Monday, October 29, 2018

CFB TV Confirmations for 2018 Week 11 (11/7/18 - 11/10/18)

This post will be updated as announcements come out for start times for 11/7 & 11/10 from the twelve day selection process that most TV networks adhere to.  Please understand that games can be held until next Sunday if a broadcaster wants to wait on the results of the Week Ten games.  Most conferences have the possibility of having all or part of their games held for a six day hold of the start time.  The MAC games on 11/7 could wait for the results of the 11/1 MAC games,

The list of available TV windows are based on media websites, TV listings and press releases.  They can change based on the needs of the broadcaster or the conference.


Here's what I guessed based on the available openings (they will prove to be incorrect) and here is the current schedule for the week as several FBS games do have their time & television/webcast assignments already accounted for. 


The number of six day holds available for each conference

ACC: 1 (10/6, 10/27 & 11/10)
American: 0 (10/27 & 11/10)
Big 12: 2 (11/3 & 11/10)
Big Ten: 2 (10/27 by FOX it appears & 11/10)
SEC: 0 (11/3 & 11/10)
Pac-12: 1 (10/6 by FOX, 11/3 & 11/10 by ESPN)

Games held for six day hold

Toledo at Northern Illinois (11/7)
Ohio at Miami (OH) (11/7)
Michigan at Rutgers
Ohio St. at Michigan St.
Maryland at Indiana
Wisconsin at Penn St.
Illinois at Nebraska
Purdue at Minnesota
Northwestern at Iowa
California at USC
Washington St. at Colorado
Oregon at Utah
Clemson at Boston College
Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh
Baylor at Iowa St.
Oklahoma St. at Oklahoma
Texas at Texas Tech
TCU at West Virginia
LSU at Arkansas
South Carolina at Florida
Auburn at Georgia
Kentucky at Tennessee
Ole Miss at Texas A&M
USF at Cincinnati
Navy at UCF
Temple at Houston

* Big Ten confirms that none of their games will be night games.  
* SEC options are 12pm CBS, 12pm ESPN, 3:30pm SEC Network, 7pm ESPN and 7:30pm SEC Network.  
* Pac-12 options are 3:30 (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2), 5:30pm (Pac-12 Networks), 7pm (ESPN2) or 10:45pm (ESPN). Pac-12 Networks in between the two ESPN picks. I assume 10:45pm is a guaranteed slot. All per Jon Wilner.

Saturday 11/10
12pm ESPNU: Tulsa at Memphis
12pm FSN: Kansas at Kansas St.
12pm SEC: Vanderbilt at Missouri
12pm ESPN3: SMU at Connecticut
12:20pm Raycom: North Carolina at Duke
2pm Pac-12: UCLA at Arizona St.
3pm ACC RSNs: Liberty at Virginia
3:30pm CBS: Mississippi St. at Alabama
4pm ESPNEWS: East Carolina at Tulane
5pm ESPN+: Arkansas St. at Coastal Carolina
9pm Pac-12: Oregon St. at Stanford
10:30pm ESPN2/ESPNU: Colorado St. at Nevada
10:30pm ESPN2/ESPNU: UNLV at San Diego St.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

CFB TV Guesses for 2018 Week Eleven (11/7/18 - 11/10/18)

Here are the games already set for television and/or webcast.  Here are the known available telecast windows.

* CBS has a doubleheader at 12pm & 3:30pm.  For this type of doubleheader, CBS picks 1st at 3:30pm and 4th at 12pm.  The 2nd & 3rd picks go to ESPN to spend on any of their networks.  A six day hold seems like a real possibility at any point while CBS has a game to choose.
* The Big Ten could also see another six day hold used between Ohio St. at Michigan St., Wisconsin at Penn St. and Northwestern at Iowa.  For the selections here, I gave FOX Sports top choice. 
* Since it wasn't announced before the season that FOX Sports had control of Oklahoma St. at Oklahoma, I slotted that one for the ABC primetime game.  Since that would put ESPN at 22 Big 12 selections for the season, I put the rest of the Big 12 games on FOX Sports outlets.
* I slotted the top Pac-12 game with ESPN.  Look for that window to move up to 10pm ET if they choose either Washington St. at Colorado or Oregon at Utah.  The Pac-12 seems to have a rule regarding TV start times no later than 8pm local time and with both home teams in the Mountain Time Zone, look for an earlier game slotting.
* Both the UFC Fight Night and the prelims are scheduled to air on FS1, so just the two game windows at 12pm & 3:30pm.
* FSN has a 12pm Big 12 window.  The ACC RSN window is at 3pm.  Look for affiliates to be paired with college basketball games also being distributed regionally.  Evansville at Xavier will likely be paired with affiliates receiving the Big 12 game, where UMES at NC State will be paired with the ACC football game.
* The 7pm window on CBS Sports Network is for the American Athletic Conference.
* ESPNEWS currently shows a pair of windows at 4pm & 8pm ET
* Michigan's appearance vs. Rutgers on BTN would fulfill a requirement that the Wolverines play another conference opponent on that network.
* At this point in the season, FOX and ESPN can put together a requested list of potential Big Ten games they would like to air at night.  Both competing schools would have to agree to the night game.  These selections assume no one accepted a night game option, but if, say, Ohio St. at Michigan St. did, FOX could take that one immediately.  You'd probably need to slot a Big Ten game into the ABC 12pm or 3:30pm slot, move a Big 12 game to 12pm on FOX and slot the Pac-12 game on FOX or FS1 at 3:30pm ET.

