Fang's Bites

ABC to Air Two NBA Conference Semifinal Openers on Sunday

With four NBA Conference Quarterfinal Games 6 resulting in four series clinchers on Friday night, it ends up that there will be only one Game 7 to decide which team will take on Miami in one Eastern Conference Semifinal.

However, the other Eastern Conference Semifinal is set and that will pit the Indiana Pacers against the New York Knicks. And in one Western Conference Semifinal, the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Both of these series will commence on Sunday and ABC will carry them both starting at 1 p.m. ET. Grizzlies-Thunder taps off the NBA doubleheader with Pacers-Knicks in the nightcap.

Here’s the blurb from ESPN.

ABC to Broadcast Two NBA Conference Semifinals Games 1 Sunday

ABC will broadcast two NBA Conference Semifinals Games 1  on Sunday, May 5, beginning at 1 p.m. ET with the defending Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant hosting the Memphis Grizzlies and Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol. Mike Tirico will provide commentary with analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Heather Cox. At 3:30 p.m., the New York Knicks led by Carmelo Anthony will host the Indiana Pacers and Paul George. Mike Breen will call the game with analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Doris Burke. ABC’s NBA Playoffs coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. with NBA Countdown previewing the doubleheader.

That’s all.

NBA on ESPN Back on the Case with Seven Playoff Games This Weekend

The ESPN family of networks will be back with seven NBA Playoff games starting this Friday through Sunday. In addition, several commentators will work multiple games during that three day stretch.

ESPN and ESPN2 will combine for three games on Friday, then ESPN has a Saturday night doubleheader to be followed with a Sunday afternoon double dip on ABC.

The announcing teams of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Heather Cox along with Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown and Chris Broussard will work games on Friday and Saturday. Dave Pasch and Jon Barry will work on Friday and Saturday with Holly Rowe on Friday and Samantha Ponder on Saturday.

Here’s the schedule for the NBA on ESPN.

NBA Playoffs Continue with Seven Games on ABC & ESPN This Weekend

Three ESPN Commentator Teams to Call Multiple Games

The NBA Playoffs will continue on ABC and ESPN this weekend with seven games across the networks, beginning with three ESPN telecasts Friday and a concluding with a blockbuster ABC doubleheader Sunday. The updated commentator assignments for ABC, ESPN, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes – including three commentator teams calling multiple games – are listed below.

Highlights

• Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Heather Cox to call both New York Knicks-Boston Celtics games.
• Mike Tirico, analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Chris Broussard to call San Antonio Spurs-Los Angeles Lakers Friday and Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks Sunday.
• Dave Pasch, analyst Jon Barry and reporter Holly Rowe will call two games in less than 24 hours – Denver Nuggets-Golden State Warriors Friday and Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets Saturday.

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Networks
Fri, Apr 26	8 p.m.	New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 3) ESPN: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dr. Jack Ramsay	ESPN, ESPN Radio, WatchESPN
	10:30 p.m.	San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Gm. 3) ESPN: Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Chris Broussard ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales	ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes
	10:30 p.m.	Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (Gm. 3) ESPN: Dave Pasch, Jon Barry, Holly Rowe	ESPN2, WatchESPN
Sat, Apr 27	7 p.m.	Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks (Gm. 3) ESPN: Mark Jones, Doris Burke, Holly Rowe	ESPN, WatchESPN
	9:30 p.m.	Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (Gm. 3) ESPN: Dave Pasch, Jon Barry, Samantha Ponder ESPN Radio: Kevin Calabro, Chris Mullin ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales	ESPN, ESPN Radio, WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes
Sun, Apr 28	12:30 p.m.	NBA Countdown Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, Michael Wilbon	ABC
	1 p.m.	New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (Gm. 4) ESPN: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox ESPN Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dr. Jack Ramsay	ABC, ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks (Gm. 4) ESPN: Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Chris Broussard ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales	ABC, ESPN Deportes

There you have it.

ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak to Host Indy 500

Broken last night by USA Today’s Michael Hiestand and made official today, Lindsay Czarniak, a fast-rising star at ESPN, has been named as host of the Indianapolis 500. She replaces Brent Musburger.

Czarniak is no stranger to motorsports. She was a pit reporter and host on NASCAR on TNT between 2007 and 2011. She’s also hosted an occasional episode of NASCAR Now on ESPN2.

She becomes the first female host for the race following in the footsteps of Jim McKay and Musburger.

Czarniak is the co-anchor of the 6 p.m. SportsCenter with John Anderson.

Prior to joining ESPN, Czarniak was a sports anchor on WRC-TV in Washington and appeared on the George Michael Sports Machine which was produced at WRC.

Here’s the ESPN press release.

Lindsay Czarniak to Host ABC’s Indianapolis 500 Telecast

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lindsay Czarniak has been named host for the telecast of the Indianapolis 500 on ABC on Sunday, May 26. ABC will be televising the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the 49th consecutive year, extending one of the longest-running relationships between a sporting event and a TV network, and Czarniak will be the first woman ever to host the telecast.

Czarniak, who co-anchors the 6 p.m. SportsCenter with John Anderson, joined ESPN in 2011. She has a background in motorsports, having served as a pit and feature reporter and host for TNT’s telecasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup races and a pit reporter for NBC Sports prior to moving to ESPN. She also has hosted ESPN’s NASCAR Now program.

She was as sports anchor and reporter at WRC-TV (NBC4) in Washington, D.C., from 2005-2011. During that time, she also worked for NBC covering the 2006 Winter and 2008 Summer Olympic Games as well as NASCAR.

Czarniak will be positioned on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic Pagoda during ABC’s one-hour Indianapolis 500 pre-race show at 11 a.m. on May 26. She also will contribute to the race telecast

That’s it.

ESPN, Inc. Pounds Its Chest Over 43 Sports Emmy Nominations

The ESPN Family of Networks received 43 Sports Emmy nominations. Some of the major nods include Mike Breen for Play-by-Play, Jon Gruden for Event Sports Analyst, College GameDay for Weekly Studio Show, Pardon the Interruption in Daily Studio Show, the Indy 500 for Live Sports Special, Monday Night Football in Live Sports Series, 30 for 30 in Edited Sports Series/Anthology, E:60 for Sports Journalism and even Grantland got three nominations giving Bill Simmons another ego blast.

Here’s what ESPN is saying about their Sports Emmy nominations.

ESPN, Inc. – 41 Sports Emmy Nominations

Outside the Lines, E:60 Lead the Way; First Three Nominations for Grantland.com

ESPN, Inc. received 41 Sports Emmy Award nominations for 2012 across its platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN 3D, ABC, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and Grantland.com), it was announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  The winners will be announced Monday, May 6, in New York.

The company’s initiatives in enterprise journalism and storytelling led the way – five nods for E:60, four for Outside the Lines, ESPN Films earned four nominations including two for 30 for 30 documentaries, and three for Grantland.com, the site’s first nominations. OTL has won 14 Sports Emmy Awards in history, including three last year.  Grantland.com gained two nominations in New Approaches – Sports Programming with “The Arnold Palmer” and “Royce White Battles Anxiety on Draft Day” as well as one in New Approaches – Short Format for “Story Time with Jalen Rose.”

Monday Night Football, the most-watched series in cable television, was nominated in Live Series and its analyst Jon Gruden was nominated for the fourth consecutive year and reporter Lisa Salters received her first-ever nod.  In technical categories, ESPN 3D garnered a pair of nominations, including in Technical Team Remote for the Winter X Games for which the network won in 2012.  Also, last summer’s UEFA Euro 2012 month-long tournament received nominations in Technical Team Studio and in Graphic Design.

Overall, ESPN has won 148 Sports Emmy Awards in 25 years of eligibility.  ABC Sports won 160 from 1980 – 2008.

ESPN’s nominations by category (all are ESPN, except as noted):

Live Special                                   Indianapolis 500 (ABC)
Live Series                                     Monday Night Football
Edited Special                                Outside the Lines – Believe
Sports Documentary                      26 Years: The Dewey Bozella Story (ESPN2)
The Announcement
Edited Series                                 30 for 30
Studio Show/weekly                       College GameDay
Studio Show/daily                          NFL Live (ESPN2)
Pardon the Interruption
Journalism                                     E:60 – Beitar Jerusalem (ESPN2)
                                                      E:60 – Busted Coverage (ESPN2)
Short Feature                                 College GameDay – Fist Bump: A Brotherly Bond
E:60 – Perfect (ESPN2)
SportsCenter – Kick of Hope
SportsCenter – Run with Me
Long Feature                                  E:60 – Mike Powell: In Relentless Pursuit (ESPN2)
New Approaches –                         Unite (ESPNU)
Sports Programming                     Royce White Battles Anxiety on Draft Day (Grantland.com)
The Arnold Palmer (Grantland.com)
New Approaches – Short Format    ESPNU Unite Social Highlight (ESPNU)
Story Time with Jalen Rose (Grantland.com)
Numbers Never Lie Whiteboard (ESPN2)
Play by Play                                   Mike Breen (ABC)
Event Analyst                                 Jon Gruden
Reporter                                         Lisa Salters
Technical Team Remote                 The Masters (ESPN 3D with CBS)
Winter X Games (ESPN 3D)
Technical Team Studio                  UEFA Euro 2012
Camerawork                                   E:60 – Remember Bluffton (ESPN2)
Outside the Lines – Breaking the Silence
Editing                                           Grand Slam Tennis (ESPN2
Outside the Lines – Breaking the Silence
Writing                                           The Open Championship – Old
The Open Championship – Essays
30 for 30 – Ghosts of Ole Miss
Graphic Design                              UEFA Euro 2012
                                                      Sport Science (ESPN-ESPN2-ESPNEWS)
Prod.Design/Art Direction              Outside the Lines – Defiance: The Story of FC Start
Promo – Institutional                     “It’s not crazy, it’s sports.”
“Nothing Beats First Place”

That’s going to do it.

34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Nominations Announced

Just received this from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the full press release of the nominations for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy Awards.

NBC Sports Group received the most nominations with 58 followed by ESPN with 43 and Turner in third with 27.

Bob Costas was nominated yet again for Outstanding Studio Host along with Dan Patrick, James Brown, Ernie Johnson and Rich Eisen.

There were only four nominees for Outstanding Play-by-play, Mike Breen, Mike Emrick, Al Michaels and Jim Nantz.

Cris Collinsworth received another nomination for Outstanding Event Analyst. He’s joined by Ato Boldon of NBC Olympics, Jon Gruden, Jim Kaat and Mike Mayock.

Studio Analyst was full with Charles Barkley of TNT, Tony Dungy of NBC’s Football Night in America, CBS’ Boomer Esiason, MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken also from MLB Network and Kurt Warner of NFL Network.

Let us take a look at the full list. We need a jump break in here as well. Let’s go. Lots of things to read through. Get ready to scroll.

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES THE NOMINEES FOR THE 34th ANNUAL SPORTS EMMY® AWARDS

Winners to be Honored During the May 7th Ceremony At Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center

New York, NY – March 20, 2013 – The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 34th Annual Sports Emmy® Awards.

More than 170 nominees were announced in 34 categories including Outstanding Live Sports Special, Live Series, Sports Documentary, Studio Show, Promotional Announcements, Play-by-Play Personality and Studio Analyst. The Awards will be given out at the prestigious Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center located in the Time Warner Center on Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 in New York City.

“What a world we live in,” said Malachy Wienges, Chair, NATAS. “The Olympics, NASCAR, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the World Series, The Stanley Cup, The NBA, the US Open, the Masters…it just goes on and on! This is another outstanding year for the sports community and for The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The entries received in this year’s Sports Emmy Awards illustrate the high-water mark of quality each of us gets to enjoy every time we turn on our favorite program. With so much talent vying for the prestigious Emmy Award and with many of the today’s leading sports broadcasters, personalities, and television professionals in attendance, it promises to be an exciting evening.”

The networks of NBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, nbcsports.com, & Telemundo) lead the nomination totals with 58, ESPN (ESPN, ESPN2, grantland.com, ABC, ESPN3D, ESPNU & ESPNews), garnered 43, and Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, NCAA.com & truTV) garnered 27. A complete list of all Networks and individual show nominations follows below.

