Remote patrol: NBC has best college football duo on best game of the year

It has been 38 years since Notre Dame, then ranked No. 4, beat top-ranked Miami in South Bend in the famous “Catholics vs. Convicts” game, an all-time clash in college football history.

The longtime rivals will reprise that meeting Saturday, with No. 1 Miami visiting No. 11 Notre Dame (6:30 p.m., NBC 5, 780-AM). NBC will give it big-game treatment with an expanded pregame show and a sideline reporter for each team.

But where NBC differentiates itself is in the booth, where Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge form the best TV duo in college football, despite their 36-year age gap (Eagle is 29, Blackledge is 65). In fact, it’s believed to be the biggest between regular partners in major sports.

It hasn’t hurt them one bit. Eagle likely has learned from his father, Ian, who has called basketball with Bill Raftery for decades, defying their 25-year gap. Eagle and Blackledge work great together and sound more like they’re contemporaries than from different generations.

White Sox ratings

The Sox’ stunning season meant huge ratings for Chicago Sports Network, another reflection of how the team captured fans’ attention.

On CHSN’s linear and streaming platforms, Sox games averaged 84,800 viewers per game, a major-league best 168% increase from last year and the team’s biggest audience since 2022. That audience grew throughout the season, with games in August and September averaging 112,000 viewers, a 78% increase from March, April and May.

The 2022 season followed a playoff season. Barring a lockout, another increase could be in the offing. With the Bulls and Blackhawks struggling, CHSN really needs a baseball season.

They said it

“NHL on TNT” studio analyst Paul Bissonnette had lots of company tearing into the Blackhawks on Wednesday. Jay Zawaski took his turn on CHGO’s postgame show. “You heard Jeff Blashill say after the Avalanche game, ‘Well, when you take the emotions of the score out of it, it was actually a really good game.’ F that. You suck. You're the worst team in hockey.”