Wednesday 11/7
7pm ESPNU: Ohio at Miami (OH)
8pm ESPN2: Toledo at Northern Illinois

Saturday 11/10
12pm ABC: Clemson at Boston College
12pm CBS: Kentucky at Tennessee
12pm FOX: Wisconsin at Penn St.
12pm ESPN: South Carolina at Florida
12pm ESPN2: Purdue at Minnesota
12pm FS1: Baylor at Iowa St.
12pm ESPNU: North Carolina at Duke
12pm FSN: Kansas at Kansas St.
12pm SEC: Ole Miss at Texas A&M
12pm BTN: Michigan at Rutgers
12pm BTN: Maryland at Indiana
12:20pm Raycom: Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh
2pm Pac-12: UCLA at Arizona St.
3pm ACC RSNs: Liberty at Virginia
3:30pm ABC: Ohio St. at Michigan St.
3:30pm CBS: Mississippi St. at Alabama
3:30pm FOX: Texas at Texas Tech
3:30pm ESPN: Northwestern at Iowa
3:30pm ESPN2: Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech
3:30pm FS1: TCU at West Virginia
3:30pm ESPNU: Navy at UCF
3:30pm BTN: Illinois at Nebraska
4pm ESPNEWS: SMU at Connecticut
4pm SEC: Vanderbilt at Missouri
5:30pm Pac-12: California at USC
7pm ESPN: Auburn at Georgia
7pm ESPN2: USF at Cincinnati
7pm ESPNU: Temple at Houston
7pm CBSSN: East Carolina at Tulane
7:30pm FOX: Oregon at Utah
7:30pm SEC: LSU at Arkansas
8pm ABC: Oklahoma St. at Oklahoma
8pm ESPNEWS: Tulsa at Memphis
9pm Pac-12: Oregon St. at Stanford
10pm ESPN: Washington St. at Colorado
10:30pm ESPN2: UNLV at San Diego St.
10:30pm ESPNU: Colorado St. at Nevada

Monday, October 22, 2018

CFB TV Confirmations for 2018 Week 10 (11/1/18 - 11/3/18)

This post will be updated as announcements come out for start times for 11/1 & 11/3 from the twelve day selection process that most TV networks adhere to.  Please understand that games can be held until next Sunday if a broadcaster wants to wait on the results of the Week Nine games.  Most conferences have the possibility of having all or part of their games held for a six day hold of the start time.  The MAC games on 11/1 could wait for the results of at least the 10/25 MAC games,

The list of available TV windows are based on media websites, TV listings and press releases.  They can change based on the needs of the broadcaster or the conference.


Here's what I guessed based on the available openings (they will prove to be incorrect) and here is the current schedule for the week as several FBS games do have their time & television/webcast assignments already accounted for. 


The number of six day holds available for each conference
ACC: 3 (two used: 10/6 & 10/27)
American: 1 (one used: 10/27 by ESPN)
Big 12: 3 (one used on 11/3)
Big Ten: 3 (one used: 10/27 by FOX it appears)
SEC: 1 (one used on 11/3)
Pac-12: 2 (10/6 by FOX & 11/3 by ESPN)