A complete list of all nominees is attached and also available at www.emmyonline.tv/sports

34th Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network Group
Network or Network Group Nominations

NBC Sports Group (NBC, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, nbcolympics.com, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, nbcsports.com, Telemundo) — 58
ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2, grantland.com, ABC, ESPN 3D, ESPNU, ESPNews) — 43
Turner Sports (TNT, TBS, NBA TV, truTV, NCAA.com) — 27
FOX Sports Media Group (FOX, SPEED, FOX Soccer Channel) — 17
HBO Sports — 17
NFL Network (NFL Network, NFL Media, NFL.com) — 16
CBS (CBS, Showtime, CBS Sports Network) — 15
MLB Network — 9
DIRECTV — 1
YouTube — 1

34th Annual Sports Emmy Award Nominations by Network

NETWORK — NOMINATIONS

NBC — 36
ESPN — 23
HBO Sports — 17
FOX — 13
NFL Network — 13
TNT — 13
CBS — 10
ESPN2 — 10
MLB Network — 9
NBC Sports Network — 9
TBS — 5
NBA TV — 4
Showtime — 4
truTV — 4
grantland.com — 3
NBCOlympics.com — 3
Speed — 3
ABC — 2
Bravo — 2
ESPN3D — 2
ESPNU — 2
Golf Channel — 2
MSNBC — 2
NFL Media — 2
Telemundo — 2
CBS Sports Network — 1
CNBC — 1
DIRECTV — 1
ESPNews — 1
FOX Soccer Channel — 1
nbcsports.com — 1
NCAA.com — 1
NFL.com — 1
YouTube — 1

BREAKDOWN OF MULTIPLE PROGRAM — SERIES NOMINATIONS

Program/Network/Nominations
Games of the XXX Olympiad (NBC/Bravo/CNBC/MSNBC/NBC SportsNetwork/NBCOlympics.com/Telemundo) — 14
NBA on TNT (TNT) — 6
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (TNT) — 6
E:60 (ESPN2) — 5
24/7 (HBO) — 4
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins (HBO) — 4
MLB on FOX (FOX) — 4
Outside the Lines (ESPN) — 4
Sunday Night Football (NBC) — 4
NASCAR on FOX (FOX) — 3
NFL Films Presents (NFL Network) — 3
30 for 30 (ESPN) — 2
A Football Life (NFL Network) — 2
College Gameday (ESPN) — 2
The Dream Team (NBA TV) — 2
Inside the NBA (NBA TV) — 2
Inside the NFL (Showtime) –2
MLB Network Division Series (MLB Network) — 2
MLB Tonight (MLB Network) — 2
Namath (HBO) — 2
NCAA March Madness (TBS) — 2
NFL on FOX (FOX) — 2
SportsCenter (ESPN) — 2
Sport Science (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNews) — 2
UEFA Euro 2012 (ESPN) — 2

The nominations are coming after a jump break.
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College Basketball Viewing Picks for 03/16 & 03/17/2013, All Times Eastern

Men’s Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Announcing Assignments Courtesy of Eye on Sky and Air Sports

Saturday, March 16

Pregame and Studio Shows
College GameDay — ESPN, noon
Big Ten Tip-Off Show — Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.
College Basketball Live Scoreboard — ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
Big Ten Finale ’12-’13 — Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
College Basketball Live — ESPN2, 12:30 a.m. (Sunday)

Men’s
ACC Tournament, Greensboro, NC
Semifinals
North Carolina State vs. Miami — ACC Network (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski/Debbie Antontelli)/ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dan Shulman/Doris Burke/Jeannine Edwards), 1 p.m.
Maryland vs. North Carolina — ACC Network (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski/Debbie Antontelli)/ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dan Shulman/Dick Vitale/Jeannine Edwards), 3:30 p.m.

America East Championship, Burlington, VT
Albany at Vermont — ESPN2, 11:30 a.m. (Bob Picozzi/LaPhonso Ellis)

Atlantic 10 Tournament, Brooklyn, NY
Semifinals
Saint Louis vs. Butler — CBS Sports Network, 1:30 p.m. (Tom McCarthy/Steve Wolf)
Virginia Commonwealth vs. UMass — CBS Sports Network, 4 p.m. (Tom McCarthy/Steve Wolf)

Big East Championship, New York, NY
Syracuse vs. Louisville — ESPN, 8:30 p.m. (Sean McDonough/Jay Bilas/Bill Raftery/Andy Katz)

Big Ten Tournament, Chicago, IL
Semifinals
Indiana vs. Wisconsin — CBS, 1:30 p.m. (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Steve Kerr/Tracy Wolfson)
Ohio State vs. Michigan State — CBS, 4 p.m. (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Steve Kerr/Tracy Wolfson)

Big 12 Championship, Kansas City, MO
Kansas vs. Kansas State — ESPN, 6 p.m. (Brent Musburger/Fran Fraschilla/Holly Rowe)

Big Sky Championship, Missoula, MT
Weber State vs. Montana — ESPNU, 9 p.m. (Kanoa Leahey/Corey Williams)

Big West Championship, Anaheim, CA
Cal-Irvine vs. Pacific — ESPN2, 10:30 p.m. (Mark Jones/Miles Simon)

Conference USA Championship, Tulsa, OK
Southern Mississippi vs. Memphis — CBS, 11:30 a.m. (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel)

Mid-American Conference, Cleveland, OH
Akron vs. Ohio — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m. (Bob Wischusen/Stephen Bardo)

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship, Norfolk, VA
Morgan State vs. North Carolina A&T — ESPNU, 5 p.m. (Jason Benetti/Stan Lewster)

Mountain West Championship, Las Vegas, NV
New Mexico vs. UNLV — CBS, 6 p.m. (Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner/Reggie Miller)

Pac-12 Championship, Las Vegas, NV
UCLA vs. Oregon — ESPN, 11 p.m. (Dave Pasch/Bill Walton/Samantha Ponder)

SEC Tournament, Nashville, TN
Semifinals
Florida vs. Alabama — ABC, 1 p.m. (Brad Nessler/Jimmy Dykes/Shannon Spake)
Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi — ABC, 3:30 p.m. (Brad Nessler/Jimmy Dykes/Shannon Spake)

Southland Conference Championship, Katy, TX
Stephen F. Austin vs. Northwestern State — ESPN2, 8:30 p.m. (Carter Blackburn/Mark Adams)

Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship, Garland, TX
Prairie View A&M vs. Southern — ESPN2, 4:30 p.m. (Mark Neely/Darrin Horn)

WAC Championship, Las Vegas, NV
New Mexico State vs. Texas-Arlington — ESPNU, 11 p.m. (Trey Bender/Stephen Howard)

Women’s
Atlantic 10 Championship, Brooklyn, NY
St. Joseph’s vs. Fordham — ESPNU, 7 p.m. (Cara Capuano/Brooke Weisbrod)

Conference USA Championship, Tulsa, OK
Central Florida vs. Tulsa — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m. (James Bates/Julianne Viani)

Mountain West Championship, Las Vegas, NV
San Diego State vs. Fresno State — CBS Sports Network, 10 p.m. (Rich Cellini/Tammy Blackburn/Lauren Gardner)

WAC Championship, Las Vegas, NV
Seattle vs. Idaho — ESPNU, 3 p.m. (Roy Philpott/Rosalyn Gold-Onwude)

Sunday, March 17

Pregame & Studio Shows
College Basketball Live — ESPN2, 11 a.m.
Road to the Final Four^® — CBS, noon
Big Ten Tip-Off Show — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
Bracketology — ESPN, 3 p.m.
NCAA March Madness Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 4 p.m.
NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show — CBS, 6 p.m.
Big Ten Basketball & Beyond: Selection Sunday Special — Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.
Bracketology — ESPN, 7 p.m.
NCAA Selection Sunday — truTV, 7 p.m.
NCAA March Madness Bracket Breakdown — CBS Sports Network, 8 p.m.
30 for 30: Survive & Advance — ESPN, 9 p.m.
NIT Selection Show — ESPNU, 9 p.m.
Tournament Countdown: The Experts — ESPNU, 9:30 p.m.
College GameNight — ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Men’s
ACC Championship, Greensboro, NC
Miami vs. North Carolina — ACC Network (Tim Brant/Mike Gminski/Debbie Antonelli)/ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dan Shulman/Dick Vitale/Jeannine Edwards), 1 p.m.

Atlantic 10 Championship, Brooklyn, NY
Saint Louis vs. Virginia Commonwealth — CBS, 1 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery)

Big Ten Championship, Chicago, IL
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State — CBS, 3:30 p.m. (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Steve Kerr/Tracy Wolfson)

SEC Championship, Nashville, TN
Florida vs. Mississippi — ABC, 1 p.m. (Brad Nessler/Jimmy Dykes/Shannon Spake)

Women’s
Horizon League Championship, Green Bay, WI
Loyola at Green Bay — ESPNU, 1 p.m. (Jim Barbar/Nell Fortner)

Northeast Conference Championship, Hamden, CT
St. Francis at Quinnipiac — ESPNU, 5 p.m. (Cara Capuano/Brooke Weisbrod)

ESPN’s 2013 Championship Week To Include 136 Men’s Basketball Games

We’re fast approaching the college basketball conference tournaments and some really fun games. Teams that are on the bubble hope to improve their NCAA Tournament selection chances, while those teams firmly assured of a birth hope to improve on their seeding or hope not to get knocked off a certain line.

With the networks of ESPN not having the rights to the NCAA Tournament, this is the next best thing to having the Big Dance. ESPN has the rights to most of the major conference tournaments including the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC.

And the announcing assignments for the “BCS” conferences are as follows:

ACC Tournament (Greensboro, NC): Dan Shulman on 7 games working with Sean Farnham on four games, Doris Burke on one semifinal and Dick Vitale on a semifinal game and the Championship. Dave O’Brien and Doris work the other four games. Sideline reporters will be Allison Williams on four games, Jeannine Williams on 7.

Big East Tournament (New York, NY): Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, Bill Raftery and Andy Katz call eight games including the semifinals and Championship. Mike Patrick and Len Elmore work the other five tournament games.

Big Ten Tournament (Chicago, IL): Mike Tirico, Dan Dakich and Samantha Ponder will work four tournament games. CBS has the rights to the semifinals and finals.

Big 12 Tournament (Kansas City, MO): Brent Musburger, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe work five games including the semifinals and Championship.

Pac-12 Tournament (Las Vegas, NV): Dave Pasch and Bill Walton call one quarterfinal, one semifinal and the Championship. Samantha Ponder joins Pasch and Walton for the Championship.

SEC Tournament (Nashville, TN): Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes and Shannon Spake will call seven tournament games including the semifinals and Championship on ABC.

Let’s look at what ESPN is saying about Championship Week.

Championship Week: 136 Overall Men’s Games

Includes Pac-12 Title Game for First Time as Part of Crowning of 23 Champions

ESPN’s 2013 Championship Week will showcase 136 men’s college basketball conference tournament games across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 from Wednesday, March 6 to Sunday, March 17. ESPN3 will simulcast 37 of the matchups that are available in the local markets via syndication. Coverage highlights:

• For the first time, ESPN will televise Pac-12 Tournament games, covering a quarterfinal, semifinal and the Championship. In addition to ESPN’s telecast, ESPN Deportes will televise the Pac-12 title game. As part of a 12-year agreement with the conference, ESPN will televise one conference quarterfinal and semifinal game, and the championship every other year.
• The networks will combine to offer coverage of 23 Division I conference title games and action from 25 conferences overall.
• This season will mark ESPN’s 28th, ESPN2’s 19th and ESPNU’s eighth year of comprehensive coverage. ESPN will televise 20 games, ESPN2 24, ESPNU 19 and ABC three games, while ESPN3 will offer a platform record 29 exclusive contests.
• ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 will combine to provide action of multiple men’s games from several top conferences, including all 13 of the BIG EAST games; all 11 of the SEC and ACC; all nine from the Big 12 and four from the Big Ten.

ESPN3 will tip off Championship Week with coverage of the Atlantic Sun Conference Quarterfinals with two games each on Wednesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 7. The matchups will tip off at 2:30 and 8:30 p.m. ET on both days. Championship Week will conclude on Sunday, March 17 with the ACC (ESPN) and SEC (ABC) title games at 1 p.m. Additional platform coverage:

• ESPN Buzzer Beater will provide live cut-ins, highlights and up-to-the-minute commentary from numerous Championship Week games from across the ESPN networks on Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15.
• The entire Championship Week coverage will also be available via WatchESPN, which delivers live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line on computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox to fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription. The WatchESPN app is available free to download for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire devices in the App Store, Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore for Android. It is also accessible online at WatchESPN.com and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members.
• ESPN 3D will offer coverage of all 11 ACC tournament matchups.
• ESPN International will offer extensive coverage, reaching 152 countries and territories on ESPN America – Great Britain (41 games), ESPN America – Europe (33  games), ESPN America -Middle East (32 games), ESPN2 Caribbean (22  games), ESPN Pac Rim (3 games), ESPN2 Australia (25 games), ESPN Atlantic (14 games), ESPN Middle East (20 games) and ESPN Brazil HD (9 games).

