In tonight's (Dec. 4) back-to-back Big Ten Network debuts of "Expert Opinion with Graham Spanier," the host and his guests discuss two current controversies in sports: sports gambling and college football rankings.
In the first show, "Sports Gambling," which debuts in a prime time slot at 10 p.m. Eastern time on the Big Ten Network, Penn State President Graham Spanier and his guests discuss the economic and social implications that gambling has on sports, athletes and the public at large. Experts on the show are Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling; Randy Sealby, a former college and NFL football player and a special agent with the FBI who led the Northwestern point-shaving case investigation; and Mike Ryan, a former problem gambler.
The sports gambling edition of "Expert Opinion" debuts at 10 p.m. Eastern time tonight, and is scheduled to re-air at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, and 11 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, on the Big Ten Network. Watch a preview at /video/171827/2013/02/09/video-no-title online.
The second show, which debuts immediately following the "Sports Gambling" show, tackles the topic of the current college football rankings system, its impact, significance, fairness and accuracy. Spanier, the show's host, sits on the presidential oversight committee of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). He welcomes to the show Barry Alvarez, athletic director at the University of Wisconsin; Steve Hatchell, president and CEO of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, formerly Big 12 Commissioner and executive director of the Orange Bowl; and Malcolm Moran, director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State and the University's Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society.
The "College Football Rankings" edition of the show debuts at 11 p.m. Eastern time on the Big Ten Network. The football rankings show is scheduled to re-air at 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, and 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18. Watch a preview of the football rankings show here.