Andrews, who left ESPN for FOX in 2012, applauded her network for their classy rivalry move.
Erin Andrews, the veteran Fox Sports sideline reporter, applauded her network for their classy move in the rivalry with ESPN.
FOX and ESPN have been battling for viewers for year, but in recent years, the rivalry has heated up, especially when it comes to college football. ESPN's "College GameDay" had no real competition for the first 25-plus years of its program. However, in 2019, FOX launched "Big Noon Kickoff," a clear competitor in the college football pregame show market. FOX has been investing more and more into its pregame show, hiring Dave Portnoy in a move that many in sports media saw as a direct response to ESPN's success with Pat McAfee.
The rivalry continued in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, with both college football pregame shows heading to Columbus, Ohio ahead of the Ohio State vs. Texas game.
Andrews, a Florida native who worked at ESPN from 2004 until 2012, is known for covering the NFL. However, she's kept a close eye on college football. Andrews attended the University of Florida, where she was a Gators dancer, and has often expressed a love for the sport.
Specifically, Andrews has a special place in her heart for Lee Corso. Andrews is a major fan of the now-retired ESPN "College GameDay" analyst. Andrews praised FOX for their move in the rivalry with ESPN in Week 1.
Saturday, August 30 was Corso's final show on ESPN. Corso, who first started making mascot headgear picks in 1996, made his final pick that Saturday morning. He went with Ohio State to beat Texas.
FOX actually showed Corso's final headgear pick live on the air, moving away from their own pregame show, with features the likes of Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and Reggie Bush.
Corso ultimately went 6 for 6 with his picks on his final show.
Andrews praised FOX for their classy move. She made it clear that she's a huge fan of Corso.
"During my time at ESPN, my relationships were really important to me with those guys," Andrews told On3. "Coach was always so sweet. I still have his voicemail he left when I left ESPN to go to Fox. He was just a great guy. I mean, he still is a great guy. He just was somebody that is so special."
FOX ended up showing Corso's final pick 18 seconds before ESPN did, as both networks celebrated his 38-year career.
"But I think when I sat back and I watched Chris Fowler come back and sit with Kirk Herbstreit and just talk about their time together, and then you saw the Ohio State band write out Corso," Andrews said. "He's impacted all of our lives. If you are a massive college football fan, he is a huge part of our game. He is our game. I just thought the sendoff was so perfect, and I was really, really proud of our network for showing that as well. I just thought that was so sweet. And for somebody, I've played on both sides, I've played on ESPN and Fox, I was very proud that we did that."
Both FOX and ESPN posted big TV ratings in their Week 1 debuts for 2025.
The rivalry will continue this weekend, as ESPN's "College GameDay" heads to Knoxville, Tennessee, while FOX's "Big Noon Kickoff" will head to Evanston, Illinois.