Week Concludes with Extensive Day-Long Coverage
The final day of Championship Week – Selection Sunday, March 17 – will begin at noon with College Basketball Live on ESPN, followed by the ACC Championship (on ESPN) and SEC Championship (on ABC), both at 1 p.m. Extensive coverage of the men’s NCAA Championship selection will include a three-hour Bracketology at 3 p.m. and a two-hour edition at 7 p.m., both on ESPN. ESPN will also offer selection coverage during SportsCenter at 6 p.m.ESPNU will televise the seventh annual NIT Selection Show at 9 p.m. and a three-hour Tournament Countdown edition of The Experts at 9:30 p.m.

Debut of Documentary Survive And Advance
ESPN’s Selection Sunday coverage on March 17 will conclude with the ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary Survive And Advance, focusing on NC State’s 1983 season, at 9 p.m. When the 1982-83 college basketball season began, Jim Valvano and his NC State Wolfpack faced high expectations with equally high aspirations. But with ten losses for the season, the Wolfpack’s only hope of making the NCAA Tournament was to win the ACC Tournament and earn the conference’s automatic berth. Nine straight improbable tournament wins later over the likes of Sampson, Jordan, Olajuwon and Drexler, NC State had “survived and advanced” its way to a national championship. In Survive and Advance, director Jonathan Hock takes a poignant look through the eyes of senior captain Dereck Whittenburg at a dream fulfilled and explores what at times has been a tragic and heartbreaking aftermath in the 30 years since.

Commentator Notes

• BIG EAST: Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, Bill Raftery and Andy Katz will pair up to call eight  BIG EAST games, including the semifinals and championship. Mike Patrick and Len Elmore will work the remaining five games.
• ACC: Dan Shulman will call seven of the ACC games, including the semifinals and championship. He will work four games with analyst Sean Farnham, a semifinal with Doris Burke and a semifinal and championship with Dick Vitale. Dave O’Brien, Burke and reporter Allison Williams will pair up on four games. Jeannine Edwards will report on seven including the semifinals and championship.
• Pac-12: Dave Pasch and Bill Walton will call all three of ESPN’s Pac-12 telecasts with reporter Samantha Ponder joining them on the championship.
• Big 12 & SEC: Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes and Shannon Spake will call seven SEC games including semifinals and title game on ABC, while Brent Musburger, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe will work five Big 12 telecasts.
• Big Ten: Mike Tirico, Dan Dakich and Samantha Ponder will call the four Big Ten telecasts.

ESPN.com
ESPN.com’s Championship Week index page will feature news, analysis, information and results for every conference tournament as well as previews, in-depth expert examination and key storylines for select conferences. ESPN.com’s Bubble Watch with writer Eamonn Brennan will give fans an in-depth look at teams on the bubble and the latest developments on NCAA tournament selection status. In addition, writers will file stories from several tournament sites, including the ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Mountain West, Pac-12 and SEC. ESPN.com’s Bracketologist Joe Lunardi will also update and adjust his Bracketology projections and outlook daily.

ESPN Radio: Greenberg & Greenberg Tips Off Championship Week
ESPN Radio’s Championship Week coverage will begin with the inaugural Greenberg & Greenberg in the Morning show on Friday, March 8 (6-10 a.m. ET simulcast on ESPN2). Mike & Mike in the Morning co-host Mike Greenberg will be joined by former Virginia Tech men’s head basketball coach Seth Greenberg for a hoops-heavy four-hour broadcast.

The Network’s play-by-play coverage will include the Big 12 Semifinals and Championship (March 15-16) for the fourth straight season, and every game of the ACC Tournament (March 14-17) for the second year.

Studio coverage will feature the SportsCenter Tonight Selection Sunday Special with Bram Weinstein and Dan Dakich on Sunday, March 17 from 6:30 p.m. (immediately after Knicks-Clippers NBA broadcast) to 10 p.m. featuring analysis of the brackets and interviews with tournament bound coaches and players.

Additionally, regularly scheduled ESPN Radio programming will include previews and reviews of key games, analysis by ESPN experts, and interviews with coaches and players preparing for the NCAA Tournament.

And after a jump break, I’ll provide the entire ESPN Family of Networks Championship Week schedule. Get ready to scroll.

(continue reading…)

ESPN Sees Best Viewership For Christmas Day NBA Games Since 2004

ESPN saw its best viewership for its three NBA games on Christmas Day in eight years. Averaging 2.8 million viewers and a household rating of 2.0, ESPN saw double digit rises as compared to 2010.

Last year, ESPN had two games as Christmas Day opened the 2011-12 season due to the lockout (remember that?).

Let’s see what ESPN is saying about the five games that aired on both ABC and the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Most-Watched NBA Christmas Day on ESPN Since 2004

ESPN Primetime Doubleheader & All Key Demos Up Double Digits

ESPN delivered its most-watched NBA Christmas Day since 2004 on Tuesday, according to Nielsen. The three-game set averaged 2,819,000 viewers (P2+), up 10 percent from 2,571,000 viewers in 2010. In addition, the games averaged a 2.0 household coverage rating, up 11 percent from a 1.8 for ESPN’s coverage in 2010. ESPN’s 2012 NBA Christmas Day scheduled included, Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers.

ESPN’s primetime doubleheader – Rockets at Bulls and Nuggets at Clippers – delivered double-digit increases compared to 2010. The two games averaged a 1.7 rating and 2,347,000 viewers, up 31 percent from a 1.3 rating and up 25 percent from 1,882,000 viewers compared to ESPN’s primetime doubleheader in 2010 – Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors.

ESPN also generated double-digit growth in all key demos for its NBA Christmas Day telecasts compared to 2010: M18-34 – 2.1 rating, up 24 percent vs. 1.7; M18-49 – 1.9 rating, up 12 percent vs. 1.7; M25-54 – 1.9 rating, up 12 percent vs. 1.7; P18-34 – 1.5 rating, up 25 percent vs. 1.2; P18-49 – 1.4 rating, up 17 percent vs. 1.2; P25-54 – 1.4 rating, up 17 percent vs. 1.2.

In 2004, ESPN televised the Detroit Pistons-Indiana Pacers Christmas Day game, the only ESPN game that day, which delivered 4,325,000 viewers and a 3.5 rating.

That’s all.

ESPN/ABC Combine For Five NBA Christmas Day Games

In what has become a tradition, ESPN and ABC will combine to show give NBA games on Christmas Day. ESPN will start everything with the Celtics-Nets game at Barclays Center tipping off just after noon ET.

Then ABC carries an afternoon doubleheader, Knicks at Lakers called by Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy at 3 p.m. ET followed by Oklahoma City at Miami with Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown at the mic at 5:30 p.m.

ESPN takes you through the evening with Houston at Chicago at 8 p.m. then back to the West Coast at 10:30 p.m. as the Clippers host the Nuggets.

For the second straight year, Breen and Van Gundy will do two games, but unlike last year, they don’t have to travel cross-country for the late game, they’ll be in Los Angeles and the Staples Center to call both the Lakers and the Clippers.

We have the press release for you.

ABC & ESPN Combine to Present All Five NBA Christmas Day Games

Lakers-Knicks, NBA Finals Rematch Highlight Blockbuster Doubleheader on ABC & ESPN Radio
Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox to Call Two Games at the Staples Center
ESPN3 to Exclusively Deliver Live Coverage of Lakers-Clippers Arena Changeover

ABC and ESPN will combine to present all five NBA Christmas Day Games, Tuesday, December 25. The blockbuster schedule is highlighted by ABC’s first two NBA broadcasts of the season. The doubleheader will begin with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant hosting the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony at 3 p.m. ET, followed by an NBA Finals rematch with the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant at 5:30 p.m. Mike Tirico and analyst Hubie Brown will call the Finals rematch with Lisa Salters reporting. NBA Countdown will precede the ABC doubleheader at 2:30 p.m. with Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon.

Breen, Van Gundy, Cox to call two games in L.A.

For the first time, Mike Breen, analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Heather Cox will call two games from the Staples Center on Christmas Day. The trio will provide commentary for Knicks-Lakers and return to the booth for ESPN’s primetime telecast of the Los Angeles Clippers, led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, against the Denver Nuggets and Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala at 10:30 p.m. The Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Billy Crystal will join Breen and Van Gundy in the booth for a portion of the Nuggets/Clippers telecast to lend his insights on the Clippers – his favorite NBA team.

NBA on ESPN Christmas Day

ESPN’s Christmas Day coverage will tip off at 12 p.m. with the Brooklyn Nets hosting the Boston Celtics in the Nets’ first-ever Christmas Day appearance on ESPN. Mark Jones and analyst Doris Burke will call the game with reporter Chris Broussard. ESPN will resume its coverage with a primetime doubleheader, beginning with the Chicago Bulls and Joakim Noah hosting the Houston Rockets and James Harden at 8 p.m., with Dave Pasch and analyst Jon Barry calling the action. The five-game docket closes with Nuggets-Clippers at 10:30 p.m. All ESPN games are also available via WatchESPN.

ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio will nationally broadcast two blockbuster NBA Christmas Day games, with coverage beginning at 2 p.m. Dave Flemming and analyst Will Perdue will call Knicks-Lakers, while Kevin Calabro and NBA Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsay will call Thunder-Heat. ESPN Radio’s Christmas Day broadcasts are also available on ESPNRadio.com and via the ESPN Radio app.

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage of the first four NBA games with Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales, Ricardo Ortiz and Manu Martin providing commentary. In addition, Jerry Olaya, Robert Abramowitz, Leopoldo Gonzalez and Robert Sierra will voice the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) coverage for each ABC game.

ESPN3

ESPN3 will exclusively deliver live coverage of the Staples Center changeover on Christmas Day, as the crew changes the arena from the Lakers set to the Clippers set. There will be a static camera placed inside the arena to capture the transformation, beginning at the conclusion of the Lakers-Knicks game.

ESPN.com

ESPN.com will offer comprehensive coverage of the NBA on Christmas Day with reporters at each game. ESPN.com will also have special editions of the Daily Dime and Five on Five features, as well as a day-long live chat. Additionally, ESPN.com’s local sites will have coverage leading up to, and throughout, Christmas Day – ESPNNY.com, ESPNChicago.com, ESPNLA.com, ESPNBoston and at the Heat Index.

ABC & ESPN NBA Christmas Day schedule

Time (ET)	Game	Commentators	Network(s)
12 p.m.	NBA Christmas Special Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets	ESPN: Mark Jones, Doris Burke, Chris Broussard ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales	ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
2:30 p.m.	KIA NBA Countdown	Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, Michael Wilbon	ABC
3 p.m. (ESPN Radio at 2 p.m.)	NBA Christmas Special New York Knicks at L.A. Lakers	ABC: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox ESPN Radio: Dave Flemming, Will Perdue ESPN Deportes: Ricardo Ortiz, Manu Martin	ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes
5:30 p.m.	NBA Christmas Special Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat	ABC: Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Lisa Salters ESPN Radio: Kevin Calabro, Dr. Jack Ramsay ESPN Deportes: Alvaro Martin, Carlos Morales	ABC, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes
8 p.m.	NBA Christmas Special Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls	ESPN: Dave Pasch, Jon Barry ESPN Deportes: Ricardo Ortiz, Manu Martin	ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
10:30 p.m.	NBA Christmas Special Denver Nuggets at L.A. Clippers	ESPN: Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox	ESPN, WatchESPN

That will do it.

ESPN’s Saturday Night Football on ABC is the Most-Watched College Football Series in 2012

Earlier this month, CBS sent out a press release that its Southeastern Conference package was the highest-rated college football series in 2012. Now ESPN has issued a release that its Saturday Night Football on ABC package was the highest-rated and most-watched series of the year.

According to ESPN, Saturday Night Football averaged a 4.0 rating with an audience of almost 6.52 million. CBS’ SEC package averaged a 3.9 rating. CBS’ press release factored in ABC’s ratings from both Saturday afternoon and evening.

Once again, Birmingham, AL was the top-rated local market for ESPN’s college football coverage averaging 8.9 far outdistancing last year’s 5.9 rating.

We have the press release from ESPN.

Saturday Night Football – Most-Viewed College Football Series on TV

ESPN Reaches Hundreds of Millions of Viewers, Heisman Presentation Second Highest Rated Ever,
Birmingham Most-Viewed Market for 12th Straight Year

ESPN’s Saturday Night Football on ABC, the first weekly prime-time college football game on broadcast television, was the highest-rated and most-viewed college football series among all networks carrying college football this season. The weekly package averaged 6,518,000 viewers and a 4.0 rating, and was the most-watched program of the night in viewers on six of its 12 broadcasts this season.

