Sports Illustrated College Football Experience Presented by Nissan Kicks Off This Saturday with Miami-Ohio State Matchup

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sports Illustrated College Football Experience presented by Nissan kicks off its 10-game nationwide tour on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, at the highly-anticipated rematch of the 2002 BCS Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Miami Hurricanes. This program, developed with the support of Nissan, spotlights the biggest games of the 2010 college football season by creating compelling opportunities for fans to engage with players, coaches and the game-day experience through Sports Illustrated print, digital, mobile, social and Live Event channels.  

"This Tour will bring the Sports Illustrated DNA to life of college campuses around the country and this year will be our most ambitious and exciting program to date. We are activating new social and mobile platforms and fans will have the opportunity to meet the legends of the game, Heisman Trophy winners, college football legends and Sports Illustrated writers in a state-of-the-art technological environment," said Kim Kelleher, Sports Illustrated Group, Vice President Global Sales.

The 2010 tour will make stops at Ohio State, the University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Alabama, Penn State University, Auburn University, the University of Oregon, Texas A&M University and in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. At each stop, Sports Illustrated will construct a state-of-the-art interactive environment featuring a giant LED wall, the Sports Illustrated Trivia Quiz, the Heisman Trophy, and more. Fans will have the opportunity to meet college football legends such as two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, Ohio State's national champion quarterback Craig Krenzel, College and Pro Hall of Famer Bobby Bell, 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne and many more. Sports Illustrated senior writer Dan Patrick will appear at three events during the season, including USC at Minnesota (9/18), Georgia at Auburn (11/13) and the SEC Championship Game (12/4/10).

As part of the Experience, Sports Illustrated Presents has produced Originals, a 92-page tribute to Heisman Trophy winners and all-time greats comprised of the work by current and former SI writers such as John Underwood, Alex Wolff, Grant Wahl, Roy Terrell and Sally Jenkins.  Originals will be distributed free to hundreds of thousands of fans across the country at the Experience and in stadiums.

In conjunction with the 2010 Tour, Sports Illustrated will debut "Just Askin,'" a new social media platform on SI.com which allows fans to submit questions for Sports Illustrated's pregame interviews of players and coaches during the featured game on the tour. The most popular questions will be asked by Sports Illustrated's Maggie Grey with the interviews appearing on SI.com's video channel in the days leading up to the game. For the first week, fans have submitted questions for SI's interview with Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel. Week 2 will feature USC quarterback Matt Barkley.  Look for JagTags embedded in Sports Illustrated "Inside College Football" columns which will unlock exclusive "Just Askin'" video content.

Each stop also creates an opportunity for fans to experience the all-new Nissan Juke and Maxima, as they get a hands-on look at the 2011 cars. This is the fourth-year of Sports Illustrated's partnership with Nissan.  

There's a natural affinity between college football and Nissan – where power and intelligence go hand-in-hand with a spirit of innovation," said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Marketing, Nissan Division.  "We're proud to support the new season and to have an opportunity to showcase products like the exciting new Nissan JUKE to college football fans across the country."

The 2010 Sports Illustrated College Football Experience presented by Nissan schedule:

About the Sports Illustrated Group: The Sports Illustrated Group's award-winning journalism powers a media company that includes Sports Illustrated, SI.com, Golf Magazine, Golf.com, SI Golf Plus, SI Presents, SI Kids, SI International, SI Books, SI Mobile, SI Swimsuit, SI Social, consumer products and Live Media. Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated was named to Adweek's list of the media industry's hottest brands.

About Nissan:

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com.

SOURCE Sports Illustrated