Mike Tirico to call three Notre Dame games for NBC

NBC is wasting no time putting Mike Tirico to work in a variety of ways. He’ll step in for Dan Hicks for NBC’s first three Notre Dame broadcasts of the season, including a potentially juicy matchup with Michigan State on September 17th.

.@miketirico will call 1st three @NDFootball games on NBC. @DanHicksNBC will call last four. Doug Flutie and @KathrynTappen are back.

— Ken Fang (@fangsbites) August 30, 2016

Tirico is calling the first three due to @DanHicksNBC calling @PGATOUR FedExCup playoffs.

— Ken Fang (@fangsbites) August 30, 2016

Obviously this wasn’t NBC’s first choice for Tirico, but with Thursday Night Football off the table, it makes sense to have him serve on their prime college football property as well. It’s a credit to Tirico’s wide swath of experience that he can essentially slide in anywhere, though it’s fascinating, if unsurprising, to learn that NBC prioritizes their golf team over the Notre Dame broadcast continuity.

Notre Dame is ranked #10 in the preaseason AP poll, and they open the year Sunday night at Texas on ABC. If they make it unbeaten to the Michigan State game in a few weeks, that contest is likely going to be one of the games of the week, though it does go up against a primetime Ohio State at Oklahoma matchup on FOX.

As previously announced, Tirico will essentially be taking over from Bob Costas as on-site host for Sunday Night Football going forward, but in terms of play-by-play duties, this might be it until he takes the reins for two late December Thursday Night Football games.