TIRICO TO DO THURSDAY NFL PLAY-BY-PLAY

Mike Tirico is replacing Al Michaels as the playby-play announcer for Thursday night NFL games this season. The NFL needed to approve the switch because its contract with NBC calls for the top broadcast team to do Thursday games. NBC has those games from Nov. 9 through the end of the year after CBS handles the first portion of the schedule. Michaels still will do Sunday night games with Cris Collinsworth as analyst. Tirico joined NBC last year from ESPN, where he handled Monday Night Football play by play.

ESPN has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with Lee Corso, the 81-year-old star of College GameDay. Corso joined ESPN in 1987 and has been part of the popular college football Saturday pregame show ever since. His headgear game predictions, offthe-cuff analysis and signature line — “Not so fast, my friend” — have endeared him to generations of fans.