tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137059844561398433.post6879304156939517598..comments2024-03-12T11:22:30.939-04:00Comments on Matt's College Sports Media Blog: Postscript on 10/6 CFB TV selectionsMatt Sarzyniakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07967516926073948559noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9137059844561398433.post-26427814951570830082012-09-27T20:20:24.802-04:002012-09-27T20:20:24.802-04:00ESPN does not seem to want to put Saturday confere...ESPN does not seem to want to put Saturday conference matchups from the Big East on a network above ESPNU before Thanksgiving. Much of the available inventory before Thanksgiving gets scheduled for Wednesday (none this year), Thursday (already done for this year), and Friday (four of the next seven). Then, one game has to be available for the Big East "Game of the Week." On top of that, there is the ESPNU quota to meet. Factor in strategically-placed bye weeks, too. Much like with basketball, ESPN must have somewhat of a hand with scheduling.<br /><br />During the current contract (since 2008), listed below are all of the times that ESPN has put a Big East vs. Big East football game on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC on a Saturday before Thanksgiving, where the game did NOT involve West Virginia University (as gathered from the blog author's site:<br /><br />- 20 November 2010: University of Pittsburgh at University of South Florida -- 12 pm ET, ESPN2. (This was the Saturday before Thanksgiving.)<br /><br />- 7 November 2009: University of Connecticut at University of Cincinnati -- 8 pm ET, ABC. (To date, this three-way split-national broadcast is still the only BE vs. BE football game to ever appear on ABC Saturday Night Football. This game had lots of story lines, too -- on both sides.)<br /><br />- 10 October 2009: University of Connecticut at University of Pittsburgh -- 3:30 pm ET, ABC/ESPN. (Each team entered the game with one overall loss -- non-conference.)<br /><br />- 22 November 2008: University of Pittsburgh at University of Cincinnati -- 7:15 pm ET, ESPN2. (Another one right before Thanksgiving.)<br /><br />In just the final year of the previous contract (2007) alone, there were just as many such games (four). If one adds back in appearances by the Mountaineers from 2008-2011, the number in that period doubles (to eight). For another bit of history, consider 1996-2000, when the Big East was on CBS. IIRC, every Big East football broadcast on CBS involved a current or soon-to-be future member of the ACC.<br /><br />The annual rivalry game between the Huskies and the Scarlet Knights is the only matchup (not just rivalry, but *period*) that will remain from the pre-expansion (prior to 2005) Big East after this academic year. (I am not counting Temple.) They have played every year as conference foes since 2004. The only other strong rivalry game that will remain from the pre-*explosion* Big East (prior to next year) will be the Keg of Nails. That game had been contested every year (except for a three-year lapse prior to the formation of Conference USA) for over forty years. The only other school that will be left in the Big East from the pre-flight era (before 2012) will be USF, who has no strong conference rivalry games.<br /><br />ESPN has never given either game a "prime" spot on its family of networks since the games have been Big East contests. Lots of Fridays, Sundays (2006), post-Thanksgivings (including a Thanksgiving morning matchup at Rutgers in 2004, which I attended), and relegations to ESPNU. I hope that NBC will give much better treatment to the best regular conference matchups the Big East has to offer when they (hopefully) get the next contract.<br /><br />All of that, to explain why I am not at all surprised that I will be watching my Huskies on ESPNU in their biggest rivalry game. Honestly, I was quite surprised ESPN did not let it drop to GOTW, just because.Julianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03888959187414240835noreply@blogger.com