Six Day Decisions for 11/3
12pm ESPN: Missouri at Florida, Georgia at Kentucky or Texas A&M at Auburn
3:30pm CBS: Missouri at Florida or Georgia at Kentucky 
3:30pm FOX: Oklahoma at Texas Tech or West Virginia at Texas
4pm SEC: Missouri at Florida, Georgia at Kentucky or Texas A&M at Auburn
7:15pm ESPN: Notre Dame at Northwestern, Oklahoma at Texas Tech or West Virginia at Texas
7:30pm or 8pm ABC: Notre Dame at Northwestern (7:30pm), Oklahoma at Texas Tech (8pm) or West Virginia at Texas (8pm)
9pm Pac-12: California at Washington St. or Stanford at Washington
10:45pm ESPN: California at Washington St. or Stanford at Washington

Thursday 11/1
7pm ESPNU: Ohio at Western Michigan or Northern Illinois at Akron
7pm CBSSN: Ohio at Western Michigan or Northern Illinois at Akron

Saturday 11/3
12pm ABC: Louisville at Clemson
12pm FOX: Nebraska at Ohio St.
12pm ESPN2: Michigan St. at Maryland
12pm FS1: Oklahoma St. at Baylor
12pm ESPNU: Memphis at East Carolina
12pm SEC: South Carolina at Ole Miss
12pm FSN: Iowa St. at Kansas
12pm BTN: Rutgers at Wisconsin
12pm ACC RSNs: Syracuse at Wake Forest
12:15pm Raycom: Georgia Tech at North Carolina
3:30pm ABC or ESPN2: Iowa at Purdue
3:30pm ABC or ESPN2: Florida St. at NC State
3:30pm FS1: Kansas St. at TCU
3:30pm ESPNU: Navy at Cincinnati
3:30pm CBSSN: Tulane at USF
3:30pm BTN: Minnesota at Illinois
3:45pm ESPN: Penn St. at Michigan
3:45pm Raycom: Boston College at Virginia Tech
4pm SEC Alternate: Charlotte at Tennessee
4pm Pac-12: Utah at Arizona St.
7pm ESPN2: Duke at Miami (FL)
7pm ESPNU: Houston at SMU
7pm CBSSN: Connecticut at Tulsa
7:30pm FOX: UCLA at Oregon
7:30pm SEC: Louisiana Tech at Mississippi St.
8pm CBS: Alabama at LSU
10pm FS1: USC at Oregon St.
10:15pm ESPN2: BYU at Boise St.
10:15pm ESPNU: San Diego St. at New Mexico

Sunday, October 21, 2018

CFB TV Guesses for 2018 Week Ten (11/1/18 - 11/3/18)

Here are the games already set for television and/or webcast.  Here are the known available telecast windows.

* CBS has a primetime SEC game in addition to their 3:30pm window.  This means that CBS gets to pick the top two SEC games.
* Notre Dame at Northwestern was pre-selected by ESPN to air on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
* FSN has a Big 12 window at 12pm ET.  The ACC RSN window is at 3pm ET.
* I pushed the top Pac-12 (Stanford at Washington) & Big 12 (West Virginia at Texas) selections to FOX Sports and the top Big Ten selection (Notre Dame at Northwestern) to ESPN.
* BTN has a volleyball match scheduled at 8pm ET, so they only appear to have 12pm & 3:30pm available.
* I've overlooked the number of times SEC schools have hosted at 12pm ET, though it can't easily avoided this week because of the doubleheader on CBS.  CBS's windows for this week only allow the SEC Network to show games concurrently.  I cut Ole Miss a break as they had already hosted two 11am local starts.  I originally had Texas A&M at Auburn at 12pm on ESPN but shifted them to the SEC Network at night where I originally had Missouri at Florida.
* I'm either overly concerned with the number of games the games that FOX Sports has already picked for the Big Ten (22 of a supposed max of 27, including the canceled Akron at Nebraska game) & ESPN for the Big 12 (19 of 23), or not understanding or looking far enough ahead to see how the puzzle pieces fit together.  I really try hard not to look ahead, but I can't ignore the counts either.  I originally had Nebraska at Ohio St. on FS1 at 12pm, Louisville at Clemson at 12pm on ABC and Oklahoma at Texas Tech on ABC at 3:30pm, but swapped them around to the positions you currently see them.
* We saw the 2nd ACC six day pick used last week.  Its possible we could see one used on the result of Florida vs. Georgia by CBS to fill the 3:30pm slot.  Georgia at Kentucky is very appealing though with the Wildcats unexpected success.
* With FS1 taking a Friday night Pac-12 game, I have their late evening slot on Saturday behind FOX, ESPN and the Pac-12 Networks.  This also would get UCLA a required appearance on Pac-12 Networks.

