HBO confirms Penn State, Wazzu -- but no Alabama -- for ’24/7 College Football’ series

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Back in mid-August, it was reported that HBO had lined up four Power Five programs as part of a Hard Knocks-style series that is set to air this coming college football season, including Alabama along with Arizona State, Penn State and Washington State. Wednesday, HBO confirmed that the latter three schools will indeed be involved, although it’ll be Florida, not Alabama, representing the SEC in what is being called a Docu-Reality series by the channel.

No Nick Saban? Bummer. All-access to Mike Leach? Yes, please! With the added bonus of Herm Edwards? A thousand times, yes!!!

From HBO’s release:

Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the voice of HBO Sports’ Emmy® award-winning documentaries and the 24/7 and HARD KNOCKS franchises, this four-part, limited college football series will document the lives of head coaches Dan Mullen (Florida), James Franklin (Penn State), Herm Edwards (Arizona State) and Mike Leach (Washington State), players, assistant coaches and more over one week during the regular season. 24/7 COLLEGE FOOTBALL will run for four consecutive weeks in October, beginning WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2 (10:00 p.m. ET/PT) with an hour-long special spotlighting the Florida Gators. The series is a collaboration between HBO Sports and Lucky 27 Media and Sport & Story.

“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,” said executive producer Rick Bernstein 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.”

Below is the schedule released by HBO, so set your recordings accordingly:

Episode 1: Florida Gators
Debut date: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Chronicles Week Leading Up to Florida vs. Towson (Sept. 28)

Episode 2: Penn State Nittany Lions
Debut date: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Chronicles Week Leading Up to Purdue @ Penn State (Oct. 5)

Episode 3: Arizona State Sun Devils
Debut date: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Chronicles Week Leading Up to Washington State @ Arizona State (Oct. 12)

Episode 4: Washington State Cougars
Debut date: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Chronicles Week Leading Up to Colorado @ Washington State (Oct. 19)