HBO formally announced that it will feature Washington State, Arizona State, Penn State and Florida in "24/7 College Football," an "all-access series that will air later this fall," according to Theo Lawson of the Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW. The show will be an "expansion of the network's landmark '24/7' franchise and in many ways emulates" the NFL-themed "Hard Knocks." HBO will "visit each school for a week," debuting with the Florida episode on Oct. 2, followed by Penn State on Oct. 9, ASU on Oct. 16 and WSU on Oct. 23. "Hard Knocks" narrator Liev Schreiber will also "narrate the four-part college series." Meanwhile, HBO cameras have "already made multiple trips to Pullman to gather footage and information about WSU," shooting coach Mike Leach and the team "during fall camp and returning two weeks ago" (Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW, 9/19). In Phoenix, Michelle Gardner notes HBO had a "film crew on hand for three Sun Devil practices in August" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/19). USA TODAY's Michelle Martinelli noted the four teams "originally reported to be involved included Alabama, not Florida" (USATODAY.com, 9/18).
LOOKING BEHIND THE CURTAIN: PSU coach James Franklin said that the decision was "essentially a no-brainer." The PSU players and coaches have "become accustomed to cameras and extra attention as part of The Penn State Football Story's 'Unrivaled' production." Franklin said, "It's an opportunity to get our program out there on a national scale and allow people to maybe see behind the curtain" (PENNLIVE.com, 9/18).