11/1
7pm ESPNU: Ohio at Western Michigan
7pm CBSSN: Northern Illinois at Akron

11/3
12pm ABC: Nebraska at Ohio St.
12pm FOX: West Virginia at Texas
12pm ESPN: Missouri at Florida
12pm ESPN2: Louisiana Tech at Mississippi St.
12pm FS1: Oklahoma at Texas Tech
12pm ESPNU: Kansas St. at TCU
12pm ESPNEWS: Houston at SMU
12pm SEC: Charlotte at Tennessee
12pm FSN: Iowa St. at Kansas
12pm BTN: Minnesota at Illinois
12:20pm Raycom: Georgia Tech at North Carolina
3pm ACC RSNs: Syracuse at Wake Forest
3:30pm ABC: Louisville at Clemson
3:30pm CBS: Georgia at Kentucky
3:30pm FOX: Penn St. at Michigan
3:30pm ESPN: Iowa at Purdue
3:30pm ESPN2: Michigan St. at Maryland
3:30pm FS1: Oklahoma St. at Baylor
3:30pm ESPNU: Boston College at Virginia Tech
3:30pm CBSSN: Navy at Cincinnati
3:30pm BTN: Rutgers at Wisconsin
4pm SEC: South Carolina at Ole Miss
4pm Pac-12: USC at Oregon St.
7pm ESPN: Florida St. at NC State
7pm ESPN2: Duke at Miami (FL)
7pm ESPNU: Tulane at USF
7pm CBSSN: Memphis at East Carolina
7:30pm ABC: Notre Dame at Northwestern
7:30pm FOX: Stanford at Washington
7:30pm SEC: Texas A&M at Auburn
8pm CBS: Alabama at LSU
9pm Pac-12: UCLA at Oregon
10pm FS1: Utah at Arizona St.
10:15pm ESPN2: BYU at Boise St. 
10:15pm ESPNU: San Diego St. at New Mexico
10:30pm ESPN: California at Washington St.

ESPN3
Connecticut at Tulsa

Monday, October 15, 2018

CFB TV Confirmations for 2018 Week 9 (10/25/18-10/27/18)

This post will be updated as announcements come out for start times for 10/25 & 10/27 from the twelve day selection process that most TV networks adhere to (more like ten days for 10/25).  Please understand that games can be held until next Sunday if a broadcaster wants to wait on the results of the Week Eight games.  Most conferences have the possibility of having all or part of their games held for a six day hold of the start time.

The list of available TV windows are based on media websites, TV listings and press releases.  They can change based on the needs of the broadcaster or the conference.


Here's what I guessed based on the available openings (they will prove to be incorrect) and here is the current schedule for the week as several FBS games do have their time & television/webcast assignments already accounted for. 


The number of six day holds available for each conference
ACC: 3 (two used: 10/6 & 10/27)
American: 1 (one used: 10/27)
Big 12: 4
Big Ten: 3 (one used: 10/27)
SEC: 2
Pac-12: 3 (10/6 by FOX)

Six day hold
Big Ten: Purdue at Michigan St. & Wisconsin at Northwestern.  Both at 12pm.  One on FOX & the other on ABC or ESPN.
ACC: NC State at Syracuse (3:30pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 or 7pm ESPN2)
American USF at Houston & Cincinnati at SMU.  One at 3:30pm ET CBSSN & the other at 3:30pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 or 7pm ESPN2.

Thursday 10/25
7pm ESPN2:
7pm CBSSN:

Saturday 10/27
12pm ABC or ESPN: Clemson at Florida St.
12pm ESPN2: Texas Tech at Iowa St.
12pm ESPNU: Massachusetts at Connecticut
12pm SEC: Vanderbilt at Arkansas
12pm BTN: Bethune-Cookman at Nebraska
12pm CBSSN: Army at Eastern Michigan
12pm ACC RSNs: Wake Forest at Louisville
12pm ESPN3: Central Michigan at Akron
12:20pm Raycom: North Carolina at Virginia
3pm FS1: TCU at Kansas
3pm Pac-12: Oregon St. at Colorado
3:30pm ABC or ESPN: Iowa at Penn St.
3:30pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN2: Arizona St. at USC
3:30pm FOX: Kansas St. at Oklahoma
3:30pm ESPNU: Northern Illinois at BYU
3:30pm BTN: Illinois at Maryland
3:30pm ACC RSNs: Duke at Pittsburgh
4pm SEC: Kentucky at Missouri
6:30pm FS1: Washington at California
7pm ESPN: Texas A&M at Mississippi St.
7pm ESPNU: Tulane at Tulsa
7pm Pac-12: Washington St. at Stanford
7:30pm SEC: Tennessee at South Carolina
8pm ABC: Texas at Oklahoma St.
10:30pm ESPN: Oregon at Arizona
10:30pm ESPN2/ESPNU: San Diego St. at Nevada
10:30pm ESPN2/ESPNU: Hawai'i at Fresno St.

