Big Ten media rights negotiations are getting closer to being completed. The results could mean a minimum of $1.25 billion annual distribution for the conference’s soon-to-be sixteen members. One of the bidders in the process, NBC, has an interesting idea to make the Big Ten the “NFL of college football conferences.”

NBC has reportedly pushed the idea of combining Big Ten broadcasts with its existing Notre Dame coverage and would feature the Big Ten in its primetime window. With CBS, ESPN/ABC also bidding on coverage packages, such a series of deals would make the Big Ten the only college football conference that would be seen across all of the American broadcast networks. Something only few entities have done, like the NFL.

NBC is also pushing the allure of having primetime Big Ten football on Saturday night and primetime coverage of Sunday’s only NFL evening game with Sunday Night Football.

“The Big Ten would have exposure in every TV home,” said one source to Front Office Sports. “It would also be a smart idea to follow the model of the most successful sports league in America.” 

The Big Ten’s current media rights deals expire after the 2023 season.

ESPN has announced the newest member of the College GameDay show for this football season and it’s Jess Sims.

Sims is a very popular Peloton instructor and a sports reporter. According to ESPN, Sims will be joining the show weekly with Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack. The show is entering it’s 36th season.

Sims played college basketball at Liberty College, then worked with the WNBA’s New York Liberty as an in-arena host and sideline reporter for the last two seasons.

“Jess is a rising star who exudes personality and energy.  We’re looking forward to her adding to the excitement surrounding College GameDay each week throughout the season – both during the show and as we engage with students and fans on every campus we visit” said Lee Fitting, ESPN senior vice president, production.

“I am so excited to join the GameDay crew because the show not only celebrates all of the on-field action, but also highlights the passionate communities that surround the games,” said Sims. “This is such a great opportunity to get back to my roots in college sports and I can’t wait to meet incredible athletes and fans and explore these campuses and cities that eat, sleep and breathe their hometown teams.”

Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis was in the unenviable task Tuesday night of announcing the death of the venerable Vin Scully, and he later detailed his thoughts from the moment to the Los Angeles Times.

“We had known for a little while that he was not doing great,” Davis said after the game. “You can kind of prepare mentally for it, I guess. But I think with anything like this — until it actually happens — you don’t really know what you’re going to say or how you’re going to say it. I just tried to do my best to pay tribute to the guy I consider the greatest ever to do it. I said on the air tonight and will say forever that there will never be another one like him. The greatest there ever has been and the greatest there ever will be.”

Davis took over for Scully after the 2016 season, and later in the game reminisced about hearing from Scully for the first. Davis had ignored two of Scully’s phone calls, before the longtime broadcaster left him a voicemail joking they’d started their relationship 0-2.

“Greatest to ever do it,” Davis said during Tuesday’s telecast on Sportsnet LA after announcing the news. “67 years as the voice of the Dodgers. As the voice of baseball. And really, will be both those things forever.”