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Rece Davis' comment on College GameDay didn’t sit well with the Pac-12

ESPN's Rece Davis gave a playful nod to The CW during College GameDay.
Patrick Previty|
Rece Davis
Rece Davis | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ESPN's Rece Davis gave a playful nod to The CW during Saturday's College GameDay, promoting No. 18 South Florida at No. 5 Miami by saying that the broadcast was "probably the biggest thing to happen to The CW since Gilmore Girls."

The CW has become a central distribution partner for the Pac-12's rebuild and a growing player in college sports. In August, the conference (now centered on Oregon State and Washington State before planned expansion) extended its partnership with The CW through 2030-31. This season, CBS, The CW and ESPN are splitting Pac-12 home games. The CW is still carrying the majority share of Pac-12 football though, with nine of the league’s 2025 home dates. They also carried 11 Pac-12 games last season.

Beyond the Pac-12, The CW’s sports footprint has began to grow. The network now holds a 50-game annual package of ACC football and basketball through 2026-27. They also added the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting in 2025 and carries LIV Golf, among others.

The new ACC package brings The CW one of the best games of the weekend in No. 5 Miami vs No. 18 USF. On the call is Thom Brennamen and Will Blackmon. Brennaman agreed with the sentiment saying," this[USF vs Miami] is without a doubt the biggest game we have had in our infancy at CW Sports."

Notable college football games in CW history

  • Washington State 41, Oregon State 38 (Nov. 23, 2024) — CW’s most-watched CFB game last year (695k). The wild finish capped the Pac-12’s two-team season.
  • Washington State 54, San José State 52 (2OT, Sept. 20, 2024) — It was an instant classic in Pullman where the game was decided in double-OT. It was also one of CW’s top-3 CFB audiences in 2024.
  • Oregon State 39, Colorado State 31 (2OT, Oct. 5, 2024) — The Beavers survived two goal-line stands the matchup also ended among CW’s top-3 CFB audiences.

Most watch CW sporting events

  • NASCAR Xfinity Series — Phoenix (Mar. 2025): brought in about 1.2M viewers which was up 13% year-over-year.
  • NASCAR Xfinity — Pocono (June 2025): 1.12M people tuned in for the most-watched Pocono Xfinity race since 2020. 
  • NASCAR Xfinity — Martinsville (Spring 2025): 1.01M watch and it was the first time since 2017 the series topped 1M in five of the first seven events.
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Patrick Previty
PATRICK PREVITY

In addition to writing for On SI, Patrick is also a site expert for Canes Warning and has previously written for outlets such as Betsided, Orlando Magic Daily and Southbound and Down. He serves as a sideline reporter for ESPN+, covering UCF athletics and the Big 12 Conference. In 2024, he hosted a live, on-site UCF football pregame show that aired on ESPN+. Patrick has interviewed numerous figures in the college sports world, ranging from players to UCF’s athletic director. Recently, he traveled to Mobile, Ala., to cover the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he spoke with multiple NFL Draft prospects. Patrick also hosts coverage of the Orlando Magic for Digest Media on YouTube and has become one of the leading voices on the team in the region. Patrick also helps run the social media department for The Voice of College Football Network, focusing on breaking news and digital storytelling. Patrick previously spent time at CNN in the sports department, where he assisted with CNN’s World Sport show and Bleacher Report updates for morning programming. Hailing from the Tampa Bay Area, Patrick is a lifelong fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning, Orlando Magic and UCF Knights.

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