The Saturday Night Football broadcast of Notre Dame defeating USC 22-13 on November 24 was ABC’s second most-viewed and second highest-rated regular-season game since 1991, averaging 16,059,000 viewers and a 9.4 rating. The victory, securing Notre Dame’s spot in the BCS National Championship (against Alabama on January 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN), was second only to ABC’s broadcast of No. 2 Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State (21,037,000 viewers; 14,479,000 households; and a 13.0 rating) on November 18, 2006.

ABC televised four games involving Notre Dame this season, averaging 8,839,000 viewers, 6,100,000 households, and a 5.3 rating. Led by Notre Dame against USC, ABC has televised the three most-viewed and highest-rated regular-season games involving Notre Dame since Florida State on NBC in 1993. The other two games were also against USC: November 25, 2006 (14,647,000 viewers; 10,048,000 households; and a 9.0 rating) and November 30, 1996 (10,847,000 viewers; 7,246,000 households; and a 7.5 rating).

ESPN concluded its extensive regular-season coverage of the 2012 college football season by televising the second most-viewed and second highest-rated Heisman Trophy Presentation telecast ever, averaging 4,902,000 viewers and a 3.5 rating (behind 2009’s average of 5,990,000 viewers and a 4.1 rating).

Most-Extensive Coverage Reaches Millions

For the 2012 college football season, ESPN offered exclusive coverage of more games than every network combined across television and digital platforms, reaching hundreds of millions of fans.

For the season, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 covered 306 regular-season Football Bowl Subdivision games exclusively – 195 more than every other national network combined (CBS, FOX, NBC, FX, NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network) – involving teams from all 11 conferences, plus independents Notre Dame, BYU, Navy and Army.

Overall, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 combined to reach more than 187,000,000 viewers for game telecasts. Combining ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 with ESPNU’s extensive lineup and the networks averaged 2,018,000 viewers for 216 regular-season games. ESPN offered games across every day of the week with select Tuesday and Wednesday matchups and a regular schedule of Thursday, Friday and Saturday telecasts.

ESPN college football content also posted significant usage across digital platforms (ESPN.com, ESPN mobile Web, ScoreCenter, ESPN College Football app, ESPN3, WatchESPN), logging an average minute audience of 163,000 on college football Saturdays. The new ESPN College Football app for Android and iOS devices received 3.4 million downloads this season. On Saturdays, the app averaged 972,000 unique visitors, 1,800,000 visits, 10,600,000 page views and 9:30 per visitor.

Birmingham Takes Top Spot… Again

For the 12th consecutive year, Birmingham was the highest-rated metered market for ESPN’s regular-season telecasts, averaging an 8.9 rating, 89 percent higher than second place Greenville’s 4.7 rating. Eight of last season’s top 10 metered markets finished the 2012 season among the top 10 again. Tulsa (seventh in 2011) and Las Vegas (ninth) both fell out of the top 10, tying at 12th with a 2.5 rating, while Nashville, Memphis and Austin jumped into the top 10.

• All three of Tennessee’s metered markets finished in the top 10 with Knoxville leading the way at third. The home market of the Tennessee Volunteers jumped from 10th last year, averaging a 4.6 rating. Nashville at ninth (3.3 rating) and Memphis at 10th (3.1 rating) were tied at 16 last year with a 2.5 rating.
• Every market in the top 10 but Columbus and Oklahoma City finished with a higher average rating than in 2011, led by Knoxville with a 53 percent increase (4.6 vs. 3.0). Birmingham posted a 51 percent increase over last year’s leading 5.9 rating.

Top 25 Markets for 2012	Top 25 Markets for 2011
No. 1 – Birmingham: 8.9 rating	No. 1 – Birmingham: 5.9 rating
No. 2 – Greenville: 4.7 rating	No. 2 – Oklahoma City: 4.3 rating
No. 3 – Knoxville: 4.6 rating	Columbus: 4.3 rating
No. 4 – New Orleans: 3.7 rating	No. 4 – Greenville: 4.1 rating
No. 5 – Jacksonville: 3.6 rating	No. 5 – New Orleans: 3.4 rating
Columbus: 3.6 rating	Atlanta: 3.4 rating
No. 7 – Atlanta: 3.5 rating	No. 7 – Jacksonville: 3.3 rating
No. 8 – Oklahoma City: 3.4 rating	Tulsa: 3.3 rating
No. 9 – Nashville: 3.3 rating	No. 9 – Las Vegas: 3.2 rating
No. 10 – Memphis: 3.1 rating	No. 10 – Knoxville: 3.0 rating
Austin: 3.1 rating	No. 11 – Dayton: 2.8 rating
No. 12 – Tulsa: 2.5 rating	No. 12 – Greensboro: 2.7 rating
Charlotte: 2.5 rating	Austin: 2.7 rating
Las Vegas: 2.5 rating	Charlotte: 2.7 rating
No. 15 – Portland: 2.3 rating	Fort Myers: 2.7 rating
Richmond: 2.3 rating	No. 16 — Pittsburgh: 2.5 rating
No. 17 — Orlando: 2.2 rating	Nashville: 2.5 rating
Dayton: 2.2 rating	Norfolk: 2.5 rating
Norfolk: 2.2 rating	Memphis: 2.5 rating
No. 20 – Louisville: 2.1 rating	No. 20 – Cleveland: 2.4 rating
Tampa-St. Petersburg: 2.1 rating	No. 21 — Orlando: 2.3 rating
No. 22 — West Palm Beach: 2.0 rating	No. 22 — Raleigh-Durham: 2.2 rating
Greensboro: 2.0 rating	West Palm Beach: 2.2 rating
Cleveland: 2.0 rating	Detroit: 2.2 rating
Ft. Myers: 2.0 rating	No. 25 — Cincinnati: 2.0 rating
	Richmond: 2.0 rating
	Portland 2.0 rating
	Kansas City: 2.0 rating
	Tampa-St. Petersburg: 2.0 rating

That’s all for now.

ESPN or ABC Will Air Notre Dame-Michigan State Football in Primetime

We received this blurb from ESPN regarding next year’s college football schedule. Notre Dame and Michigan State will air in primetime on September 7, 2013. The network is to be determined.

ESPN Network to Televise 2013 Notre Dame at Michigan Matchup in Prime Time

Michigan’s 2013 matchup against Notre Dame at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, will be televised in prime time on ESPN or ABC. The kickoff time and network designation will be announced at a later date. It will be the second night game at the Big House since its opening in 1927. The first, a 35-31 victory over Notre Dame in 2011, was televised by ESPN. The telecast was ESPN’s most-viewed and highest-rated regular-season college football game in 2011, averaging 7,541,000 viewers and a 4.5 U.S. rating (5.2 ESPN coverage rating).

 

This will be the third consecutive night game played between the winningest programs in college football history.

That’s going to be it for this post.

The 6th Annual Fang’s Bites College Football Awards

With another college football regular season over and another bowl season about to begin, it’s time to go hand out the college football TV awards once again.

As Fox increases its presence in college football thanks to its new contracts with the Big 12 and Pac-12, we have a bigger pool to choose from. And there’s always the usual stalwarts of ESPN and CBS as well. Let’s see who got which award for the 2012 season.

The College GameDay Award for Best Pregame Show – College GameDay, ESPN. This show is the standard for all pregame shows in any sport. Other shows have tried to match the energy of College GameDay’s live remotes and failed. Even the college basketball version of College GameDay pales in comparison to the football edition. The show picked up from the loss of Erin Andrews to Fox, brought in Samantha Steele to host the first hour on ESPNU and did not miss a beat. With host Chris Fowler handing off to Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso, College GameDay has one of the stronger casts for any studio show. Tom Rinaldi’s heartstring-tugging stories provides College GameDay with some of the strongest features in any year. There have been some bizarre moments, but we’ll get to those later. CBS’ College Football Today is also good, but doesn’t come close to GameDay.

Best Studio Show – A new category. I decided to reward a non-pregame show and for this year, I’ll go with College Football Final, ESPN2. Manned by ESPN’s other college football studio crew, Rece Davis, Lou Holtz and Mark May, this show also has very good chemistry. Holtz and May Day appear to barely tolerate each other, but they work off one another quite well. In addition, the show wraps up the day in college football in a very neat package. This season, I purposely stayed up each week to watch the program and was very impressed. And the Final Verdict segment that could be over the top never strays thanks to Davis keeping control. College Football Final is the first winner of this category.

Best Debut – Scott Van Pelt and Samantha Steele (tie). Two very good moves by ESPN. One was to give Scott Van Pelt a role on its college football coverage and the other was bringing in Samantha Steele to replace Erin Andrews on College GameDay. SVP hosted Thursday nights in the studio and also traveled to selected College GameDay sites to provide features and interviews. And by having the SVP & Russillo radio show at the GameDay site, ESPN got some extra promotion and synergy.

By bringing Samantha Steele over from Longhorn Network to host the first hour of College GameDay on ESPNU, it made many fans forget about Erin Andrews who left for Fox. There was no awkward transition and by the end of the season, Steele gave viewers something to look forward to every week. Michelle Beadle tweeted me that Steele would crush on College GameDay and she ended up being right.

The Keith Jackson Award for Best Play-by-Play – Tom Hammond, NBC. Tom has called Notre Dame football for the Peacock annually except for one year dating back to 1994. He’s a very good nuts-and-bolts announcer and with Mike Mayock has formed one of college football’s best announcing teams. Unfortunately, Tom did not get to call the Fighting Irish’s biggest games this season as Oklahoma and USC were aired on ABC and the Pittsburgh game at home was called by Dan Hicks. However, Hammond remains as one of the best announcers and calls a very good game.

Honorable mentions – Kevin Calabro, Pac-12 Network; Gus Johnson, Fox; Sean McDonough, ESPN/ABC; Verne Lundquist, CBS; Brad Nessler, ESPN/ABC, Dave Pasch, ESPN/ABC; Joe Tessitore, ESPN/ABC

The Frank Broyles Award for Best Game Analyst – Chris Spielman, ESPN/ABC. I seemed to get a lot of games that Spielman and Sean McDonough called on ABC this season. Whether it was the luck of the draw or the region where I live, they seemed to be on every Saturday afternoon game. I was impressed by Spielman’s calm on-air demeanor. He didn’t yell nor did he call attention to himself. He spotted trends and did not come off as condescending to the viewer. Spielman impressed me throughout the season.

Honorable mentions – Todd Blackledge, ESPN/ABC; Gary Danielson, CBS; Charles Davis, Fox; Brian Griese, ESPN/ABC; Glenn Mason, Big Ten Network; Mike Mayock, NBC

Best Announcing Team – Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown, ESPN/ABC. They were assigned to the noon ET game that often involved the Big Ten. Dave Pasch who also calls the Arizona Cardinals on radio is very good. Pasch also is involved with college basketball for ESPN. He and the son of NFL Hall of Famer Bob Griese have formed a strong team in the booth. In fact, the younger Griese often sounds a lot like his dad. Dave and Brian mesh well and are on top of trends. They let the game breathe and allow the action to come to them. We know that Jenn Brown is eye candy, but she does a decent job. I admit I haven’t been a fan of hers over the years, but as long as ESPN keeps her from being flashy, she’s fine.

Honorable mentions – Tom Hammond/Mike Mayock, NBC; Gus Johnson/Charles Davis, Fox; Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson, CBS; Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge, ESPN/ABC

The Jim Lampley Award for Best Studio Host – Liam McHugh, NBC. One of the best young hosts on sports television, McHugh has had a very good year. He’s proving to be quite versatile whether he’s hosting the NHL, Olympics or college football. McHugh does a good job with the highlights, meshes with analysts Hines Ward and Doug Flutie and has a very good camera presence. I like his work.

Honorable mentions – Tim Brando, CBS; Rece Davis, ESPN; Chris Fowler, ESPN; Adam Zucker, CBS/CBS Sports Network

Best Studio Analyst – Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN College GameDay. I’m not a fan of Herbstreit’s work in the booth, but there’s no doubt that his strength is on GameDay where he has made his fame. Kirk works well with the entire GameDay crew and is the best analyst on the set. Unlike his picks where he’s not allowed to choose winners for the game he’s calling, Herbstreit is not afraid to take a stand and offers strong opinions. Of course, those opinions have led him to move from his native Columbus to Tennessee as Ohio State fans have vented their anger at him, but Herbie is one of the best analysts in the studio.

