, but it looks like they've announced additional PBP, analysts, and sideline announcers. Ann Arbor's own Mike Tirico will be calling the UM opener vs ECU on Peacock.
Also, UM alum Nicole Auerbach is joining NBC Sports as their lead college football insider. Sounds like she'll be working their pre-game show. Auerbach currently writes for the Athletic and covers the conference on the B1G Network.
NBC SPORTS NAMES COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME ANNOUNCERS FOR 2023 SEASON ON NBC AND PEACOCK
Going to be weird watching NBC broadcast Michigan football and the team not playing ND. I always wondered what NBC college football programming was like without the subtle but recognizable ND bias.
The last time I willingly watched a game on NBC, Denard Robinson was running wind-sprints against ND and I have to say, it really looked like the Irish defense were dogging it those last few touchdowns.
Good times!!!!
I unfortunately associate U-M on NBC with the awful 2012, 2014, and 2018 games @ND.
It's all in the past buddy. 
Yes please!
Wonder if Tirico can afford the gas to get to the stadium?
I have zero problems with this. Tirico is pretty vanilla (which I don't mind), but he prepares as well as anyone. That's a good get for a streaming game.
Blech. Tirico is the classic example of a great studio host who doesn't have the voice for play-by-play, but somehow got into that role anyways.
Tirico has a good voice IMO. He’s one of the better play by play host in sports
I think Tirico and his style are more suited for golf or tennis or pickleball. If the broadcast is anything besides Tirico lulling me to sleep deep in the 3rd Q up by 28 points, I'll be sorely disappointed.
He did call Braylon's game against MSU.
I could listen to that all day.
Maybe I am old school, but the last thing I want at the stadium is the PA announcer and animated scoreboards demanding we yell and scream and get excited. Give it to me straight, and let the action, the live band, and the crowd itself generate excitement. Ditto for the home viewing experience...maybe the commentator and sideline reporter can ramp up the excitement a bit by letting us know why and how something is important. The PBP man should be pretty straight, if not vanilla.
The rare exceptions (such as Ufer) worked better on radio because there weren't the visuals and their rhetorical skills.
Not a fan of Auerbach. She's ok on BTN in small doses but when she hosts a show on ESPNU radio her voice is grating and I have to change the station. Love Tirico and Simms is annoying.
Not a fan of her either - I hope this means she's no longer gonna be on BTN's pregame show.
Tirico's likely a one-off for college football. From a PR POV, it makes sense to have him do the big "In 2023, Peacock will be broadcasting quite a few games, starting off with a Top 5 team!!!" game before he heads off to weekly NFL.
The fact that NBC other's two crews are headed by 20-somethings whose fathers are also prominent in the industry ....... legacies and a golden-engraved invitation to be among the societal elite, that's not solely for Ivy-League school admissions departments.
Agree that Tirico is likely one and done this year for B1G games. Considering he lives in AA, I wouldn't be surprised if he requested to do the first ever B1G game on Peacock featuring Michigan.
Not sure about Collinsworth (who sounds EXACTLY like his dad), but Noah Eagle has been the radio voice of the LA Clippers and has called NFL games when they've done the Nickelodean broadcasts. Collinsworth is the NBC voice of ND football so you won't need to listen to him unless you tune in to watch the Irish. Honestly it's good to establish some up and coming announcing talent with legends like Al Michaels, Bob Costas, and Jim Nantz nearing the end of their careers.
Anyone know how live sports work on Peacock? I'm on the west coast, so I usually like to DVR noon games and start watching an hour or two after kickoff, skipping the commercials. Is something like this possible, or do I have to watch live?
At least for the Premier League games I’ve watched on Peacock, you can join in progress and then rewind to start from the beginning. This usually requires muting the sound first and holding your hand in front of your face to as to not accidentally see the score. There’s no way to start the game from the beginning when it’s live, you have to just join in progress. There’s no DVR or recording. If you wait until the event is done, the game will start from the beginning.
I'm going to the @ Nebraska game.
Does anybody know or have a guess on when the game time will be announced?
I find Tirico to be a little dull, but he at least seems like a good guy. There are very few truly outstanding college football broadcasters in my humble opinion.
My biggest worry with NBC now doing games is the possibility that Harbaugh hater Chris Simms may somehow get in the booth for a broadcast. I think I've listened to him maybe twice in the studio during halftime, and that's two too many times for me. Talk about an incredible hack.
Good - he likes Michigan, and since it's not an ND broadcast, he is free to show it.
Peacock stream is for the birds. I’ll be watching the good games of the day. Highlights of the Michigan game will be good enough….I mean it’s East Carolina.
Tirico is a good guy but pretty snoozy. Nicole? No thank you.
You’re seriously not going to watch the Michigan game?
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:32 AM ^
Just realized that the Michigan - ECU game will ONLY be available on Peacock, with a premium subscription.
As someone who doesn't have a Peacock premium subscription (and doesn't want one), this is problematic, to say the least if I want to watch the game.
Same boat. I'm not pleased.
I have it because my kid is obsessed with WWE. Lucky me.
I agree but I’ll do the 7 day free trial.