11/19
* If you're wondering why Texas at Kansas was scheduled for ABC & ESPN2 using a reverse mirror, or why Oklahoma St. at TCU is on FS1, my belief is that the selection order was ESPN at the top, FOX 2nd, ESPN 3rd and 4th then FOX at the back who had Texas Tech at Iowa St. fall to them.
I believe Oklahoma at West Virginia was going to be on ABC at 8pm unless something went abnormally wrong for both schools vs. Baylor & Texas, so that was at the top. My assumption is that Oklahoma St. at TCU was also in play for ESPN as a backup plan, hence the six day hold at the very top and not further down the order. In addition, depending on 11/19 results, Kansas St. at Baylor and Texas at Kansas could have had different relevance.
Its also important to note that the selection is generically ESPN or FOX. They can place them where they want to, though I suspect the goal is to try to push the broadcast network games towards the top of the order. Doesn't always happen though, and I don't know whether Texas at Kansas was 3rd or 4th.
* I believe the placement of Clemson at Wake Forest was reasonably static as the 7pm ESPN game since the SEC schedule doesn't have a knockout game, plus that whole deal re: Florida at LSU (formerly LSU at Florida).
* More commentary from me than anything else, but to have FOX take UCLA at USC on 11/19 also needed Colorado or Washington St. to lose too. Since neither did and both are at the top of their respective divisions (yes, CU is tied on losses with USC and Utah), that one is worth taking, especially in mid-afternoon.
11/25 & 11/26
* The Big Ten has corrected a release from Illinois that said both Michigan St. at Penn St. & Wisconsin at Minnesota would be at 3:30pm ET. 12pm ET / 11pm CT is still possible, though the conference has four games already scheduled for that start time.
* The MAC clarified the start time of Toledo at Western Michigan on Tuesday, with the game airing at 12pm on ESPN or 5pm on ESPNU.
This does tie in to the possibility that Nebraska at Iowa could air on BTN. How? NC State at North Carolina & Houston at Memphis don't have another network family to go to unless Houston at Memphis has become available for ESPNEWS or if there will be some changes in the men's basketball games airing on ESPN2, which isn't open for the entire day. Here's the scenario:
12pm or 3:30pm BTN: Nebraska at Iowa
12pm ABC: NC State at North Carolina
12pm ESPN: Toledo at Western Michigan
3:30pm ABC: Houston at Memphis
5pm ESPNU: Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss
* In my opinion, South Carolina at Clemson and Notre Dame at USC are the most likely games being looked at for ABC at 3:30pm & 8pm. The order of games could be depend on if Clemson remains in a top four CFP position after 11/19. Placement of UCLA at California could also be dependent on where
* The American might fall a game short of 28 on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. I count 25 conference controlled games scheduled for those four networks, including the conference championship game. There are three games on 12 day hold for 11/26 and CBS Sports Network will take one of the games, so that would leave a maximum of 27 for the four "primary" networks.
* I wasn't aware that ESPNEWS was an option for either Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss or Western Kentucky at Marshall. In the few places I saw the telecast options presented, they were listed as ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Granted, Louisiana Tech has already won their division and Western Kentucky could wrap theirs up if Old Dominion were to lose to FAU this weekend as WKU beat ODU, however both Louisiana Tech and WKU could be playing to host the championship game. La. Tech beat WKU on 10/6, 55-52.
* The only way one of the three SEC games was going to end up on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU instead of SEC Network is if they either killed off one of the SEC Network windows or decided to simulcast one of the games, similar to what they did two years ago for the Iron Bowl.
* The press release noted that BYU would have one football game a year on ESPNU, but if you're on their side, are you mad that you'll possibly have four games on ESPN2 instead three on ESPN2 and one on ESPNU? Probably not. Maybe a bit perturbed about a 8:15pm MT start, but at least it could be on a network that's in around 8-10 million more homes.
Either way, where that one lands is dependent on how important the Wyoming at New Mexico game is with respect to the winner of the Mountain West's Mountain Division, which should be sponsored by the Department of Redundancy Department or the American Dodgeball Association of America.
* Can't speak to why Rice at Stanford on Pac-12 is allowed to run concurrently with Utah at Colorado, unless FOX allowed it, though Notre Dame at USC and UCLA at California could also end up being played at the same time.
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