The Powers That Be: Daily Portnoy Gets Benched & Lee Corso’s Last Call
Aug 28, 2025
John Ourand, a sports media expert from Puck and host of The Varsity podcast, joins to explore the college football scene as the season kicks off. They discuss the buzz around Lee Corso's final appearance on College GameDay and how the evolving attention economy is reshaping sports coverage. The conversation touches on the controversial hiring of Dave Portnoy by Fox and the professionalization of college athletics, including Bill Belichick's surprising move to UNC. Expect insights into fan engagement and the rising popularity of North Carolina football.
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Weeklong College Football Windows
- Thursday night and other non-Saturday windows expanded after networks chased strong ratings from select big games.
- What began as rare scheduling now stretches college football across most days of the week.
Corso's Entertainer-First Legacy
- Lee Corso built his role as an entertainer first, prioritizing crowd interaction over X's-and-O's analysis.
- That entertainment-first model is increasingly what networks seek to capture viewer attention in college football coverage.
Portnoy Hired To Create Noise
- Fox signed Dave Portnoy to gin up interest for its Big Noon Kickoff show and draw a younger online audience.
- Portnoy's presence produced controversy and social-media buzz around the Ohio State-Texas weekend.