Games to be slotted
Toledo at Western Michigan (10/25)
Ball St. at Ohio (10/25)

Sunday, October 14, 2018

CFB TV Guesses for 2018 Week Nine (10/25/18 - 10/27/18)

Here are the games already set for television and/or webcast.  Here are the known available telecast windows.

* 7:30pm is the listed time for ABC's primetime window, which indicates a Big Ten game is being targeted.  Yes, they can be subbed out of & changed to 8pm for another conference.  If they wanted to choose Clemson at Florida St., for example, they could.  At this time, I'm sticking by the 7:30pm start time listing.  Please note that a Big Ten game cannot be held for a six day hold with a night game slot as an option, so if a Big Ten game is going to be played at night, that decision is going to be made on Monday.
* CBS selected Georgia vs. Florida for its afternoon game before the season started, so ESPN will be slotting the remaining SEC games into their networks.  While not a six day hold, I wouldn't be surprised if ESPN at least considered Kentucky at Missouri for the 7pm slot.  They are flexible within 30 minutes of the ESPN, ESPN2 and SEC Network nighttime starts a few times year.
* CBS Sports Network's 12pm selection is a MAC window between either Central Michigan at Akron or Army at Eastern Michigan.  The other game will revert back to ESPN's platforms.  The 3:30pm CBSSN window belongs to the American.
* ESPNEWS had a 3pm window originally scheduled, but that window appears to have been rendered unnecessary.
* BTN did not list a 12pm window for football, listing StudentU programming at both 12pm & 7:30pm ET.  That's not unheard of as last season on 9/30/17 they windows at 3:30pm & 7:30pm.  I slotted two games into the 3:30pm.  Remember that Bethune-Cookman at Nebraska was a in-season scheduling addition due to Nebraska cancelling their game vs. Akron.
* FOX has no primetime window due to World Series Game 4.  FS1 has a NASCAR race at 1pm and a UFC Fight Night at 10pm.  The UFC website also had the prelim card from 8-10pm on FS1, but listing services have the pre-fight and prelim matches on FS2.
* Multiple RSNs show a doubleheader of ACC football at 12pm & 3:30pm.
* I gave the top Big 12 and Pac-12 choices to FOX Sports and the top Big Ten choice to ESPN.  I don't have FOX Sports choosing a Big Ten game on Saturday for FOX or FS1, but they do have Indiana at Minnesota on Friday night.  It isn't unheard of for FOX to skip a Saturday on the Big Ten.  They did last year on 9/9 when ABC aired a Big Ten tripleheader and aired Ohio at Purdue on FS1 on Friday night.  Part of my reasoning also involves how far FOX Sports is ahead on selections used compared to ESPN.
* With Washington picking up their 2nd loss, I figured now was a good time to get their remaining required Pac-12 Networks game in,  I had the Pac-12 Networks picking 3rd after FOX in the afternoon and ESPN at 10:30pm.
* Where could a six day hold be used?  Whomever is picking first the in Pac-12 might look into it, choosing the game involving the winner of Oregon at Washington St. next week.  Possibly for the Big 12 if there's a desire to wait on the result of Oklahoma at TCU.  The Big Ten & Big 12 have four six day holds remaining, the ACC and Pac-12 have three each and the SEC and American each have two available to use.

Thursday 10/25
7pm ESPN2: Toledo at Western Michigan
7pm CBSSN: Ball St. at Ohio

Saturday 10/27
12pm ABC: Clemson at Florida St.
12pm FOX: Texas at Oklahoma St.
12pm ESPN: Wisconsin at Northwestern
12pm ESPN2: Purdue at Michigan St.
12pm ESPNU: Cincinnati at SMU
12pm SEC: Tennessee at South Carolina
12pm CBSSN: Army at Eastern Michigan
12pm ACC RSNs: Wake Forest at Louisville
12:20pm Raycom: North Carolina at Virginia
3pm FS1: Texas Tech at Iowa St.
3:30pm ABC: Kansas St. at Oklahoma
3:30pm FOX: Washington St. at Stanford
3:30pm ESPN: NC State at Syracuse
3:30pm ESPN2: USF at Houston
3:30pm ESPNU: Tulane at Tulsa
3:30pm CBSSN: Massachusetts at Connecticut
3:30pm BTN: Illinois at Maryland
3:30pm BTN: Bethune-Cookman at Nebraska
3:30pm ACC RSNs: Duke at Pittsburgh
4pm SEC: Vanderbilt at Arkansas
4pm Pac-12: Oregon St. at Colorado
6:30pm FS1: TCU at Kansas
7pm ESPN: Texas A&M at Mississippi St.
7pm ESPN2: Arizona St. at USC
7pm ESPNU: Northern Illinois at BYU
7:30pm ABC: Iowa at Penn St.
7:30pm SEC: Kentucky at Missouri
8pm Pac-12: Washington at California
10:30pm ESPN: Oregon at Arizona
10:30pm ESPN2: Hawai'i at Fresno St.
10:30pm ESPNU: San Diego St. at Nevada

