Friday has become more of a destination night for college football compared to Thursdays where the NFL has provided regular competition for several years, including the last four with regular simulcasts on broadcast television. So where is your game more likely to air? More are on the way as you can look for more Mountain West weeknight games in April & C-USA sometime in the spring. As for what has been set, I tried to figure it out:
8/31: The Big Ten have a pair of football games here, so expect one on ESPN and one on FS1. With Pac-12 Networks airing last year's Rocky Mountain Showdown, I could see the San Diego St. at Stanford game airing there or on ESPNU. Boise St. at Troy might be a Friday night ESPNU candidate too, possibly hooking into something on 9/7 (keep reading).
9/7: TCU at SMU is the only Friday night game scheduled and should air on ESPN2. CBS Sports Network could also air this one in the event ESPN had more interest in Connecticut at Boise St., and both schools are willing to move to Friday night. With Boise St. being on the road at Troy the week before, that might not interest them though unless there was a corresponding date change for the game at Troy.
ESPN has primary rights on Boise St. home games and can move up to three Boise St. games to weeknights. There's also some rules about CBSSN airing Boise St. home games (they have to trade one of BSU's Mountain West road games), but I wouldn't expect ESPN to give this one up.
CBSSN might also have interest in Baylor at UTSA.
9/14: Georgia St. at Memphis is currently available, but my expectation is for another game to be moved here. I guessed Miami (FL) at Toledo earlier. One of the Pac-12 at Mountain West matchups (Arizona St. at San Diego St. or Oregon St. at Nevada) could be considered for a move as well.
9/21: FAU at UCF seems like it was added for the purpose of airing on ESPN, which should push Penn St. at Illinois to FS1. Washington St. at USC seems like it would be paired with FAU at UCF as part of a doubleheader.
Could a C-USA game move here for CBS Sports Network, like Virginia Tech at Old Dominion or NC State at Marshall? Maybe, but NC State vetoed a weeknight date change for national TV when visiting Old Dominion a few years back. Virginia Tech at Old Dominion might be more plausible. Both could stay on Saturday with one airing on Stadium too since they'll have the chance at some higher end games from the C-USA inventory.
9/28: My expectation is that Memphis at Tulane would be on ESPN and UCLA at Colorado would air on FS1.
10/5: Look for a doubleheader of Georgia Tech at Louisville followed by Utah St. at BYU on ESPN.
10/12: I can see USF at Tulsa airing on CBS Sports Network or ESPN2 with Arizona at Utah on ESPN. I would not expect the games to be presented as a doubleheader on ESPN. FS1 should be out based on MLB playoff scheduling.
10/19: Colorado St. at Boise St. is set for ESPN2 and it might end up being their only game as the NBA should be in season on ESPN. CBS Sports Network could take on a C-USA game if interested, like FAU at Marshall or Old Dominion at Western Kentucky.
10/26: FS1 is available to take games again with the end of their MLB commitments. Indiana at Minnesota seems likely here, with ESPN taking a doubleheader of Miami (FL) at Boston College & Utah at UCLA.
11/2: This one is a bit tricky. Pittsburgh at Virginia is likely to air on ESPN2, but Colorado at Arizona could either be paired with it or air separately on FS1 after NASCAR truck races. A hint as to whether the Pac-12 game is in play for FS1 could be whether they adjust the start time for the truck race at least 30 minutes earlier. There was an overlap on a Truck Series race last year with the Washington at Stanford game that ticked off a lot of viewers, so maybe FOX uses FOX Business for the race in this case.
11/9: Louisville at Syracuse is the only game set for Friday at this time. ESPN will be carrying the Armed Forces Classic MBK event, so the football game should be on ESPN2. If there's a doubleheader, look for a Mountain West game, but if the Pac-12's China game (2018: Yale vs. California) airs on ESPN2, you'll probably not have another football game. CBS Sports Network might also be carrying the Veterans Classic event on this Friday (might not be a doubleheader) and they have the PBR World Finals in the late evening, so they would also appear to be out.
11/16: ESPN should have several hours tied up with college basketball events like the 2K Classic and events in Charleston & Puerto Rico. Memphis at SMU is scheduled but I can see that one going to CBSSN as they've carried Friday football at this particular point in the season in the past. The Mountain West looks like the possible conference to take on this Friday for ESPN2. Boise St. at New Mexico is a possibility though ESPN would need to send a Boise St. home game over to CBSSN to air that game.
11/23: Black Friday, which is more like its own mini Saturday. This year has more games available as the PK 80 event was, so far, a one time event (NOTE: The AD who was active in getting the event off the ground recently resigned from Michigan St.). Here's my early take on a split of games:
ESPN & ABC: Virginia at Virginia Tech, two of the American games, one Big 12 and one Pac-12 game. Look for a MAC window as well.
FOX Sports: Two Big 12, one Pac-12 and Nebraska at Iowa
CBS Sports Network: They'll have a window for either the MAC, plus either an American or Mountain West game.
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