Honorable mentions – Doug Flutie, NBC; Mark May, ESPN; Jesse Palmer, ABC; Spencer Tillman, CBS

The Jack Arute Award for Sideline Reporting – Heather Cox, ESPN/ABC. Replacing Erin Andrews on Saturday Night Football and joining the “A” team with Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, Heather received a high profile assignment and she handled it swimmingly. Coming off another high-profile assignment at the Olympics for NBC at the Beach Volleyball venue, Heather handled halftime coach’s interview very well. I heard that Heather got a raise from ESPN going into this season and it’s well deserved. Very good reporter.

Honorable mentions – Alex Flanagan, NBC; Quint Kessenich, ESPN/ABC; Holly Rowe, ESPN/ABC; Tracy “The Wolf” Wolfson, CBS

Most Valuable Network – NBC. Thanks to Notre Dame’s resurgence, it led to its best ratings for the Fighting Irish package dating back to 2005. The seven games on NBC saw a 67% increase in ratings from a year ago and if Notre Dame wins the BCS National Championship Game in January, NBC will be in prime position for another ratings increase in 2013.

Honorable mentions – CBS; ESPN

Best Overall Coverage – This is always a controversial choice because this is very subjective. ESPN. College Football is a sport where it steps up and provides good coverage. It blankets Saturdays from 9 a.m. ET until 3 a.m. on Sunday. What other network can do this? Maybe CBS Sports Network, but you can start with College GameDay on ESPNU at 9 a.m. ET, watch games starting at noon and flip around to as many as five games spanning to 1:30 a.m. and then watch College Football Final ending your day at 3 a.m. ET. You shouldn’t be up that long, but if you love college football you can.

Honorable mentions – CBS/CBS Sports Network, NBC

Best Move – Fox College Football in primetime. Fox entered the primetime mix with Big 12 and Pac-12 games this season. Having Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Julie Alexandria on most of the games, they helped to give Fox a big game feel on its college football package. Most of the time, ABC beat Fox in the ratings, but Fox had some decent games this season. We’ll probably see primetime college football on Fox Sports 1 in the next couple of years, but let’s enjoy the games on the Fox mothership for as long as we can.

The Pam Ward Award for Worst Play-by-Play – Craig Bolerjack, Fox. He gets it for the second straight year. Read last year’s post for my reasoning.

Worst Analyst (Game or Studio) – Eddie George and Joey Harrington, Fox (tie). Both on Fox College Saturday, George and Harrington were extremely shaky. They had trouble doing highlights and stumbled a lot. They improved as the season progressed, but it was not enough to wipe away their failing grades from the beginning. I hope to see some major improvement next season.

Worst Debut – Fox College Saturday. This show had potential, but got off to a rough start when a baseball game ran over and wiped out its premiere to most of the country. And it happened again in following weeks when Fox Saturday Baseball would run long. And the show with Erin Andrews, George and Harrington never clicked. The chemistry among the cast never jelled. Here’s hoping with one year under its belt, the show will get better in 2013.

Worst Studio Host – Erin Andrews, Fox. The studio is not Erin Andrews’ strength. She’s best on the sidelines. Erin was shaky in the studio and there was the moment when Stanford beat USC where she said students would not be going to school the following day. Technically that was correct as school would be closed on the following Sunday. Anyway, I hope that she will improve next year, we’ll be watching.

Most Bizarre Lee Corso Moment – We have a couple, but I have to cull this down to one. Lee Corso remains an American treasure and his mascot head picks remain high comedy. However, they can become extremely bizarre like this one in November when Corso almost strangled a duck at the University of Oregon by holding its head under his arm. Luckily, the duck turned out ok, but the ASPCA almost had to be summoned.

Truly one of the most bizarre moments this year.

Honorable mention – Lee fires off guns in Oklahoma once again scaring off Kirk Herbstreit.

And that’s going to complete the Awards for 2012.

ESPN Airs 34 College Bowl Games Including The Next-to-Last BCS

ESPN has sent its schedule for the college football bowls as well as the Bowl Championship Series. In addition, we have the announcing assignments for all of the games on the ESPN platforms. Most of the games will air on ESPN, some on ESPN2. ESPN Radio also carries a series of games including the entire BCS.

Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox will call the Rose Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game. ESPN’s other teams for the BCS and the other bowls approaching January are Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe, Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kessenich and Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Maria Taylor.

Other teams include ESPN’s regular combos of Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway, Carter Blackburn/Rod Gilmore/Jemele Hill, Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham, Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell, Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown and Mark Jones/Brock Huard.

Here’s ESPN’s press release in full.

ESPN to Carry 34 College Football Bowl Games including Entire BCS

ESPN’s extensive college football coverage continues with 34 bowl games, highlighted by all five of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) matchups, including the BCS National Championship (No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Alabama) on Monday, Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D and WatchESPN.

The schedule will kick off with an ESPN and ESPN Radio doubleheader on Saturday, Dec. 15: the New Mexico Bowl (Nevada vs. Arizona), which is also on ESPN 3D, at 1 p.m. ET and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Toledo vs. No. 22 Utah State) at 4:30 p.m.

Schedule highlights:

• An ESPN outlet will offer coverage of at least one game a day for 16 out of the 19 days from Dec. 20 to Jan. 7.
• ESPN’s New Year’s Day lineup will include six games:

• Noon: Gator Bowl (Mississippi State vs. No. 20 Northwestern) on ESPN2 and Heart of Dallas Bowl (Purdue vs. No. 13 Oklahoma State) on ESPNU.
• 1 p.m.: Capital One Bowl (No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 16 Nebraska) on ABC and ESPN Radio and Outback Bowl (No. 10 South Carolina vs. No. 18 Michigan) on ESPN and ESPN Radio.
• 5 p.m.: Rose Bowl (Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Stanford) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio.
• 8:30 p.m.: Orange Bowl (No. 15 Northern Illinois vs. No. 12 Florida State) on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio.

• Every bowl game on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will be available on computers at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. WatchESPN is currently available in 40 million households nationwide to fans who receive their video subscription from Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity TV or Midcontinent Communications.
• ESPN Deportes will televise all five BCS bowls, marking the first telecast of the entire BCS in Spanish for U.S. Hispanic sports fans. ESPN Deportes also aired the BCS Championship between Alabama and LSU last year. According to the most recent ESPN Deportes Sports PollSource: ESPN Deportes Sports Poll 2011, P2+
• , 42 percent of U.S. Hispanics follow college football. That’s more than the Hispanic fanbase following UEFA Champions League.
• ESPN 3D, the world’s first 24/7 all-sports 3D channel, will televise five bowl games, highlighted by the Sugar Bowl and BCS National Championship. It will mark the third year ESPN 3D has televised the BCS National Championship. ESPN 3D, launched in 2010, is available to more than 63 million homes in the U.S. through carriage agreements with DIRECTV, Comcast, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and Google Fiber.
• ESPN Radio will broadcast 24 bowl games, including all five BCS matchups and the Cotton Bowl (No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma on Friday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m.).
• ESPN will cover all seven ESPN Regional Television owned-and-operated bowl games: the New Mexico Bowl (Saturday, Dec. 15, at 1 p.m.), St. Petersburg Bowl (Friday, Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m.); Las Vegas Bowl (Saturday, Dec. 22, at 3:30 p.m.); Hawaii Bowl (Monday, Dec. 24, at 8 p.m.); Texas Bowl (Friday, Dec. 28, at 9 p.m.); Armed Forces Bowl (Saturday, Dec. 29, at 11:45 a.m.); and BBVA Compass Bowl (Saturday, Jan. 5, at 1 p.m.).
• ESPN International will telecast the BCS in: Australia/New Zealand (ESPN Pacific Rim); Latin America North & South; Brazil; Caribbean; Europe (ESPN America); Sub-Saharan Africa (ESPN Atlantic) and Middle East.

Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit will work their sixth consecutive BCS National Championship game on ESPN (Monday, Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m.) with Saturday Night Football reporter Heather Cox and College GameDay host and reporter Tom Rinaldi. For the second straight year, ESPN’s Monday Night Football signal caller Mike Tirico will work ESPN Radio’s broadcast with ESPN college football analyst Todd Blackledge and reporters Holly Rowe and Joe Schad.

As part of an extensive four-year agreement with the Bowl Championship Series that began in 2010, ESPN will provide exclusive worldwide television coverage, radio broadcasts, digital content and more for the five annual BCS games from January 2011 through January 2014. ESPN Radio has broadcast every BCS game since 2000.

The 2012 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television, WatchESPN and ESPN GamePlan totals more than 450 regular-and post-season games.

Bowl Championship Series

Tuesday, January 1	5 p.m.	Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. No. 6 Stanford ESPN: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox & Tom Rinaldi Radio: Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown Deportes: Georgina Ruiz Sandoval & Robert Abramowitz	ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN Radio
	8:30 p.m.	Orange Bowl: No. 15 Northern Illinois vs. No. 12 Florida State ESPN: Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega	ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN Radio
Wednesday, January 2	8:30 p.m.	Sugar Bowl: No. 21 Louisville vs. No. 3 Florida ESPN: Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich Radio: Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Allison Williams Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega	ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D
Thursday, January 3	8:30 p.m.	Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 Kansas State ESPN: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega	ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN Radio
Monday, January 7	8:30 p.m.	BCS National Championship Game: No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Alabama ESPN: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox & Tom Rinaldi Radio: Mike Tirico, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe & Joe Schad Deportes: Eduardo Varela & Pablo Viruega	ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D

Additional Postseason Games

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Network
Saturday, Dec 15	1 p.m.	New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. Arizona ESPN: Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Kaylee Hartung Radio: Mark Neely, Ray Bentley & Marty Cesario	ESPN, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D
	4:30 p.m.	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. No. 22 Utah State ESPN: Tom Hart, Mike Bellotti & Quint Kessenich Radio: Rich Cellini, Tom Ramsey & Shelley Smith	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Thursday, December 20	8 p.m.	Poinsettia Bowl: BYU vs. San Diego State ESPN: Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D
Friday, December 21	7:30 p.m.	St. Petersburg Bowl: Central Florida vs. Ball State ESPN: Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Desmond Howard & Cara Capuano Radio: Dave Lamont, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Saturday, December 22	Noon	New Orleans Bowl: East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette ESPN: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Quint Kessenich Radio: Marc Kestecher, Dan Hawkins & Ian Fitzsimmons	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	Las Vegas Bowl: Washington vs. No. 19 Boise State Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Tom Rinaldi	ESPN
Monday, December 24	8 p.m.	Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State vs. SMU ESPN: Carter Blackburn, Kelly Stouffer & Kaylee Hartung Radio: Marc Kestecher & Pete Najarian	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Wednesday, December 26	7:30 p.m.	Little Caesars Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan Mark Neely, Ray Bentley & Jemele Hill	ESPN
Thursday, December 27	3 p.m.	Military Bowl: No. 24 San Jose State vs. Bowling Green Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Quint Kessenich	ESPN
	6:30 p.m.	Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Duke Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ESPN
	9:45 p.m.	Holiday Bowl: Baylor vs. No. 17 UCLA ESPN: Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D
Friday, December 28	2 p.m.	Independence Bowl: Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer & Cara Capuano	ESPN
	5:30 p.m.	Russell Athletic Bowl: Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech ESPN: Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor Radio: Adam Amin, Tom Luginbill & Brett McMurphy	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	9 p.m.	Texas Bowl: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech ESPN: Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza Radio: Tom Hart, John Congemi & Niki Noto	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Saturday, December 29	11:45 a.m.	Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs. Air Force ESPN: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson Radio: Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	3:15 p.m.	Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia vs. Syracuse ESPN: Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer & Tom Rinaldi Radio: Marc Kestecher, Jack Ford & C.J. Papa	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	4 p.m.	Fight Hunger Bowl: Navy vs. Arizona State Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown	ESPN2
	6:45 p.m.	Alamo Bowl: No. 23 Texas vs. No. 13 Oregon State ESPN: Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich Radio: Mark Neely, Ray Bentley & Kaylee Hartung	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	10:15 p.m.	Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: TCU vs. Michigan State ESPN: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Monday, December 31	Noon	Music City Bowl: NC State vs. Vanderbilt Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN
	3:30 p.m.	Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Tulsa ESPN: Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza Radio: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	7:30 p.m.	Chick-fil-A Bowl: No. 8 LSU vs. No. 14 Clemson ESPN: Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards Radio: Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Tuesday, January 1	Noon	Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs. No. 20 Northwestern Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Allison Williams	ESPN2
		Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue vs. Oklahoma State Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Kaylee Hartung	ESPNU
	1 p.m.	Capital One Bowl: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 16 Nebraska ABC: Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele Radio: Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer & Brett McMurphy	ABC & ESPN Radio
		Outback Bowl: No. 10 South Carolina vs. No. 18 Michigan ESPN: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden & Shannon Spake Radio: Carter Blackburn, John Congemi & Jemele Hill	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Friday, January 4	7 p.m.	Cotton Bowl: No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma Brad Sham, Ed Cunningham & Ian Fitzsimmons	ESPN Radio
Saturday, January 5	1 p.m.	BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss ESPN: Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra Radio: Dave Lamont, Kelly Stouffer & Allison Williams	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Sunday, January 6	9 p.m.	GoDaddy.com Bowl: No. 25 Kent State vs. Arkansas State Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza	ESPN

That is all.