Streaming
Central Michigan at Akron

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

2018 (Kinda) Midseason CFB TV Selection Report

I wanted to get a midseason report out after the 10/13 selections, but I ran out of time.  This is based on the selections just completed for 10/20, which leaves five weeks of selections remaining.

A lot of the counting up of appearances was done manually, so if I'm off on the count, correct me so I can correct the counts here.

American
* The minimum of three ABC games has been achieved (yes, I'm aware two were shoved into a single reverse mirror window on 9/8).  I believe you'll see one more ABC game on Black Friday based on the available windows and games.
* 22 games have been scheduled for ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU with a minimum of 28 games across those networks.  Two more games are likely for those networks on Black Friday.

Big 12
* ESPN has used 17 of their 23 Big 12 selections.  The conference championship game is not part of the 23 selections.

  • ABC: 4
  • ESPN: 7
  • ESPN2: 3
  • ESPNU: 2
    • A maximum of four to five games on ESPNU
  • Longhorn Network: 1 (vs. Iowa St.)

* 27 games have aired on ABC, FOX, ESPN and FS1, which meets a requirement of at least 25 national exposures across those four networks.

Big Ten
* Michigan needs to appear once on BTN over the remaining games to fulfill requirements to have two games, with one being a game vs. another Big Ten school, on BTN.
* FOX Sports can air up to nine games in primetime on FOX & FS1, but they look like they'll only have around five to seven, with one games being the Akron-Nebraska game that ended up being canceled.  ESPN should easily get into the six to nine game range of primetime windows.  They've already carried five games at night and have two more ABC windows scheduled for 7:30pm that could end up being Big Ten games.
* FOX Sports has used 20 of their Big Ten selections and ESPN has used 16.  Both conferences have a max of 27 selections per season.
* Week Ten (11/3/18) is the last week that both ESPN Networks and FOX Sports can select a game to air at night without prior consultation with the competing schools.  From that point forward, networks will make schools available multiple weeks in advance of the possibility of a night game and both competing schools must agree to the night game selection.  In 2017, only one night game was played past the after this deadline: Purdue at Northwestern on ESPN2 at 7pm on 11/11/17.

Independents
* BYU has one more required ESPN appearance to be made.  There is an allowance for at least one game on ESPNU.  They have made three appearances on ESPN2, which fulfills a requirement for at least three BYU home games to appear on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

Pac-12
* ESPN has met their ABC minimum of two games, with one being a night game.  Fourteen of ABC's 22 selections have been used.
* FOX Sports hit their required four Pac-12 games on FOX at night and needs to place one more game on their broadcast network.  They have used 16 of their 22 selections.
* Stanford, UCLA and Washington must have one of their remaining games air on Pac-12 Networks, as there is a maximum of nine games total for a school that can air amongst the FOX Sports and ESPN packages.  UCLA and Stanford play the final week of the regular season.  Both Stanford and Washington also have games available vs. Oregon St.

SEC
* LSU & Georgia has three CBS appearances scheduled.  There is a maximum of five times that a school can appear on CBS.  A sixth appearance can be allowed for under special circumstances.
* Alabama, Florida and Tennessee have two appearances scheduled each.
* Georgia's appearance vs. South Carolina does not count as a CBS appearance as it was a game sublicensed from ESPN.  The same for Tennessee's appearance vs. West Virginia.

