then was the sports anchor for KDFW-TV. During this time, he also appeared on ESPN as a studio analyst on the College GameDay and College Football Scoreboard programs. James worked with Lee Corso, who gave him the nickname "Mustang Breath". In 1996, James joined CBS, where he served as a studio analyst on College Football Today as well as The NFL Today programs before becoming a game analyst on NFL on CBS. During his CBS stint, he served as a reporter during the NCAA men's basketball championship as well as the 1998 Winter Olympics. In 2003, James moved to ABC. He served as a studio analyst on the network's college football coverage through the 2008 season. James also appeared as an analyst on ESPN's Thursday-night package as well as other college football programs such as College Football Live. He then teamed with Mike Patrick and sideline reporter Heather Cox as game analyst for the 2009 season, working ESPN on ABC Saturday afternoon broadcasts, while still working the Thursday-night package. On December 19, 2011, James announced that he was leaving ESPN to run for the United States Senate. James operates his own broadcasting school, the Craig James School of Broadcasting. James said in 1998 that the Wisconsin Badgers were "the worst team to ever play in the Rose Bowl," but Wisconsin went on to defeat #6 UCLA 38–31 in the 1999 Rose Bowl. Afterward, Badgers coach Barry Alvarez fired back: "Well, I know we're at least the second worst." James is a voter in the AP college football poll, and has received some attention and criticism for his reported tendency to award low votes to teams from outside the Power Five conferences, such as Boise State and TCU. On August 30, 2013, Fox Sports Southwest announced that it had hired James as a college football analyst and co-host of the network's college football studio show. On September 2, after only one appearance, the network abruptly cut ties with James before he had formally signed a contract. Reportedly, Fox Sports officials were displeased that James' hire had not been vetted. Additionally, The Dallas Morning News reported that Fox Sports officials were upset with statements against same-sex marriage that James had made during his Senate run. On February 25, 2014, the First Liberty Institute filed suit on James' behalf against Fox, claiming that he was fired for his religious beliefs. Also in 2014,