I already gave you the 2012 ESPN College Football regular season schedule earlier today. Now let’s take a look at the Week 1 schedule complete with announcing assignments.
ESPN’s college football slate begins Thursday with a doubleheader beginning with an SEC matchup between South Carolina and Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. ET, followed by an intriguing interconference game featuring Washington State and BYU at 10:15 p.m.
Of course, ESPN3 will have its share of season opening games on Thursday as well.
This weekend marks the debut of several new announcing teams for the ESPN Family including Joe Tessitore and Matt Millen calling a Saturday night game, Beth Mowins and Joey Galloway assigned to the ESPN2 noon ET game, Carter Blackburn joins Rod Gilmore on Friday nights, Bob Wischusen teamed with Danny Kanell on ABC Saturday afternoon games plus the reunion of Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman.
All the games are listed below for you. There are a lot of them.
2012 College Football Season Kicks off Thursday
ESPN will kick off the 2012 college football season with 46 games in five days across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, Longhorn Network and ESPN Radio as part of the fifth annualKickoff Week August 30 to September 3. The season will conclude with all five post-season Bowl Championship Series bowls, highlighted by the BCS National Championship Game Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio.
This season’s Labor Day weekend season kickoff celebration will showcase 16 teams in the Associated Press poll highlighted by eight of the top 10. The weekend coverage will conclude with Georgia Tech at No. 16 Virginia Tech in a Labor Day telecast Monday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Goal Line & WatchESPN
For the third consecutive season, the ESPN Goal Line network will offer unlimited live cut-ins and highlights from numerous top college football games every Saturday beginning at noon. Goal Line is currently available to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast and Midcontinent Communications customers. The season will kick off with a special edition of Goal Line on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. ESPNU will simulcast Goal Line Thursday, Aug. 30 from 7 to 10:30 p.m.Viewers can also watch live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Goal Line game action online at WatchESPN.com or on smart phones and tablets through the WatchESPN app. The service – available to customers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV and Comcast Xfinity TV – gives fans the ability to watch ESPN’s live networks, no matter where they are.
Schedule highlights
- The season will kick off with ESPN doubleheader: No. 9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. followed by Washington State, led by new head coach Mike Leach, at BYU at 10:15 p.m.
- ESPN3 will offer exclusive coverage of 15 games and 25 games overall.
- Saturday Night Football on ABC, the first primetime weekly college football series on broadcast television, will kick off with No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 2 Alabama. The Cowboys Classic matchup from Dallas Cowboys stadium Arlington, Texas will begin at 8 p.m.
- ESPN’s weekly Friday night series will kick off with No. 24 Boise State at No. 13 Michigan State in a showdown between Mountain West and Big Ten teams at 8 p.m.
- Overall, the weekend will include 16 teams from the AP preseason poll. Additional teams include:
- No. 1 USC against Hawaii Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Radio
- No. 3 LSU against North Texas Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPNU
- No. 5 Oregon against Arkansas State Saturday, Sept. 1, at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 6 Georgia against Buffalo Saturday, Sept. 1, at noon on ESPN3 and the SEC Network
- No. 7 Florida State against Murray State Saturday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. on ESPN3
- No. 9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 10 Arkansas against Jacksonville State Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPN3
- No. 14 Clemson vs. Auburn from Atlanta in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 15 Texas against Wyoming Saturday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. on Longhorn Network
- No. 16 Virginia Tech against Georgia Tech Monday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 17 Nebraska against Southern Mississippi Saturday, Sept. 1, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN2
- No. 23 Florida against Bowling Green Saturday, Sept. 1, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 25 Louisville against Kentucky Sunday, Sept. 2, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
2012 Season
With the addition of games from the Mountain West Conference, ESPN will be the only network to televise home games from all 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and BYU. ESPN will also televise road games featuring Notre Dame, Navy and Army.The 2012 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN GamePlan will total more than 450 regular-and post-season games, concluding with the entire Bowl Championship Series, highlighted by the National Championship Game, on ESPN. The schedule will include weekly Saturday night games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, weekly ESPN and ESPNU Thursday night contests and telecasts every Friday.
ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, Longhorn Network and ESPN Radio Schedule
Date Time (ET) Game/Commentators Network Thu, Aug 30 7 p.m. No. 9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt
Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha SteeleESPN 7 p.m. Central Florida at Akron
Keith Morehouse & Jerod CherryESPN3 7 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Ball State
Jim Barbar & Rocky BoimanESPN3 7 p.m. Southeast Missouri State at Central Michigan
Dan Gutowsky & Bob ChmeilESPN3 7 p.m. ESPN Goal Line simulcast ESPNU 7:30 p.m. McNeese State at Middle Tennessee State ESPN3 7:30 p.m. Massachusetts at Connecticut
Bob Picozzi & David Diaz-InfanteESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network 8 p.m. Sacramento State at New Mexico State ESPN3 * 8 p.m. Southern Utah at Utah State ESPN3 * 9 p.m. Eastern Washington at Idaho
Trey Bender & Jay TaylorESPN3 10:15 p.m. Washington State at BYU
Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon SpakeESPN Fri, Aug 31 7 p.m. Villanova at Temple
Scott Graham, John Bunting & Cat WhitehillESPN3 7:30 p.m. Kickoff Game: NC State vs. Tennessee (Atlanta)
ESPNU: Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Holly Rowe
Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, and Joe SchadESPNU & ESPN Radio 8 p.m. No. 24 Boise State at No. 13 Michigan State
Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele HillESPN 8 p.m. Wagner at Florida Atlantic
Jared Schwartz & Forrest ConolyESPN3 Sat, Sep 1 Noon Ohio at Penn State
Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Rinaldi & Mark SchwartzESPN & ESPN 3D Noon Northwestern at Syracuse
Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Jenn BrownESPN2 Noon Western Michigan at Illinois
Anish Shroff & Dan HawkinsESPNU Noon Buffalo at No. 6 Georgia
Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara CapuanoESPN3 & SEC Network 12:30 p.m. Elon at North Carolina ESPN3 * & ACC Network 2 p.m. Texas San Antonio at South Alabama
Jonathon Yardley & Cole CubilicESPN3 3 p.m. William & Mary at Maryland
John Sadak, Cory Chavous & Beth McDadeESPN3 3 p.m. Richmond at Virginia ESPN3 * & ACC Network 3:30 p.m. Southern Mississippi at No. 17 Nebraska
Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine EdwardsABC & ESPN2 ** Miami at Boston College
Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria TaylorABC & ESPN2 ** 3:30 p.m. Bowling Green at No. 23 Florida
Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica MendozaESPN 3:30 p.m. Iowa vs. Northern Illinois (from Solider Field – Chicago)
Tom Hart & John CongemiESPNU 6 p.m. Youngstown State at Pittsburgh
Bob Picozzi, Ralph Freidgen & Rotina McCannESPN3 6 p.m. Murray State at No. 7 Florida State
Shawn Kenney& Rene IngogliaESPN3 6:30 p.m. Liberty at Wake Forest
Ryan Rose & Stan LewterESPN3 7 p.m. Kickoff Game: No. 14 Clemson vs. Auburn (Atlanta)
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly RoweESPN 7 p.m. North Texas at No. 3 LSU
Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison WilliamsESPNU 7 p.m. Florida International at Duke
Darren Goldwater, John Gregory & Angela MallenESPN3 7 p.m. Tennessee-Chattanooga at South Florida
Dave Weekley, Warrick Dunn & Tiffany GreeneESPN3 7 p.m. Austin Peay at Western Kentucky
Dan Gutowsky & Doug GraberESPN3 7 p.m. Jackson State at Mississippi State ESPN3 * & RSN 7 p.m. Central Arkansas at Mississippi ESPN3 * & PPV 7 p.m. Jacksonville State at No. 10 Arkansas ESPN3 * & PPV 7 p.m. Southeastern Louisiana at Missouri ESPN3 * & PPV 7:30 p.m. Hawaii at No. 1 USC
Rich Cellini, John Mackovic, and Brett McMurphyESPN Radio 8 p.m. Cowboys Classic: No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 2 Alabama (Arlington, Texas)
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather CoxABC & ESPN Radio 8 p.m. Wyoming at No. 15 Texas
Mark Neely, Ray Bentle7 & Kaylee HartungLonghorn Network 10:30 p.m. Arkansas State at No. 5 Oregon
Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shelley SmithESPN 10:30 p.m. Toledo at Arizona
Joe Davis & Mike BellottiESPNU Sun, Sep 2 Noon MEAC/SWAC Challenge:
Bethune-Cookman vs. Alabama State (from Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium – Orlando)Dave Lamont, Jay Walker & Paul CarcaterraESPN 3:30 p.m. Kentucky at No. 25 Louisville
Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele HillESPN Mon, Sep 3 8 p.m. Georgia Tech at No. 16 Virginia Tech
Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint KessenichESPN * Local blackout may apply
** Reverse mirror in which ESPN2 will regionalize two games on ABC to markets not receiving the telecast
There you have it.