Cranking Out The Friday Megalinks

Wasn’t able to do any posts yesterday as I was away for most of the day. Tough to get anything done when you’re out of range for any internet or even 3G. First World Problems.

Anyway, time for some Friday megalinks. Been doing well with the links, except for Thursday, but let’s continue doing them today.

No Weekend Viewing Picks yet. When they’re done, I’ll insert them here.

Let’s get cracking on the linkage.

National

We begin with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who talks with CBS’ Gary Danielson about the SEC Championship.

Ed Sherman with The Sherman Report has AOL’s David Whitley’s response to criticisms about his column about 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos.

Ed has CBS’ Verne Lundquist discussing SEC fatigue.

Ed has Gary Danielson’s preview of the SEC Championship.

And Ed analyzes the local ratings for the NFL.

Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk has Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein baffled at the NFL’s censoring of an interview featuring Bradley Cooper over a movie Weinstein produced that referenced gambling and adds that some team owners actually liked the flick.

Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter notes that U.S. Olympic diving gold medalist David Boudia will join a new ABC celebrity diving show as a judge. Yes, Greg Louganis will also be a judge.

Will Ashworth of Investor Place wonders if now is the time for Disney to sell ESPN.

Jordan Rabinowitz of SportsGrid has video of San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich shooting down TNT’s Charles Barkley during an in-game interview against the Miami Heat.

Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing says this weekend is a big test for Fox College Football.

Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth notes that CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Network need to step up their games.

Sports Media Watch talks about the ratings for Notre Dame-USC.

Kristi Dosh at ESPN.com says Notre Dame’s resurgence is good news for its TV rights.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell feels NBA Communist Sympathizer David Stern is wrong for threatening to sanction the San Antonio Spurs for sending their major players home last night.

Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says traditional media is clashing with new rules surrounding live tweeting of games.

From earlier in the week, John Koblin of Deadspin writes about ESPN admonishing its staff for crediting a story to SportsbyBrooks.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe says some big name announcers got their start at Boston College’s student radio station.

Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant writes that the Big East Conference has to recover from its latest blows while negotiating a new TV contract.

Charles McGrath of the New York Times profiles WFAN’s Steve Somers who’s been schmoozing s-p-o-r-t-s for 25 years on the nation’s first all-sports radio station.

Newsday’s Neil Best says SNY’s New York Jets postgame show does not pull any punches.

Neil has the Jets’ Tim Tebow being fine with the New York media.

Neil has an ESPN executive embracing debate.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick hates the Knicks’ style of play.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has New York’s Capital Region’s Week 13 NFL TV schedule.

Pete says ESPN executives are doing backflips over Notre Dame playing in the BCS National Championship Game.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says next week’s Army-Navy game will be aired nationally on radio.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that Louisville made the right sales pitch to get invited to join the ACC.

South

Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman notes that three local college football teams all get national telecasts at the same time on Saturday.

Midwest

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says while the Tigers may not have a rights fee as high as major market teams, they are still happy with their relationship with Fox Sports.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recaps a GQ article that profiles some of the NFL replacement referees.

Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business discusses Groupon’s new relationship with MLB.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Missouri football and basketball games will remain on a Gateway City radio station for several years.

Dan wonders where a local sports radio talk show host will surface after losing his job for making racial comments.

Greg Palermo of the Creve Coeur (MO) Patch says a local sports radio host said goodbye to his listeners today.

West

The Idaho Statesman says ESPN Radio has picked up a new affiliate in Boise.

John Maffei of the North County Times is frustrated that most local fans can’t watch this weekend’s high school football championship games.

Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Star says tonight’s Pac-12 Championship on Fox gives UCLA and Stanford a chance to wipe their slate clean for the postseason.

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times catches up with Dodgers voice Vin Scully as he turns 85.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Dodgers are about to hit the motherlode whether it’s with Fox or another company.

Tom has some items that didn’t make his newspaper media column.

And that’s going to do it for now.

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 14, 12/01/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from the SEC Championship, Atlanta, GA — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
This Week in SEC Football — CBS Sports Network, 1 p.m.
College Football Countdown — ABC, 3 p.m.
College Football Championship Saturday — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3:30 p.m.
Big Ten Football Championship Pregame — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 7 p.m.
SEC Tonight — CBS Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.
College Football Saturday — Fox, 7:30 p.m.
Big Ten Football Championship Game — Big Ten Network, 11:30 p.m.
Inside College Football: Championship Saturday Special — CBS Sports Network, midnight
College Football Final — ESPN2, midnight

ACC Championship, Charlotte, NC
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech — ESPN, 8 p.m. (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

Big Ten Championship, Indianapolis, IN
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin — Fox, 8 p.m. (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria/Petros Papadakis)

Conference USA Championship
Central Florida at Tulsa — ESPN2/ESPN 3D, noon (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)

SEC Championship, Atlanta, GA
Alabama vs. Georgia — CBS, 4 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)

noon
Oklahoma at TCU — ESPN (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Shannon Spake)

Oklahoma State at Baylor — FX (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Darius Walker)

2:30 p.m.
Kansas at West Virginia — Fox Sports Net (national)/Root Sports (Northwest/Pittsburgh/Rocky Mountain)/WLVI/WMCN/KICU/Fox College Sports Central (Steve Physioc/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)

Nicholls State at Oregon State — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

3:30 p.m.
Boise State at Nevada — ABC (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)
Cincinnati at UConn — ABC (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)

7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at South Florida — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Quint Kessenich)

8 p.m.
Texas at Kansas State — ABC (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)

ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 14 Including Announcing Assignments

This week marks for all intents and purposes, the final week of conference play in college football. There are conference championships in the ACC, Big Ten, C-USA, MAC, Pac-12 and SEC. ESPN platforms will carry four of them either through TV or radio.

The ESPN family of networks also will air the regular season finales in conferences that don’t have championship games including the Big East, the Big 12 and Mountain West.

And with the Football Championship Subdivision in the midst of the second round of its playoffs, ESPN3 will be carrying games online from across the country.

We have the schedule for Week 14 across ESPN’s platforms.

Football Championship Week Highlighted by Games with Conference Championship & Bowl Bid Implications

ESPN’s college football “Championship Week” schedule will include games with conference championship and bowl bid implications, highlighted by five matchups in which the winning team will win the conference title.

• ESPN’s Thursday prime-time telecast on November 29 will pit Louisville at Rutgers in a BIG EAST matchup at 7:30 p.m. Rutgers will win the conference with a victory over Louisville. ABC will also televise Cincinnati at Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m. If Louisville and Cincinnati win and create a four-way tie for the championship, the higher-ranked team in the BCS Standings between Louisville and Rutgers will receive the conference’s BCS berth. The highest-ranked team in the BCS Standings between Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse will receive the BCS bid with a Louisville and Connecticut victory.
• ESPN2 and ESPN Radio will each offer a conference championship game on Friday, Nov. 30:
  • ESPN2 will televise the MAC Football Championship, No. 21 Northern Illinois vs. No. 17 Kent State in a showdown of one-loss teams at 7 p.m. ET.
  • ESPN Radio will broadcast No. 16 UCLA at No. 8 Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game at 8 p.m.
• The lineup for Saturday, Dec. 1, will include ACC and Conference USA championship games and a matchup between the top two teams of the Sun Belt:
  • ESPN’s prime-time telecast will feature No. 13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game at 8 p.m.
  • ESPN2 and ESPN 3D will televise Central Florida at Tulsa in a matchup of 9-3 teams in the Conference USA Championship Game at noon.
  • ESPN3 will carry Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State in a matchup for the Sun Belt Conference title at 3 p.m. Both teams have an 8-3 overall and 6-1 in conference record.
• Additional games with conference and bowl implications on Saturday, Dec. 1:
  • No. 6 Kansas State will host No. 18 Texas on the ABC Saturday Night Football broadcast at 8 p.m. One-loss Kansas State will clinch the Big 12 title and the conference’s automatic BCS berth with a win or a No. 11 Oklahoma loss. ESPN will televise Oklahoma at TCU Saturday, Dec. 1 at noon.
  • ABC will also broadcast No. 20 Boise State at Nevada at 3:30 p.m. Boise State can clinch a share of the Mountain West Conference title with a win.
• ESPN3 will carry eight games from the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals on Saturday, Dec. 1.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Network
Thu, Nov 29	7:30 p.m.	Louisville at Rutgers Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele	ESPN
Fri, Nov 30	7 p.m.	MAC Football Championship: No. 21 Northern Illinois vs. No. 17 Kent State (from Detroit) Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN2
	8 p.m.	Pac-12 Championship Game: No. 16 UCLA at No. 8 Stanford Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe Schad	ESPN Radio
Sat, Dec 1	Noon	No. 11 Oklahoma at TCU Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon Spake	ESPN
	Noon	Conference USA Championship Game: UCF at Tulsa Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown	ESPN2 & ESPN 3D
	Noon	No. 23 Oklahoma State at Baylor Dave Lamont, Tom Ramsey, Ian Fitzsimmons	ESPN Radio
	2 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: New Hampshire at Wofford	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: Central Arkansas at Georgia Southern	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: Illinois State at Appalachian State	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State Brock Bowling & Cole Cubelic	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	No. 20 Boise State at Nevada Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC & ESPN3 *
		Cincinnati at Connecticut Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor	ABC & ESPN3 *
	4 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: South Dakota State at North Dakota State	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: Cal Poly at Sam Houston State	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: Wagner at Eastern Washington	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Pittsburgh at South Florida Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Quint Kessenich	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	FCS Championship Second Round: Stony Brook at Montana State	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	No. 18 Texas at No. 6 Kansas State Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ABC
	8 p.m.	ACC Championship Game: No. 13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech (Charlotte) ESPN: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, Joe Schad	ESPN & ESPN Radio

* Local blackout may apply

And the Fox Sports Media Group’s college football games for Week 14 will be posted next.

Notre Dame-USC Becomes The Most Watched Regular Season College Football Game on ABC Since 2006

This from the people at ESPN, Notre Dame at USC which pulled a huge overnight rating over the weekend, now becomes the most watched regular season college football game on ABC since 2006. In addition, it’s the 5th most watched regular season game on ABC dating back to 1991. And ESPN points out that this is the most watched game involving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on any network dating back to 1991.

Last Saturday’s game in primetime received a final rating of 9.4 and averaged a viewership of 16.059 million. Birmingham led all local markets for the game with a 24.8 rating. Do you think Alabama fans were interested in Notre Dame-USC?

Here’s the ESPN press release.

Notre Dame-USC: ABC’s Most-Viewed Regular-Season College Football Game since 2006

• Fifth Most-Viewed Regular-Season Game Since 1991

• ABC’s Most-Viewed Saturday Night Football Game Ever

• Most-Viewed Game Involving Notre Dame Since 1991

• ABC’s Four Notre Dame Games in 2012 Average Nearly 9 Million Viewers

• ABC Wins Saturday Night Across All Networks

ABC televised the two most-viewed and highest-rated college football games of the weekend on Saturday, Nov. 24, led by the Saturday Night Football broadcast of No. 1 Notre Dame defeating USC 22-13.

The matchup averaged 16,059,000 viewers; 10,707,000 households; and a 9.4 rating, making it the most-viewed regular-season college football game on ABC since November 18, 2006, when No. 2 Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State averaged 21,037,000 viewers; 14,479,000 households; and a 13.0 rating. Additional highlights of the telecast:

• The broadcast is also the fifth most-viewed regular-season college football game among all networks since at least 1991 (ratings prior to 1991 are not available) and the most-viewed game not involving a matchup between the nation’s top two teams.

• NBC’s No. 1 Florida State at No. 2 Notre Dame averaged 22,019,000 viewers, 15,072,000 households and a 16.0 rating on November 13, 1993.
• ABC’s No. 2 Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State averaged 21,037,000 viewers; 14,479,000 households; and a 13.0 rating on November 18, 2006.
• CBS’s No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama averaged 20,011,000 viewers; 13,134,000 households; and an 11.5 rating on November 5, 2011.
• CBS’s No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama in the SEC Championship game averaged 17,969,000 viewers; 12,755,000 households; and an 11.1 rating on December 5, 2009.

