Early Season TV Schedule Analysis

With all but the early season selections for the Big Ten announced, let's take a look at what the schedule appears to be.


Week 1
* If it holds true that the ABC and BTN will be able to coexist, expect one ESPN/ESPN2 game from the conference at 12pm, one reverse mirror game on ABC at 3:30pm.  The two games in play are Western Michigan at Michigan & Akron at Ohio St.  I don't see either FCS vs. Big Ten game being taken and they'll go somewhere on BTN at 12pm or 3:30pm.
* UCLA at Houston is on FSN, but the time slot was either 3:30pm or 10pm.  10pm seemed rather far fetched and now that FSN & ABC left the 3:30pm window Big 12open, maybe 10pm is possible but it really doesn't feel right.
* Minnesota at USC should end up in the ABC reverse mirror with a Big Ten game.
* East Carolina vs. South Carolina or FAU at Florida are the choices for the ESPNU 7pm game.  The other game could end up on CSS or FSN Regional.  The rest seem destined for PPV.
* Rice at Texas was selected for TV and could be the Longhorn Network game.  The Big 12 release said it was selected for TV, but no network determination was made.  I suppose if it cannot be released to LN, ABC could end up with it and put it at 3:30pm.  Could be why the window was left open and if it goes to ABC, it may affect when other schools do any PPV/regional/local telecasts in the Big 12 that weekend.

Week 2
* Big Ten should fill both ESPN/ESPN2, plus I expect Alabama-Penn St. to be national in the ABC 3:30pm slot.  The other two games should be on BTN at 12pm.
* With Alabama-Penn St. likely on ABC nationally, plus ESPN2 and ESPN individually carrying games on that day in mid-afternoon, there will not be a reverse mirror.
* The SEC could fill the 12pm ESPNU slot in addition to their 7pm weekly slot.  With two more FBS vs. SEC games, both CSS and FSN Regional should have evening games.
* FSN is free, for now, nationally after the 12pm game (Iowa-Iowa St.).  Could see at least one C-USA game plus several Pac-12 games in a regional slot. 

Week 3
* ABC will have a pair of national games at 12pm (Auburn-Clemson) and 8pm (either Oklahoma-Florida St. or Ohio St.-Miami (FL)) in addition to a regional game/reverse mirror window at 3:30pm between Texas-UCLA and a Big Ten game, likely Pittsburgh-Iowa orWashington-Nebraska.
* Whichever game ABC doesn't take for the 8pm slot will be on ESPN at 7:30pm.
* Depending on matchups, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU could carry two Big Ten games at 12pm.  West Virginia-Maryland is already in this time slot to be carried on one of those three networks.
* In addition to Syracuse-USC on either FSN or FX in the evening, I believe that Oklahoma St.-Tulsa is in the running for the FX slot.  Whomever doesn't go on FX at 8pm gets the 6:30pm FSN slot.
* Penn St.-Temple and/or Wisconsin-Northern Illinois could end up on ESPN3.com exclusively or on ESPN Regional through the MAC's tv package.
* If the Big Ten doesn't take two ESPN Networks slots at 12pm, the SEC could again take the 12pm ESPNU slot in addition to the 7pm slot.  Then the SEC could have either one or two regional cable slots in the evening.  North Texas at Alabama could also end up on PPV.
* Possible that the WAC takes a late evening ESPNU slot.

Notes
CBS will televise the SEC in primetime on October 1st and at 12pm on November 12th.  On 10/1, the SEC's ESPNU slot could be at 12pm along with any regional cable games...The Big East and Big 12 will not have any network television games from their TV contracts during the 1st three weeks of the season...ESPN should have the reverse mirror in week one and week three...All Big 12 games the final two weeks of the season will be televised on either ABC (Texas-Baylor & Oklahoma-Oklahoma St.), ESPN (Texas-Texas A&M), FSN (Iowa St.-Kansas St., Missouri-Kansas, Texas Tech-Baylor) and F/X (Iowa St.-Oklahoma)...ESPN will have two Saturday sublicense windows for the Big 12 remaining after selecting BYU-Texas.

Finally, the remaining F/X football schedule.  All times Eastern.

9/3 - Oklahoma at Tulsa, 8pm
9/10 - Nevada at Oregon, 3:30pm
9/17 - Syracuse at USC or C-USA, 8pm
9/24 - Oklahoma at Missouri, 8pm
10/1 - Big 12, C-USA or Pac-12, TBA
10/8 - Big 12 or C-USA, TBA
10/15 - Big 12 or C-USA, TBA
10/22 - Big 12, C-USA or Pac-12, TBA
10/29 - Big 12, C-USA or Pac-12, TBA
11/5 - Big 12, C-USA or Pac-12, TBA
11/12 - Big 12, C-USA or Pac-12, TBA
11/19 - Big 12 or C-USA, TBA
11/26 - Iowa St. at Oklahoma, 8pm
12/2 - Big 12 or C-USA Championship Game, TBA