ESPN2 has NASCAR commitments at 3pm, so I think they'll try to squeeze in two SEC games on the channel. In addition to that, I believe ESPN will use one of the rumored two SEC priority picks that they have from CBS as part of CBS taking LSU-Alabama last year as a 2nd night game.
Also, the Pac-12 schedule is somewhat light. I believe the Pac-12 Network will choose 2nd after FOX. Since the schedule is light, I believe ESPN will pass on a selection for this week and will double up in future weeks, especially since I believe ESPN will take the four Thursday night games plus at least the Washington-California Friday night game, plus one of the Black Friday games.
Thursday
Rutgers at USF (ESPN) 7:30pm (confirmed)
Friday
Washington St. at UNLV (ESPN) 9pm (confirmed)
Saturday
TCU at Kansas (FX) 12pm
Wake Forest at Florida St. (ESPN/ESPN2) 12pm (confirmed)
Navy at Penn St. (ESPN/ESPN2) 12pm
Western Kentucky at Kentucky (ESPNU) 12pm
UL-Lafayette at Oklahoma St. (FSN) 12pm
Northern Illinois at Army (CBS Sports Network) 12pm (confirmed)
Massachusetts at Michigan (BTN) 12pm
Boston College at Northwestern (BTN) 12pm
Eastern Michigan at Purdue (BTN) 12pm
Bethune-Cookman at Miami (FL) (ESPN3) 12pm (confirmed)
FAU at Georgia (SEC Network) 12pm
Connecticut at Maryland (ACC Network) 12:30pm (confirmed)
Furman at Clemson (ACC RSNs) 3pm (confirmed)
BYU at Utah (Pac-12 Net) 3pm
Portland St. at Washington (Pac-12 Net) 3pm
Florida at Tennessee (CBS) 3:30pm
California at Ohio St. (ABC/ESPN RM) 3:30pm
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh (ABC/ESPN RM) 3:30pm
Houston at UCLA (FX) 3:30pm
Virginia at Georgia Tech (ESPNU) 3:30pm (confirmed)
East Carolina at Southern Miss (CBS Sports Network) 3:30pm
Western Michigan at Minnesota (BTN) 3:30pm
Arkansas St. at Nebraska (BTN) 3:30pm
Northern Iowa at Iowa (BTN) 3:30pm
Charleston Southern at Illinois (BTN) 3:30pm
Miami (OH) at Boise St. (NBC Sports Network) 4pm (confirmed)
FIU at UCF (Bright House Sports) 4pm
Middle Tennessee at Memphis (CSS) 4:15pm
Texas at Ole Miss (ESPN2) 6pm
South Alabama at NC State (ESPN3) 6pm (confirmed)
Texas A&M at SMU (FSN) 7pm
UL-Monroe at Auburn (ESPNU) 7pm
UAB at South Carolina (SEC/FOX RSNs) 7pm
North Texas at Kansas St. (FOX College Sports) 7pm
NC Central at Duke (ESPN3) 7pm (confirmed)
Mississippi St. at Troy (ESPN3) 7pm
Presbyterian at Vanderbilt (PPV or Local) 7pm
Idaho at LSU (SEC/CSS) 7:30pm
Alabama at Arkansas (ESPN) 7:45pm
Notre Dame at Michigan St. (ABC) 8pm (confirmed)
USC at Stanford (FOX) 8pm
Colorado at Fresno St. (CBS Sports Network) 8pm (confirmed)
Ball St. at Indiana (BTN) 8pm (confirmed)
Utah St. at Wisconsin (BTN) 8pm (confirmed)
Arizona St. at Missouri (ESPN2) 9:15pm (confirmed)
South Carolina St. at Arizona (Pac-12 Net) 10pm
Tennessee Tech at Oregon (Pac-12 Net) 10pm
6 comments:
Sorry, but I see no chance of BYU at Utah being on Pac-12 Network. You have no Pac-12 home game picked up that week by ESPN Networks, and it should be noted that ESPN has picked up that game every year that Mtn didn't have it. In all honesty expect BYU at Utah to be a Saturday afternoon on ABC/ ESPN game. I don't see it being on any network outside of FOX or ESPN Networks.
The problem is...several-fold.
- Pac-12 has according to an article by Bud Withers of the Seattle papers in an interview with Pac-12 Networks exec Gary Stevenson, either 1st of 2nd pick in each of the 1st seven weeks of the season.
- ABC only has rights to two Pac-12 games each year going forward, and they have to be national on ABC, at least that's what the Pac-12 told me. Mid-afternoon is virtually impossible most weeks while ESPN/ESPN2 have NASCAR duties and whichever one isn't carrying NASCAR is committed to the Reverse Mirror of the Big Ten game at 3:30pm
- Unlike weeks one & two, there were almost too many games to choose from for the Pac-12. This its what would be the average number for the rest of the year, but with three FCS games mixed in.
Sorry, its my opinion that if the choice came down to Houston-UCLA or BYU-Utah with the Pac-12 choosing on the 2nd overall pick for the week, BYU-Utah gets chosen because its a more interesting game.
Also, since I guess there is some concern, as I understand it the Pac-12 retains all copyrights to games going forward like the SEC does, so if BYU wants to replay this on BYUtv, they have to negotiate with the Pac-12 regardless of the network that airs it. The SEC has the same which is why on some days, you can see the ESPN broadcast of an SEC game on CBS Sports Network and vice versa with an CBS game replayed on ESPNU.
I wasn't worried about BYUtv re-air rights. I realize that most conferences retain the replay rights, which is why BYU doesn't have digital rights to BYU at Ole Miss last year but does have TV replay rights to BYU at Ole Miss. At the same time I know the Pac-12 is willing to work with BYU. When BYU approached them about airing the BYU at Oregon State game last year, they said it would be fine if the got a neutral color man (Mike Lamb) and then used the Fox music and graphics (which they did outside of the 1st down line on the field).
I agree that BYU at Utah is more interesting, but I also know that ESPN will fight tooth and nail for it, possibly even exchanging another future game for the right to air it. Name one actual elite game that ESPN or FOX hasn't gotten when they want it and have a contract with that conference (outside of Auburn- Alabama)? ESPN has reserved the rights to BYU/ Utah every year they had the rights with ESPN Plus and then aired it on ESPN2 most of the years (They've also admitted the games that were on ESPN+ would have been on ESPNU had they had it back then). If they want it, they'll get it, and I see no way ESPN doesn't want BYU/ Utah when it is always in there top 50 games of the year in terms of ratings.
No early season kickoff times from the SEC yet. We usually get some by the SEC spring meetings.
We can probably start filling in blanks for the 9/15. Based on the link from Dial Global Sports, it appears Ark-Bama will be the 3:30pm CBS game. Based on ESPN3's upcoming schedule for that day, the following time slots are open:
ESPN 6pm EST
ESPN2 7:45EST
ESPN 9:15 EST
UF-Tenn, Texas-Ole Miss, and ASU-Mizzou all fit neatly into those three time slots.
FYI, it appears ESPN3 no longer allows you to look as into their reserved time slots for sept. You can no longer look beyond Aug 26th.
I think ESPN2 on 9/15 is 7pm. Maybe 6:45pm since BYU-Utah is at 10pm ET.
ESPN PR is probably prepping releases for their full season of CFB timeslots along with their announcer pairings for those who are into that.
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