• The game is ABC’s most-viewed and highest-rated regular-season Saturday night college football telecast since 1991.
• Led by Saturday’s broadcast, ABC has televised the three most-viewed and highest-rated regular-season games involving Notre Dame since NBC’s matchup against Florida State in 1991. The other two games were also against USC:

• November 25, 2006: 14,647,000 viewers; 10,048,000 households; and a 9.0 rating.
• November 30, 1996: 10,847,000 viewers; 7,246,000 households; and a 7.5 rating.

• ABC televised four games involving Notre Dame this season, averaging 8,839,000 viewers, 6,100,000 households, and a 5.3 rating.
• Led by Saturday Night Football, ABC has been the most-viewed network of the night across all of television among households, viewers, and all key male and persons demos for three straight weeks.
• Birmingham was the highest-rated metered market for the telecast with a 24.8 rating followed by Columbus (20.4), Indianapolis (19.4), Dayton (16.3) and Atlanta (15.3).

In addition, ABC posted the second most-viewed and highest-rated college football game of the weekend, averaging 8,466,000 viewers; 5,802,000 households; and a 5.1 rating for its Saturday afternoon broadcast of then-No. 4 Florida defeating then-No. 10 Florida State 37-26. Jacksonville was the highest-rated metered market with a 25.2 rating followed by Columbus (18.8), Orlando (17.1), West Palm Beach (16.5) and Fort Myers (15.9).

The final rating for ABC’s noon telecast of Michigan at Ohio State will be available Friday morning. The 109th meeting between the storied programs, won by Ohio State 26-21, averaged a 6.3 metered market rating. Ohio had four of the top five markets: Columbus with a 47.5 rating followed by Dayton (32.8), Cleveland (25.0), Detroit (22.8) and Cincinnati (14.2).

That’s all.

Going For Some Tuesday Links

Let’s bring you some linkage. Two days in a row! This is something!

Shameless plug department: I wrote Some Long Overdue Tuesday Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and make sure you give it a gander. Many thanks.

Sam Gustin of Time writes that News Corp.’s purchase of a minority stake in YES could help Fox challenge ESPN down the road.

Alicia Jessop at Forbes notes how the NFL successfully marketed to women to the point where they are now 44% of the league’s fan base.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports on the potential megadeal between Fox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In part two of his interview with SiriusXM’s Dino Costa, Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report goes into the relationship the Mad Dog radio host has with his boss, Chris Russo.

Salvej Schou of Entertainment Weekly says a Hollywood movie executive is angry at NFL Network for censoring at the last minute, a Rich Eisen interview with actor Bradley Cooper.

John Koblin of Deadspin speaks with some media professionals on the plagiarism issues plaguing ESPN.com and writer Lynne Hoppes.

Media Rantz looks at the impending launch of Fox Sports 1.

Les Carpenter of Yahoo! has a profile on former New Orleans Saints quarterback turned popular sports radio talk show host, Bobby Hebert.

Carl Marcucci of Radio & Television Business Report writes about CBS Sports Radio’s new morning show.

Newscast Studio looks at CBS Sports Network’s new college football studio.

Fox Soccer may have lost the English Premier League rights in the US, but Fox Sports in Australia has retained the rights to all of the EPL’s games Down Under.

The New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming talks with NBC’s Michelle Beadle.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says NBC Sports Network has added a college hockey game to its schedule.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that there’s no change to the NFL schedules in the next few weeks.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says CBS Sports Network will be re-airing a host of Army-Navy football games next week.

Dave Hughes in Press Box notes that Baltimore’s CBS-owned sports radio station will drop all ESPN Radio programming in favor of CBS Sports Radio in January.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says TNT is once again comparing the Wizards to the hapless Harlem Globetrotters whipping team, the Washington Generals.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the local weekend ratings for Thanksgiving weekend.

Scott Wright at The Oklahoman says Fox Sports will air three high school championship games on its Oklahoma Plus channel.

The Detroit Free Press summarizes an ESPN The Magazine interview with controversial Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.

Sports Media Watch notes that Fox Sports drew close to the rear in the college football ratings for Week 13.

SMW says an Iron Bowl blowout did not help the SEC on CBS’ ratings.

And SMW looks at college football TV ratings on ESPN, ABC and NBC.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing delves into the Fox/Dodgers deal.

Joe Favorito likes how the Green Bay Packers have embraced Movember.

Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs says the future is very bright for sports broadcasting.

That is going to wrap up our links for today.

Notre Dame-USC Gets A Huge Rating For ESPN on ABC

It’s the biggest overnight rating of the 2012 college football season by far, outdistancing the previous high for the season, Alabama-LSU on CBS.

Last night, the ESPN-produced Notre Dame-USC game on ABC received a stunning 10.3 overnight rating. This from ESPN PR maven Mike Humes.

Huge Saturday for ABC: Michigan-Ohio St does 6.3 overnight, Florida-Florida St a 5.6 & Notre Dame-USC a BIG 10.3

— Mike Humes (@MikeHumesESPN) November 25, 2012

ESPN’s Darren Rovell says last night’s regular season finale for both Notre Dame and USC outpaced two BCS games from last season.

ND-USC gets a 10.3 overnight rating. How big is that? Last year’s Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl averaged a 9.4 overnight rating.

— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) November 25, 2012

The previous overnight high for this season was 7.0 for the Alabama-LSU game on CBS.

One has to think that having Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game in January will bring monster numbers for ESPN.

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 13, 11/23 & 11/24/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Friday, November 23

Pregame & Studio Shows
Best of College Football 2012 — CBS, 1:30 p.m.
Fox College Football Saturday — Fox, 3 p.m.

11 a.m.
Syracuse at Temple — ESPN2 (Tom Hart/John Congemi)
Ohio at Kent State — ESPNU (Adam Amin/Tom Luginbill)

noon
Nebraska at Iowa — ABC (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)

2 p.m.
Marshall at East Carolina — CBS Sports Network

2:30 p.m.
LSU at Arkansas — CBS (Tim Brando/Steve Beuerlein/Marty Snider)

3 p.m.
Utah at Colorado — FX (Mike Morgan/JC Pearson/Laura McKeeman)

3:30 p.m.
West Virginia at Iowa State — ABC (Dave Lamont/Kelly Stouffer)

Washington at Washington State — Fox (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)

7 p.m.
South Florida at Cincinnati — ESPN (Mark Neely/Ray Bentley)

10 p.m.
Arizona State at Arizona — ESPN (Carter Blackburn/Rod Gilmore/Jemele Hill)

Saturday, November 24

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from Los Angeles, CA — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
BTN Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
Fox College Saturday — Fox, 2 p.m.
College Football Special — CBS, 2:30 p.m.
BTN Football Postgame — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Fox College Saturday — Fox, 6 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
SEC Tonight — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
College Football Final — ESPN2, 1:30 a.m. (Sunday)

noon
Michigan at Ohio State — ABC (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kessenich)

UConn at Louisville — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Adam Amin)

Illinois at Northwestern — Big Ten Network (Eric Collins/Derek Rackley/Jon Jansen)
Indiana at Purdue — Big Ten Network (Josh Lewin/Chris Martin/J Leman)

Georgia Tech at Georgia — ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Rutgers at Pittsburgh — ESPN2 (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Paul Carcaterra)
Virginia at Virginia Tech — ESPNU (Tom Hart/John Congemi)

Tulsa at SMU — FX (Steve Physioc/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
UAB at Central Florida — Fox Sports Net-national/WLVI/KICU/Fox College Sports Atlantic (Mike Gleason/Gary Reasons/Leslie McCaslin)

Kentucky at Tennessee — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. (Dave Neal/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)

12:30 p.m.
Miami (FL) at Duke — ACC Network

2:30 p.m.
Bayou Classic, New Orleans, LA: Grambling vs. Southern — NBC (Paul Burmeister/Rod Woodson/Lewis Johnson)

Baylor vs. Texas Tech at Arlington, TX — Fox (Justin Kutcher/Eric Crouch/Darius Walker)

3 p.m.
Idaho at Utah State — ESPN Plus (Trey Bender/Jay Taylor)

Maryland at North Carolina — Fox Sports Net-regional (Arizona Plus/North Plus/San Diego/South/Southwest Plus/Prime Ticket)/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/NESN (Rich Waltz/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)

3:30 p.m.
Florida at Florida State — ABC (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)

Michigan State at Minnesota — Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler/Glen Mason/Rebecca Haarlow)

Auburn at Alabama — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma — ESPN (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)
Wisconsin at Penn State — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Jessica Mendoza)
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins)

Tulane at Houston — Fox Sports Net-national/WDCA/KICU/Fox College Sports Central (Ron Thulin/JC Pearson/Laura McKeeman)

Air Force at Fresno State — NBC Sports Network (Todd Harris/Anthony Herron)

4:30 p.m.
Southern Mississippi at Memphis — CSS/Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Houston/Mid-Atlantic Plus/Northwest)/The Comcast Network

6:30 p.m.
Stanford at UCLA — Fox (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)

7 p.m.
South Carolina at Clemson — ESPN, 7:15 p.m. (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Shannon Spake)
Missouri at Texas A&M — ESPN2 (Steve Levy/Ed Cunningham/Kaylee Hartung)
Mississippi State at Mississippi — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Allison Williams)

8 p.m.
Notre Dame at USC — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

10:30 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at San Jose State — ESPN2 (Joe Davis/Tom Luginbill)

ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 13 Including Announcing Assignments

We have the Week 13 college football schedule for the ESPN family of networks for what will be the last full week of games. While next week will have some games, many will be Conference Championship games. But we’ll get to that next week.

This is what we have for Week 13 on the ESPN platforms.

Showdown Saturday: Top Rivalries, Last Two Unbeatens, Three Games between Ranked Squads, No. 1 Notre Dame Playing for BCS Title Slot

“Showdown Saturday” will include 16 of the teams in the BCS Standings across ESPN networks, top rivalries, the last two undefeated programs, matchups between ranked teams, Notre Dame competing for a spot in the BCS National Championship and more. Highlights for Saturday, Nov. 24:

• An ABC tripleheader of three of the nation’s top rivalries includes two unbeaten teams and a showdown between two top 10 teams, each with one loss:
  • Undefeated Ohio State will host rival No. 19 Michigan at noon ET. It marks the 109th meeting between the programs, and 95th straight, with Ohio State winning 8 of the past 10. Michigan won last year 40-34.
  • In a matchup of one-loss teams, No. 4 Florida will travel to No. 10 Florida State at 3:30 p.m. It will mark the 57th meeting between the in-state rivals. The week’s game is the first time in 12 years both teams will be ranked in the top 10 when they meet.
  • Undefeated No. 1 Notre Dame will take on USC for a shot at the Discover BCS National Championship at 8 p.m. It marks the 84th meeting between the squads with USC winning nine of the last 10 games against Notre Dame. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN Radio.
• ESPN’s tripleheader features three intrastate showdowns highlighted by two telecasts between ranked teams: No. 21 Oklahoma State at No. 13 Oklahoma at 3:30 p.m. (also on ESPN Radio) followed by two-loss No. 12 South Carolina at one-loss No. 11 Clemson at 7 p.m. The action kicks off with Georgia Tech at one-loss No. 3 Georgia at noon.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game/Commentators	Network
Thursday, November 22	4 p.m.	Turkey Day Classic: Tuskegee vs. Alabama State Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	TCU at No. 16 Texas Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele	ESPN
Friday, November 23	11 a.m.	Syracuse at Temple Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPN2
	11 a.m.	Ohio at No. 23 Kent State Adam Amin & Tom Luginbill	ESPNU
	Noon	No. 14 Nebraska at Iowa Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC
	1 p.m.	Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan Frank Giardina & Bob Chmeil	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Buffalo at Bowling Green Greg Franke & Tom Cole	ESPN3
	2:30 p.m.	No. 7 LSU at Arkansas	ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	West Virginia at Iowa State Dave Lamont & Kelly Stouffer	ABC
	7 p.m.	South Florida at Cincinnati Mark Neely & Ray Bentley	ESPN
	10 p.m.	Arizona State at No. 24 Arizona Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN
Saturday, November 24	Noon	No. 19 Michigan at Ohio State Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich	ABC
	Noon	Georgia Tech at No. 3 Georgia Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown	ESPN & ESPN 3D
	Noon	No. 18 Rutgers at Pittsburgh Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN2
	Noon	Virginia at Virginia Tech Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
	Noon	Kentucky at Tennessee Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC Network
	Noon	Connecticut at No. 20 Louisville Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Adam Amin	ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network
	Noon	FCS First Round: Colgate at Wagner Bob Picozzi & Rene Ingoglia	ESPN3
	12:30 p.m.	Miami (Fla.) at Duke	ESPN3 * & ACC Network
	1 p.m.	North Texas at Western Kentucky	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	FCS First Round: Coastal Carolina at Bethune-Cookman Jim Barbar & Cory Chavous	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Boston College at NC State Frank Giardina & Forrest Conolly	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Maryland at North Carolina	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Idaho at Utah State Trey Bender & Jay Taylor	ESPN3 *
	3 p.m.	FCS First Round: Eastern Illinois at South Dakota State Shawn Kenney & John Bunting	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	FCS First Round: Villanova at Stony Brook Dan Gutowsky & John Gregory	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	No. 4 Florida at No. 10 Florida State Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ABC
	3:30 p.m.	No. 21 Oklahoma State at No. 13 Oklahoma ESPN: Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor	ESPN & ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	Wisconsin at Penn State Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza	ESPN2
	3:30 p.m.	Vanderbilt at Wake Forest Anish Shroff & Dan Hawkins	ESPNU
	3:30 p.m.	BYU at New Mexico State Peter Young & John Fina	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Troy at Middle Tennessee	ESPN3
	5 p.m.	South Alabama at Louisiana-Lafayette	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	No. 12 South Carolina at No. 11 Clemson Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon Spake	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Missouri at No. 9 Texas A&M Steve Levy, Ed Cunningham & Kaylee Hartung	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Mississippi State at Ole Miss Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams	ESPNU
	8 p.m.	No. 1 Notre Dame at USC ABC: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, and Joe Schad	ABC & ESPN Radio
	10:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at San Jose State Joe Davis & Tom Luginbill	ESPN2

* Local blackout may apply

That will do it.

