I haven’t provided an ESPN College Sports Update in a while. I think it’s fine time I do so. This is what’s in store on the ESPN family of networks in regards to college programming. Lots of stuff here including a few pictures and a video! ESPN is so thorough!
On the
ESPNU goes coast-to-coast with ESPNU Road Trip in California, The Battle in Louisiana and ESPNU All-Access: Miami down South. No sweater needed for this week’s pit stops….
Wednesday (5 p.m.) – ESPNU Road Trip visits Palo Alto, Calif., for a Pac-12 clash between Stanford and Oregon airing at 5 p.m. See all the sights and sounds as hosts Drubner and Niki Noto explore the Harvard of the West, get in-synch for the big game and have some tailgating fun with the Stanford Tree.
Wednesday (11 p.m.) – ESPNU All-Access: Miami chronicles how new head coach Al Golden is working to restore the legacy of the football program. Watch the coaches’ and players’ struggles and sacrifices laboring through fall training camp and see Golden and his players operate under the media scrutiny following reports of an NCAA investigation of the athletic program.
Thursday (10 p.m.) – The Battle debuts with back-to-back airings showcasing the heart, sweat and determination of the iconic HBCU marching band, Grambling State Tigers.
College GameDay Notebook
ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning College GameDay will originate from a new college campus for the second straight week – visiting the University of Houston, on Saturday, Nov. 19, in advance of the Conference USA matchup between No. 11 Houston and SMU. The GameDay set will be located at Cullen Circle on Houston’s campus. The weekly show airs at 9-10 a.m. on ESPNU and 10 a.m.-noon on ESPN.
Houston and SMU are each making a first appearance on College GameDay.
This week’s show features a segment on Houston’s Case Keenum’s record-breaking season and Virginia head coach Mike London and his former profession as a police officer.
A Ratings Review
The Carrier Classic, played on Veteran’s Day (11-11-11), provided some indelible images against the backdrop of San Diego Harbor at sunset, and a lasting mark on ESPN’s early-season college basketball ratings.
The Friday game between top-ranked North Carolina and Michigan State aboard the docked USS Carl Vinson posted a 2.7 rating for 3,859,119 viewers – ESPN’s highest-rated and most-viewed regular-season men’s college basketball game since March 4, 2006 featuring then-No. 15 North Carolina vs. then- No. 1 Duke (3.5 for 4,702,483 viewers).
In addition, the Veteran’s Day game ranks as ESPN’s highest-rated November contest since the Nov. 27, 1992 NIT Championship when Virginia topped Notre Dame, also delivering a 2.7 rating.
Weekly Highlights
The football schedule for Saturday, Nov. 19 includes coverage of the top five teams and eight of the top nine. Highlighted by:
No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 22 Baylor (8 p.m., ABC)
Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Heather Cox
- Oklahoma, with one loss on the season, has never lost to Baylor
No. 16 Nebraska at No. 18 Michigan (noon, ESPN & ESPN3)
Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman, Urban Meyer & Quint Kessenich
- First regular-season meeting since 1962
- Spotlight on two of the top five rushing quarterbacks in Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez
USC at No. 4 Oregon (8 p.m., ABC)
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Erin Andrews
- One-loss Oregon clinches Pac-12 North Division with a victory and a Stanford loss
- Oregon has won 21 consecutive straight home games and 19 conference games
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The men’s hoops schedule this week features action from nine pre-season tournaments and ranked teams in action, highlighted by:
- Friday at 6 p.m. (ESPNU) – No. 6 Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest Division I men’s basketball coach, against Davidson
Mike Breen & Doris Burke- Saturday at 2 p.m. (ESPN3) – No. 7 Louisville at Butler, a participant in last year’s NCAA title game
Jim Barbar & Mark Adams- Nine pre-season tournaments include Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Legends Classic, NIT Season Tip-Off, Maui Invitational, CBE Classic, Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Charleston Classic and Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off
The women’s hoops schedule features action from six ranked teams in the first full week of play, highlighted by:
- Monday at 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU) – The first top-five matchup of the season include No. 5 Stanford at No. 4 Connecticut
Beth Mowins & Rebecca LoboThe studio programming schedule includes its regularly scheduled shows this week with the addition of special programming, highlighted by:
- Sunday at 10 a.m. (ESPNU) – FCS Selection Show unveils the 20-team bracket live from ESPN’s Charlotte studio; all games will air on ESPN networks
Dari Nowkhah, Tom Luginbill & Craig HaubertWeekly Schedule & Talent
Football | Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball | StudioSpotlight: SEC “Storied”
Two decades ago, the SEC expanded to 12 schools and hosted a conference championship game for the first time in college football history. Many thought this would jeopardize national title aspirations for the schools involved. Undefeated Alabama normally would have gone straight to a matchup with Miami in the Sugar Bowl with the national championship on the line, but instead was forced to play Steve Spurrier’s Florida squad first for the SEC title.The Play That Changed College Football, premieres on ESPNU Thursday, Dec. 1, at 11 p.m. as the second of four documentaries airing this year as part of SEC “Storied”.
And that is it.
