It's official: HBO 'Hard Knocks'-style college show to follow Florida, Penn State, Arizona State and Washington State
A college football show similar to the wildly popular HBO NFL series “Hard Knocks” is now official.
HBO announced a four-episode run of “24/7 College Football” that will begin on Oct. 2. The series will focus one episode on each of Florida, Penn State, Arizona State and Washington State in that order.
The first episode will feature Florida’s preparations for its Sept. 28 game against Towson. It’s the first time that HBO’s 24/7 series, which began in 2007, has followed college football teams.
“For many years, we have been enamored with the storylines and unrivaled traditions of college football, and we’re excited for the opportunity to expand the 24/7 franchise into the realm of college sports,” HBO executive producer Rick Bernstein said in a statement.
“Viewers will feel the tremendous electricity of some of the best atmospheres in the country, and see the meticulous preparation and challenges facing these programs in the build-up to gameday and during the game action. We are excited for the challenge of delivering a four-part series of four different college programs over a four-week period with the production values and storytelling associated with our 24/7 franchise.”
Washington State, which had previously confirmed its involvement in the series, will be in two of the show’s episodes. The Arizona State episode will chronicle the Sun Devils and their prep for the Oct. 12 game between ASU and WSU. Washington State’s episode will focus on the Cougars’ preparation for an Oct. 19 game against Colorado.
Penn State’s Oct. 9 episode will chronicle the team in the week before playing Purdue on Oct. 5. Given that the final three episodes are all about conference games, the Florida episode prepping for an FCS opponent seems like it could be the weakest of the bunch unless the Gators lose in a stunning upset.
Either way, the series overall should be better than the most recent season of “Hard Knocks.” Given all of the drama that involved the Oakland Raiders in the leadup to the 2019 regular season, many viewers thought “Hard Knocks” was a letdown.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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