ESPN's Matt Millen making switch to colleges

Coming off a tough run as president of the Detroit Lions, Matt Millen is back in the broadcast booth, where he won’t be criticized for his team’s win-loss record.

Millen was with the Lions for eight years, helping turn them into the worst team in NFL history. After he was fired three games into last season, the Lions became the first team to go 0-16.

Broadcasting is a much different story. Following his 12-year NFL career as a linebacker, Millen earned excellent reviews as an NFL game analyst with Fox and CBS. He was a straight-shooter who did a good job of explaining the game.

ABC will introduce him to college football Sept. 5, when he broadcasts the Georgia-Oklahoma State game with play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough and sideline reporter Holly Rowe.

Millen, who is also an NFL studio analyst for ESPN and a commentator on the NFL Network’s Thursday night games, said he is excited about broadcasting college games.

"The thing that hasn’t changed, I’ve never lost my love for any kind of football,” Millen said this week in a conference call. "I’ve never done college football. I know the venues are completely different. I know the enthusiasm that is at the games, the electricity that is at the games. It’s just a completely different show. I’m looking forward to that.”

An All-American defensive tackle at Penn State, Millen has followed the college game closely as he evaluated players for the Lions.

"I always look forward to watching the guys getting better week to week, regardless of what level it’s at,” he said.