Tuesday, May 20, 2014

A few FOX Cable CFB items

* Quick PSA: A few college basketball scheduling items are starting to trickle out and more will come out in July.  I haven't put a link to it on the main page, but you can go here to look at what has been scheduled or confirmed so far.

* Last year, FOX Sports 1 had nineteen Big 12, eleven Pac-12 and four C-USA on Saturdays.  34 total games.  After looking at last year, I think they can still get close to that number, but they'll be working around a few more live event conflicts.

Last year, FS1 slotted most of their games into four hour telecast windows, allowing for filler in between games to show highlights, analysis, etc.  They did have a few programming commitments to honor besides college football last year, like the NASCAR Truck Series, UFC and the occasional sportscar racing.

MLB is a newer, bigger wrench when you plug it in at least once a week through September and the likelihood of postseason games to be played on the network.

I have attempted to document the conflicts here.  I do not have any possible MLB postseason conflicts listed as MLB does not confirm their postseason schedule until early September.  For the 2013 season, FOX released their tentative college football telecast schedule in June, but the schedule did change during the season.

(The other week, I mentioned that I thought the Tudor United SportsCar series race from Austin on 9/20, racing at around 1pm-3:50pm ET, would possibly be on FOX Sports 1 and could cause the network not to air any early afternoon college football.  Well, forget about that, because the NASCAR Truck Series already has a race scheduled for that afternoon with race programming starting at 1pm ET.)

Four items are tentatively known on the FS1 schedule
  • Per Old Dominion beat writer Harry Minium, ODU ran an advertisement at their spring game noting that the Friday night game vs. Middle Tennessee on 9/26 would air on FS1.
  • I have been able to find five of CBS Sports Network's seven Division II Thursday night games.  One of them conflicts with the Arizona at UTSA game on 9/4.  To me, that means FS1 will air the UTSA game.
  • CBSSN is also showing a pair of games from the Paradise Jam on 11/21, followed by Air Force at San Diego St.  That should mean that the UTEP at Rice game will air on a FOX platform, probably FOX Sports 1 since they are not known to be any other events that evening.
  • UTSA at Houston was moved from ESPNEWS to ESPNU on 8/29.  By doing that, I think it closes the door on an ESPN platform carrying the Colorado St.-Colorado game, unless it airs on ESPNEWS, which I'm told is not an option.  That should allow for the Rocky Mountain Showdown to air on FS1.
    • Side note: That should also put the UNLV-Arizona game on the Pac-12 Networks and the Bowling Green-Western Kentucky game on CBS Sports Network.

Some other dates worth looking at 
  • 9/20 - The afternoon is blocked by NASCAR & MLB.  FOX could end up doing a Big 12/CUSA-Pac-12 doubleheader, if they do two games.  Either way, I think they'll carry a Pac-12 game late.  Whether they carry a Big 12 or C-USA game before that depends on if ABC carries a Big 12 game at 3:30pm ET as there are only two Big 12 games to choose and only one intraconference game (Oklahoma-WVU).  FOX carries MLB on their broadcast network in the afternoon and could end up putting a Big 12 game on FSN in the early afternoon, then carrying a C-USA in the early evening on FS1 (Louisville-FIU ??), or vice versa with a C-USA game on FSN and the Big 12 game on FS1.
  • 9/27 - FS1 is blocked nearly the entire day except for an early afternoon game, which would seem likely to be a Big 12 game as their schedule isn't exactly strong that day.  FS1 could then carry the UCLA-Arizona St. game on Thursday 9/25, the Middle Tennessee-ODU game on 9/26 and FOX could take on another Pac-12 game as their broadcast network game.

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