But Brent Musburger, calling Monday night's BCS national championship game on ESPN with analyst Kirk Herbstreit, expects to take the opposite tack. "I'll be quieter than usual, won't try to over talk. I know they'll be some people who, believe it or not, won't know where Auburn is, so we'll mention it. But I think the bigger the game, the less you need an announcer. I'll just let people enjoy it."

(Meaning, the so-called Musburger drinking games that pop up on the Internet — instructing viewers how much to imbibe at Musburgerisms such as "pardner" and "folks" — might be affected. "I still kind of chuckle about those. But I won't be playing to the Musburger drinking games.")

But what about game coverage at least touching on a broader issue that seems to have largely fallen off the media radar: the allegations that Newton's father, Cecil, unsuccessfully sought money to have his son play at Mississippi State?

"You have to talk about it," says Musburger. "It's relevant because a lot of people know some of the headlines, but not the details. Obviously, we won't linger on it. But you have to talk about the investigation and how he handled the pressure and kept on going. Because it was a remarkable performance, pretty special, given all the allegations swirling around him."

Given Oregon's hurry-up offense, Musburger plans another adjustment on the game: "Pay attention to the field. If you're watching a monitor, you could lose track of a snap."