Some commentary
* An early takeaway I have is that FOX will likely go heavy on the Big 12 in November since they're a bit ahead of ESPN on their usage in the Big Ten and Pac-12.  Their Big 12 package is not capped on the FOX Sports side in terms of the number of games they can carry.  They do have UFC commitments potentially each of the first three Saturdays of November, which could limit the number of games they can carry unless the UFC items in some areas are moved to F/X or FS2.  They also have a pair of FSN windows for the Big 12 in November.
* Six day holds should start to be used more regularly over the next five weeks worth of selections.  Only one has been used on the ACC (10/6) and one on the Pac-12 (10/6 by FOX).
* Both 10/27 and 11/3 have ABC windows scheduled for 7:30pm ET.  I think there are games (no, I'm not telling you what I think, but you can guess) targeted by ESPN to place on ABC and I'm unsure that there are better options.  Notre Dame at Northwestern was preselected by ESPN to air at some point during the day.

Monday, October 8, 2018

CFB TV Confirmations for 2018 Week 8 (10/20/18)

This post will be updated as announcements come out for start times for 10/20 from the twelve day selection process that most TV networks adhere to.  Please understand that games can be held until next Sunday if a broadcaster wants to wait on the results of the Week Seven games.  Most conferences have the possibility of having all or part of their games held for a six day hold of the start time.

The list of available TV windows are based on media websites, TV listings and press releases.  They can change based on the needs of the broadcaster or the conference.


Here's what I guessed based on the available openings (they will prove to be incorrect) and here is the current schedule for the week as several FBS games do have their time & television/webcast assignments already accounted for. 


The number of six day holds available for each conference
ACC: 3 (one used on 10/6)
American: 2
Big 12: 4
Big Ten: 4
SEC: 2
Pac-12: 3 (10/6 by FOX)

12pm ABC: Oklahoma at TCU
12pm FOX: Michigan at Michigan St.
12pm ESPN: Auburn at Ole Miss
12pm ESPN2: Maryland at Iowa
12pm FS1: Illinois at Wisconsin
12pm ESPNU: Cincinnati at Temple
12pm SEC: Tulsa at Arkansas
12pm BTN: Northwestern at Rutgers
12:20pm Raycom: North Carolina at Syracuse
12:30pm ACC RSNs: Virginia at Duke
3:30pm ABC or ESPN: Penn St. at Indiana
3:30pm ABC or ESPN: NC State at Clemson
3:30pm ESPN2: Wake Forest at Florida St.
3:30pm CBS: Alabama at Tennessee
3:30pm FOX: Colorado at Washington
3:30pm FS1: Kansas at Texas Tech
3:30pm ESPNU: SMU at Tulane
3:30pm BTN: Minnesota at Nebraska
4pm SEC: Memphis at Missouri
5pm Pac-12: California at Oregon St.
7pm ESPN: Mississippi St. at LSU
7pm ESPN2: UCF at East Carolina
7pm CBSSN: Connecticut at USF
7:30pm ABC: Ohio St. at Purdue
7:30pm FOX: Oregon at Washington St.
7:30pm ESPNU: Fresno St. at New Mexico
7:30pm SEC: Vanderbilt at Kentucky
10:30pm ESPN2: Arizona at UCLA
TBA Pac-12: USC at Utah

Sunday, October 7, 2018

CFB TV Guesses for 2018 Week Eight (10/20/18)

Here are the games already set for television and/or webcast.  Here are the known available telecast windows.

* FOX Sports selected Michigan at Michigan St. in advance of the season & ESPN selected Penn St. at Indiana in advance too.
* Assuming Michigan at Michigan St. was the top Big Ten choice, I slotted the top Big 12 choice to ESPN (Oklahoma at TCU) and the top Pac-12 choice to FOX (Colorado at Washington).
* So I've slotted Michigan at Michigan St. on FS1 under the assumption of NLCS Game Seven being required.  They can't leave it until the last second, but they'll know the results of the first two games of the series.  I could see see the game moving up to FOX and swapping places with Colorado at Washington.  That's also why USC at Utah could be the sacrificial lamb FOX game if there's a NLCS Game Seven (ie. don't compete with yourself).
* An alternate strategy on that: ESPN takes no Big 12 games (already has selected 16 of 23 Big 12 games this season) & has the top Pac-12 choice, choosing Colorado at Washington at 3:30pm.  No Big 12 six day holds have been used yet, so FOX can keep Michigan at Michigan St. at 3:30pm, move USC at Utah to 3:30pm, then slot the Big 12 games appropriately on a six day hold
* ABC's primetime window is scheduled for 7:30pm ET, which often indicates a Big Ten game.
* Three other Big Ten games are scheduled for noon ET as homecoming games: Illinois at Wisconsin, Northwestern at Rutgers & Maryland at Iowa.
* The late evening ESPN window is not being used.  They have a NBA game scheduled: Rockets at Lakers (Lebron James' 1st Lakers home game).
* ESPNU's late window has been marked for a tape delayed airing of a SWAC game.
* ESPNEWS has no windows scheduled due to live practice & qualifying coverage of the Formula 1 US Grand Prix.
* The sole CBSSN opening is for the American Athletic Conference.

