Chris Fowler will not call a single USC football game through Nov. 18 (maybe longer)
The arrival of Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles seemed to suggest that USC football would become a destination program for the top announcers and announcing crews in college football. Number one in the sport: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit of ABC/ESPN.
Chris Fowler is the current voice of college football. He has the call for the national championship game each year. Fowler, the longtime host of ESPN College GameDay who also has been an emcee for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, has taken the baton from Brent Musburger as the main voice of the sport. Musburger took the torch from the late, great Keith Jackson.
When Lincoln Riley went to USC, the smart money said that Fowler would call a few Trojan games in 2022, and the Oct. 15 USC-Utah game was on the list. Guess what?
ESPN picked Clemson-Florida State for Oct. 15. Fox gets USC-Utah.
Let’s explain why Fowler might not call a USC game at all this regular season, and definitely not at any point through Nov. 18:
USC VS RICE
This game was on Pac-12 Network. Fowler did not call it.
USC VS STANFORD
Rece Davis called this game with Herbstreit, not Fowler, who was calling the U.S. Open women’s singles final on Sept. 10.
USC VS FRESNO STATE
This was a Fox game with Noah Eagle and Mark Helfrich.
USC VS OREGON STATE
This was a Pac-12 Network game. Listen to our podcast and a hilarious (and sad) story about one man’s attempt to find the game on TV.
USC VS ARIZONA STATE
Dave Flemming and Rod Gilmore had the call for this game on ESPN.
USC VS WASHINGTON STATE
This will be a Fox game. No Fowler.
USC VS UTAH
With Fox picking up this game, Fowler will call Clemson-Florida State.
USC WEEK 8 (OCT. 22)
The Trojans are idle this week.
USC VS ARIZONA
It is highly doubtful that Fowler will call this game. Arizona is not especially good. Oct. 29 games better than this one include Ohio State-Penn State, Kentucky-Tennessee, and Oklahoma State-Kansas State. Fowler will probably call Ohio State-Penn State.
USC VS CAL
Fowler is not going to call a Cal game. We don’t have to seriously explore that possibility.
USC VS COLORADO
This is a Friday night game on Fox Sports 1.
USC VS UCLA (NOV. 19)
This is where things get interesting. If UCLA beats Utah and/or Oregon, this could be a Fowler game. However, the Bruins have to pass those tests first.
The big obstacle for Fowler calling this game is that Nov. 19 is the date of the Utah-Oregon game, which is more likely to be the ESPN/ABC primetime game.
USC VS NOTRE DAME
If Notre Dame has four losses coming into this game on Nov. 26, would Fowler call it? Also, the TV assignment for this game has not been settled. ESPN and Fox might wrestle with the decision here. If USC is 10-1 and not 9-2, this game becomes a much bigger deal.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
We would need to see if USC makes this game in December, and then we would need to know which team is playing the Trojans. What are the stakes for this game? Chris Fowler might not call a single USC game in this regular season. Sports are weird.
