Kathryn Tappen, Todd Blackledge and Noah Eagle ready to host ‘Big Ten Saturday Night’

When Noah Eagle travels to work the first week of the college football season, he’ll do so as efficiently as possible, putting all he needs into a carry-on bag for the trip to Beaver Stadium for one of the more high-profile debuts in college football history.

With Eagle as the lead play-by-play talent, NBC and Peacock will unveil “Big Ten Saturday Night,” giving the Big Ten Conference — which opens the season with three teams among the first seven in the Top 25 — a dedicated weekly prime time game for the first time in its 127-year history. Seventh-ranked Penn State plays host to West Virginia in the opening game Sept. 2.

Eagle, analyst Todd Blackledge and sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen serve as the on-air team for the broadcasts. It’s a combination of talent and experience — as well as veteran travelers — for a season that begins in University Park, Pa., and initially includes visits to College Park, Md., and West Lafayette, Ind., with many more destinations to be announced as the season progresses.

While Eagle opens this season in the same place that he ended last year’s regular season (the press box at Beaver Stadium), it’s a higher-profile assignment as the No. 1 guy for a network investing heavily into college football ($350 million per year) than it was working in a play-by-play role for FS1.

People will be watching.

“Prime time always feels bigger. When you’re growing up, when you’re a kid and you get to stay up for a game at night, you know it’s special,” Eagle said. “Those are the moments and memories that stick with you forever. As a broadcaster, you know when it’s a big game, too. I’m excited about that part, no doubt.”

Eagle, 25, was the lead radio voice for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers the past four years. He’s called everything from the NFL (including the popular annual game on Nickelodeon) to college football, the Olympics, tennis and pickleball, earning a reputation as a well-prepared pro.

He’s the son of longtime network play-by-play man Ian Eagle and he’s shaken his family’s assessment as an “overpacker.” While he likes to have some shoes and watches to keep his look on point and offer variety, he’s learned to be practical while traveling the country the past few years.

Conversely, Blackledge, 62, who’s been working college football games, and doing it well, longer than Eagle has been alive, still checks a bag when he travels. He carries a backpack with notes and some personal items, but that’s about it.

“I check a bag, which I kind of hold my breath every week because I put my suit in there, but for the most part during the fall it works out OK,” Blackledge said. “The biggest thing is you need to know what to take with you. All my work stuff is in my backpack or my bag I have with me.”

Blackledge generally trusts the airline folks to do their jobs — just as viewers trust him to do his.

By joining NBC, Blackledge has worked for every major network, usually for that network’s top college football team. If he was not officially on the No. 1 team, his work often proved worthy of that spot.

His contract with ESPN ended after last season and NBC was ready with its pitch. Blackledge said the opportunity resonated and, even though he was not planning to move, the network’s vision got him excited. Blackledge’s presence and voice will make games feel familiar for longtime college football viewers. His enjoyment of college football, preparation and a relaxed-yet-informative approach have been a consistent part of his career.

“I’ve been so many great places. I will definitely miss going to LSU and doing a night game in Baton Rouge. I’ll miss Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. All those places are just fantastic,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to going to other places — Madison (Wisconsin) and Nebraska, even when they have not been so successful.”

Tappen, who has been with NBC Sports since 2014, has worked as a sideline reporter for “Sunday Night Football,” host and sideline reporter of Notre Dame football, and covered the Olympics, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Playoffs and more.

She’s a former student-athlete and Academic All-America selection at Rutgers in track and field and cross-country, at one time holding a Big East Conference record for the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She grew up in Morristown, N.J., and has a grandfather who graduated from Penn State.

When folks in the industry knew NBC would be getting part of the Big Ten package, Tappen let people know she wanted to be involved.

“I was very vocal in my interest, and I absolutely love college football, love the traditions around it,” she said.

College football provides challenges for a sideline reporter, though, and this season will be different for Tappen from when she held the same role during NBC’s coverage of Notre Dame for eight seasons from 2014 to 2021. The Fighting Irish were her exclusive focus then. With the Big Ten, which will be up to 18 teams next season, there will be some initial unfamiliarity with coaching and medical staffs — often key sources of information for a sideline reporter.

Tappen’s not worried. “By nature everything in my life I do is competitive, and there’s always a story to be told,” she said. “My biggest worry is we want the fans to love us. This is a very educated fan base.”

For her, shoes are one of the most important parts of travel. Comfortable shoes make life on the sidelines easier. And, honestly, she’ll be exposed to the weather all season long — something Eagle and Blackledge can mostly avoid — so her packing and preparation process sometimes changes a lot from week to week based on the weather.

No matter the attire or travel plans, the broadcast team’s humility might serve it best this season. While Eagle talks about being a “point guard” and “team player,” Blackledge emphasizes “chemistry” and Tappen consistently references a team approach.

“I think chemistry is extremely important and an attentive fan watching can tell whether a duo or trio has chemistry or not. I think it comes through over the air,” said Blackledge, who was an All-American quarterback, Academic All-American and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting as Penn State won the 1982 national championship. “I know I’m in a very visible role and I’m going to try to get everybody involved. That’s from my play-by-play partner to the people pulling cables or holding the parabola mic.”