12pm ABC: NC State at Clemson
12pm FOX: Maryland at Iowa
12pm ESPN: Illinois at Wisconsin
12pm ESPN2: Wake Forest at Florida St.
12pm FS1: Kansas at Texas Tech
12pm ESPNU: Cincinnati at Temple
12pm SEC: Memphis at Missouri
12pm BTN: Northwestern at Rutgers
12:20pm Raycom: North Carolina at Syracuse
12:30pm ACC RSNs: Virginia at Duke
3:30pm ABC: Oklahoma at TCU
3:30pm CBS: Alabama at Tennessee
3:30pm FOX: Colorado at Washington
3:30pm ESPN: Penn St. at Indiana
3:30pm ESPN2: UCF at East Carolina
3:30pm FS1: Michigan at Michigan St.
3:30pm ESPNU: Connecticut at USF
3:30pm BTN: Minnesota at Nebraska
4pm SEC: Tulsa at Arkansas
4pm Pac-12: Arizona at UCLA
7pm ESPN: Mississippi St. at LSU
7pm ESPN2: Auburn at Ole Miss
7pm ESPNU: Fresno St. at New Mexico
7pm CBSSN: SMU at Tulane
7:30pm ABC: Ohio St. at Purdue
7:30pm FOX: USC at Utah
7:30pm SEC: Vanderbilt at Kentucky
9pm Pac-12: California at Oregon St.
10:30pm ESPN2: Oregon at Washington St.

Monday, October 1, 2018

CFB TV Confirmations for 2018 Week 7 (10/13/18)

This post will be updated as announcements come out for start times for 10/13 from the twelve day selection process that most TV networks adhere to.  Please understand that games can be held until next Sunday if a broadcaster wants to wait on the results of the Week Six games.  Most conferences have the possibility of having all or part of their games held for a six day hold of the start time.

The list of available TV windows are based on media websites, TV listings and press releases.  They can change based on the needs of the broadcaster or the conference.


Here's what I guessed based on the available openings (they will prove to be incorrect) and here is the current schedule for the week as several FBS games do have their time & television/webcast assignments already accounted for. 


The number of six day holds available for each conference

ACC: 3 (one used on 10/6)
American: 2
Big 12: 4
Big Ten: 3 (one potentially being used on 10/13)
SEC: 2
Pac-12: 3 (10/6 by FOX)

12pm ABC or ESPN2: Nebraska at Northwestern
12pm ABC or ESPN2: Iowa at Indiana
12pm ESPN or SEC Network: Tennessee at Auburn
12pm ESPN or SEC Network: Florida at Vanderbilt
12pm FS1 or BTN: Minnesota at Ohio St.
12pm FS1 or BTN: Rutgers at Maryland
12pm ESPNU: Oklahoma St. at Kansas St.
12pm CBSSN: Akron at Buffalo
12pm ESPN+: Toledo at Eastern Michigan
12:20pm ACC Network: Duke at Georgia Tech
12:30pm ACC RSNs: Louisville at Boston College
2:30pm ESPN+: Kent St. at Miami (OH)
3pm ESPN3: Ball St. at Central Michigan
3:30pm CBS: Georgia at LSU
3:30pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN2:  Washington at Oregon
3:30pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN2: Baylor at Texas
3:30pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN2:  UCF at Memphis
3:30pm FS1 or BTN: Michigan St. at Penn St.
3:30pm FS1 or BTN: Purdue at Illinois
3:30pm ESPNU: Army vs. San Jose St.
3:30pm SEC: Texas A&M at South Carolina
3:30pm ESPN+: Ohio at Northern Illinois
6pm ESPN3: UL-Monroe at Coastal Carolina
7pm ESPN: Missouri at Alabama
7pm ESPN2/ESPNU: Miami (FL) at Virginia
7pm ESPN2/ESPNU: Virginia Tech at North Carolina
7pm FS1: West Virginia at Iowa St.
7pm CBSSN: Houston at East Carolina
7pm Pac-12: UCLA at California
7:30pm ABC: Wisconsin at Michigan
7:30pm SEC: Ole Miss at Arkansas
10:15pm ESPN2: Hawai'i at BYU
10:30pm FS1: Colorado at USC
10:30pm ESPNU: Wyoming at Fresno St.