ESPN's Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit commentate the Notre Dame vs BYU match from ABC and ESPN

The 2026 NCAA Division I Football Standoff comes live on Wednesday, 18 October, with the much-anticipated Notre Dame versus Brigham University (BYU) matchup. For viewers tuning in from the United States, the game is being called by the ABC and ESPN lead commentator team on ABC (USA) alongside the ESPN Unlimited feed, which will be broadcast from a dedicated booth. For British and international audiences, the parallel coverage runs through the BYU Radio channel, with the broader BYU Sports Nation Game Day and ESPN College GameDay programmes offering additional angles on the same matchup.

The main commentators on the ESPN side are Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, returning once more as the lead team alongside reporter Holly Rowe. This 2026-27 season marks their 13th year in the booth and their 30th year as college football teammates, a partnership that began in 1996 on College GameDay. Chris Fowler is a 2024 Sports Emmy nominee, while Kirk Herbstreit is a five-time Sports Emmy winner, and together they have called every College Football Playoff National Championship game to date.

What's new in the booth

Kirk Herbstreit has been asked to weigh in on the Notre Dame quarterback, CJ Carr, and the game he is calling with Chris Fowler. In a recent comment on the programme, Kirk Herbstreit described Notre Dame's schedule ahead of this game as "an embarrassment", adding that he found the matchup unfair to BYU. This kind of candid sideline commentary has become a hallmark of the team's coverage, and it will be interesting to see whether the game itself lives up to expectations once the first player takes the mic.

BYU's own coverage

Because the game is being played at BYU, the university's own broadcasting team is front and centre. On BYU Radio, the programme is presented by Jason Shepherd, a longtime BYU sports broadcaster who has been described as the "Voice of the Cougars" alongside Greg Wrubell. Jason Shepherd has been part of BYU's sports coverage for years, and the pair have fronted a Voice-over program that lets them keep engaging with "Cougar Nation" between games.

The main commentator on the BYU Radio channel is Greg Wrubell, who has served as the Voice of the Cougars for some time. In 1992, Paul James invited Greg Wrubell to join the BYU Cougars football radio team, where he began as a sideline reporter for football and men's soccer. A heart attack meant that Paul James missed a few basketball games during the 1996-97 season, which allowed Greg Wrubell to move from the sidelines into play-by-play and eventually become a full-time player on the team.

Extra programmes and punditry

Beyond the main channels, the BYU Sports Nation Game Day programme adds its own presenters and pundits, including presenter Dave McCann, pundit Blaine Fowler, and pundit Brian Logan, with reporter Spencer Linton rounding out the lineup. Meanwhile, the ESPN College GameDay programme brings its familiar studio talent, with presenter Rece Davis alongside pundits Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and Nick Saban.

The Notre Dame Radio Network channels the opposing side of the field, with presenter Johnny Soper, main commentator Tony Simeone, co-commentator Mike Golic, and former official Matt Austin providing their own play-by-play. This dual-channel approach means viewers can follow both teams' perspectives throughout the match.

When and where to watch

The Notre Dame versus BYU game goes live at 00:30 UK time on Wednesday, 18 October 2026. British viewers should tune in overnight, with the ABC and ESPN feeds on ABC (USA) and ESPN Unlimited offering the main American coverage, while the BYU Radio, BYU Sports Nation Game Day, ESPN College GameDay, and Notre Dame Radio Network channels round out the picture. For background on the BYU side of things, the Wikipedia page for Greg Wrubell provides useful context on the Voice of the Cougars and his years in the booth.

Article generated: 17 October 2026, 00:37 GMT