The most anticipated game of Week 2 was a primetime NBC game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but unfortunately most viewers were disappointed by the performance of newly hired NBC color analyst Colt McCoy in the booth alongside Paul Burmeister.
McCoy will play a major role in NBC’s college football coverage in the Big Ten this year, as he will serve as an occasional game analyst for the network and will also be a permanent fixture on the Countdown for the Big Ten Colleges Studio show.
Saturday’s game is by far the biggest responsibility McCoy has taken on at the network, but he has experience as a commentator, commentating on the 2023 USFL on NBC.
Considering McCoy’s past as a standout college quarterback at Texas and his 12-year NFL career, one would assume he would be extremely excited to announce a matchup between Dylan Raiola and Shedeur Sanders, two of the most highly regarded quarterbacks in all of college football.
Instead, media representatives and fans alike were critical of McCoy’s performance in the locker room on Saturday and shared their complaints on social media.
“I want Colt McCoy to be excited about this game,” ESPN’s Damien Woody wrote on X.
I want Colt McCoy to enthusiastically commentate on this game!
– Damien Woody (@damienwoody) 7 September 2024
Can we get Colt McCoy a coffee? The energy is so low for this game,” wrote Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team.
Can we get Colt McCoy a coffee? The energy for this game is so low.
– Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) 7 September 2024
While some have had a problem with McCoy’s emphasis and energy in the booth, others simply seem to believe that this opportunity may have been too big a stage for him so early in his hosting career.
“NBC’s Colt McCoy could use some more experience at Colorado-Nebraska,” wrote Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
NBC’s Colt McCoy could use some more experience at Colorado-Nebraska.
– Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) 8 September 2024
“Colt McCoy…let’s just say he needs some reps,” wrote USA Today columnist Dan Wolken.
Colt McCoy…let’s just say he needs some reps.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) 7 September 2024
McCoy’s experience and knowledge of the game are obviously beyond question. When it comes to accurate game analysis, McCoy has already shown that he knows and can share high-level football information through his appearance on Underdog Fantasy, where he analyzed the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Another factor that worked against McCoy in the game was that the action itself was not particularly competitive. Nebraska led 14-0 after one quarter and 28-0 at halftime. And when the action on the field is not as competitive, it can certainly cause a novice commentator like McCoy to have some difficulties.
Maybe NBC just gave McCoy too much of a chance too early in his commentating career. But either way, it’s pretty clear that Saturday’s viewers aren’t convinced by his game analysis at this point.