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 12, 11/17/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from Eugene, OR — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
College Football Uncut: Game Day — CBS, 2:30 p.m.
Fox College Saturday — Fox, 2:30 p.m.
College Football Countdown — ABC, 3 p.m.
BTN Football Postgame — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
Fox College Saturday — Fox, 6:30 p.m.
SEC Tonight — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 7:45 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.
College Football Final — ESPN2, 1:30 a.m. (Sunday)

Noon
Rutgers at Cincinnati — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra)

Indiana at Penn State — Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler/Chris Martin/J Leman)

Temple at Army — CBS Sports Network (Ben Holden/Randy Cross/Cadet Dan Sprouse)

Towson at New Hampshire — Comcast SportsNet (Mid-Atlantic/Philadelphia)
Houston at Marshall — CSS/Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Chicago/Houston)/The Comcast Network

Iowa at Michigan — ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Northwestern at Michigan State — ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)
Florida State at Maryland — ESPNU (Tom Hart & John Congemi)
Kent State at Bowling Green — ESPN Plus (Greg Franke/Tom Cole)

Central Florida at Tulsa — Fox Sports Net (national)/WLVI/WDCA/KICU/Fox College Sports Central (Mike Gleason/Dave Lapham/Desmond Purcell)
Tennessee Tech at Austin Peay — Fox College Sports Pacific (Bob Belvin/Kevin Ingram)

Yale at Harvard — NBC Sports Network (Randy Moss/Ross Tucker/Carolyn Manno)

Arkansas at Mississippi State — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. (Dave Neal/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)
Western Carolina at Alabama — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. (Mike Morgan/Chris Doering/Jill Montgomery)

12:30 p.m.
Virginia Tech at Boston College — ACC Network

1 p.m.
Lehigh at Lafayette — Fox College Sports Atlantic (Steve Degler/Mike Yadush/Troy Hein)

1:30 p.m.
Washington at Colorado — FX (Justin Kutcher/Eric Crouch/Darius Walker)

2 p.m.
2012 Florida Classic, Orlando, FL
Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M — ESPN Classic (Mike Corey/Jay Walker)

3 p.m.
USC at UCLA — Fox (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)
South Florida at Miami — Fox Sports Net-regional (Arizona Plus/North Plus/South/Southwest Plus)/NESN/Sun Sports) (Rich Waltz/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)

Washington State at Arizona State — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth)

3:30 p.m.
NC State at Clemson — ABC/ESPN2 (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)
Ohio State at Wisconsin — ABC/ESPN2 (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Quint Kessenich)

Minnesota at Nebraska — Big Ten Network (Eric Collins/Derek Rackley/Jon Jansen)
Purdue at lllinois — Big Ten Network (Tim Neverett/Glen Mason/Rebecca Haarlow)

Mississippi at LSU — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)
Texas State at Navy — CBS Sports Network (Grant Boone/Todd Christensen/Sheehan Stanwich Burch)

SMU at Rice — CSS/Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Chicago/Houston/Mid-Atlantic Plus)

Duke at Georgia Tech — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins)

Texas Tech at Oklahoma State — Fox Sports Net (national)/WMCN/WDCA/KICU/Fox College Sports Central (Ron Thulin/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)

Wake Forest at Notre Dame — NBC (Tom Hammond/Mike Mayock/Alex Flanagan)
Colorado State at Boise State — NBC Sports Network (Paul Burmeister/Rod Woodson/Anthony Herron)

Montana State at Montana — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Audience Network (DirecTV)

6 p.m.
Cal-Poly at Northern Arizona — Fox College Sports Pacific (Mitch Strohman/Kevin Stephens/Reggie Eccleston)

7 p.m.
Tennessee at Vanderbilt — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Jessica Mendoza)
Syracuse at Missouri — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Allison Williams)

Oklahoma at West Virginia — Fox (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)
Iowa State at Kansas — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Atlantic (Steve Physioc/JC Pearson/Laura McKeeman)

Old Dominion at James Madison — NBC Sports Network (Todd Harris/Blaine Fowler)

7:30 p.m.
Samford at Kentucky — CSS

8 p.m.
Stanford at Oregon — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

UTEP at Southern Mississippi — CBS Sports Network (James Bates/Aaron Taylor/Lauren Gardner)

Kansas State at Baylor — ESPN (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)

10 p.m.
Arizona at Utah — ESPNU (Joe Davis/Kelly Stouffer)

10:30 p.m.
BYU at San Jose State — ESPN2 (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Kaylee Hartung)

Cal at Oregon State — Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

ESPN Crows About College Football Ratings

This from ESPN. We have this blurb on the ratings for college football in Week 11. While CBS garnered the win over all games on Saturday with the Texas A&M upset of Alabama, games on ABC and ESPN finished 2-4 including Notre Dame at Boston College on broadcast television in primetime.

ESPN’s airing of Oregon-Cal was its highest-rated game of the week and ABC’s late afternoon window on Saturday featuring regional action also garnered a high audience.

ABC Wins Saturday Night; ESPN & ABC Garner Three of Four Most-Viewed College Football Games This Week

ABC and ESPN televised three of the four highest-rated and most-viewed college football games on Saturday, Nov. 10. ABC was the most-watched network of the night on Saturday with its Saturday Night Football Presented by Windows 8 broadcast of Notre Dame defeating Boston College 21-6. The matchup averaged a 3.6 rating, 5,755,000 viewers and 4,132,000 households, garnering the second largest audience of the week for a college football game. The top five metered markets for the telecast: Indianapolis (11.8 rating), Columbus (7.5 rating), Oklahoma City (7.2 rating), Cincinnati (6.6 rating) and Richmond (6.4 rating).

ESPN’s Saturday night telecast of Oregon beating California 59-17 averaged a 2.3 rating, 3,657,000 viewers and 2,652,000 viewers, making it the network’s highest-rated and most-viewed game of the week. The top five metered markets for the telecast: Portland (16.6 rating), New Orleans (6.7 rating), Birmingham (6.5 rating), Las Vegas (5.3 rating) and Memphis (4.3 rating).

ABC’s Saturday afternoon split national coverage – Penn State at Nebraska and West Virginia at Oklahoma State – averaged Saturday’s third largest audience across ESPN outlets with a 2.2 rating, 3,477,000 viewers and 2,544,000 households.

That will do it.

ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 12 Including Announcing Assignments

Believe it or not, we’re in the home stretch of the college football season. Just a couple of more weeks before we have the conference championship games and then bowl season in December. It’s not long now.

We’re not quite at the traditional blood rivalry games yet, but we’re getting close.

This week, ESPN’s college football schedule begins on Wednesday with MACtion on both ESPN2 and ESPNU. Then the games will continue through late night Saturday so there will be a lot of games to watch on TV and online.

We have the complete schedule of games on the ESPN family of networks and platforms.

No. 1 Kansas State & No. 2 Oregon in Prime Time

ESPN’s college football schedule this week is highlighted by prime time telecasts of the top two teams in the BCS Standings, both undefeated, on Saturday, Nov. 17: No. 1 Kansas State at Baylor in a Big 12 showdown at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and No. 1 Oregon against two-loss No. 13 Stanford at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Overall, ESPN networks will offer coverage of eight of the top 10 teams in the BCS Standings and 15 of the top 22. In addition to teams in the BCS Standings, ABC will televise unbeaten Ohio State against Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 3:30 p.m.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Network
Wed, Nov 14	8 p.m.	Ohio at Ball State Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Toledo at Northern Illinois Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich	ESPN2
Thu, Nov 15	7:30 p.m.	North Carolina at Virginia ESPN: Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN & ESPN Radio
Fri, Nov 16	8 p.m.	Florida International at Florida Atlantic Adam Amin & Tom Luginbill	ESPNU
	9:30 p.m.	Hawaii at Air Force Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN2
Sat, Nov 17	Noon	Iowa at No. 21 Michigan ESPN: Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown Radio: Dave Lamont, Pete Najarian & Brett McMurphy	ESPN, ESPN 3D & ESPN Radio
	Noon	Northwestern at Michigan State Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor	ESPN2
	Noon	No. 10 Florida State at Maryland Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
	Noon	Western Carolina at No. 4 Alabama Mike Morgan, Chris Doering & Jill Montgomery	ESPN3 & SEC Network
	Noon	Arkansas at Mississippi State Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC Network
	Noon	No. 22 Rutgers at Cincinnati Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network
	Noon	Kent State at Bowling Green Greg Franke & Tom Cole	ESPN3 *
	12:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech at Boston College	ESPN3 * & ACC Network
	12:30 p.m.	North Dakota State at Illinois State	ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Jacksonville State at No. 6 Florida	ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Wofford at No. 9 South Carolina	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	Georgia Southern at No. 5 Georgia	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	Lehigh at Lafayette	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	Liberty at Virginia Military Institute	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	The Citadel at Furman	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Alabama A&M at Auburn	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	2012 Florida Classic: Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M (from Orlando) Mike Corey & Jay Walker	ESPN Classic
	2 p.m.	Indiana State at Youngstown State	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	South Florida at Miami (Fla.)	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	No. 18 USC at No. 17 UCLA Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	Ohio State at Wisconsin Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Quint Kessenich	ABC & ESPN2 **
		NC State at No. 11 Clemson Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC & ESPN2 **
	3:30 p.m.	Duke at Georgia Tech Anish Shroff & Dan Hawkins	ESPNU
	3:30 p.m.	Sam Houston State at No. 8 Texas A&M	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Charleston Southern at Coastal Carolina	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Utah State at No. 20 Louisiana Tech Trey Bender & John Bunting	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Northwestern State at Stephen F. Austin	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Tennessee at Vanderbilt Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	Syracuse at Missouri Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Western Kentucky at Louisiana-Lafayette Jonathon Yardley & Forrest Conoly	ESPN3
	7:30 p.m.	Samford at Kentucky Matt Stewart, Cole Cubelic & Angela Mallen	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	No. 13 Stanford at No. 2 Oregon Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox	ABC
	8 p.m.	No. 1 Kansas State at Baylor Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ESPN
	10 p.m.	Arizona at Utah Joe Davis & Kelly Stouffer	ESPNU
	10:30 p.m.	BYU at San Jose State Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Kaylee Hartung	ESPN2
Tue, Nov 20	7 p.m.	Akron at Toledo TBD	ESPN2

* Local blackout may apply
** Reverse mirror in which ESPN2 will regionalize two games on ABC to markets not receiving the telecast

That will do it.

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 11, 11/10/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule Courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live on board the USS San Diego — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
BTN Football Postgame — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 4 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 8:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 10 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.
College Football Final — ESPN2, 1:30 a.m. (Sunday)

noon
Louisville at Syracuse — ABC (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)
Miami at Virginia — ABC (Tom Hart/John Congemi)

Cincinnati at Temple — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra)

Purdue at Iowa — Big Ten Network (Josh Lewin/Chris Martin/J Leman)

Arkansas at South Carolina — CBS (Tim Brando/Steve Beuerlein/Marty Snider)

William & Mary at Old Dominion — Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Houston/Mid-Atlantic/New England/Philadelphia)

Northwestern at Michigan — ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Wisconsin at Indiana — ESPN2 (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Niki Noto)
Army at Rutgers — ESPNU (Joe Beninati/Peter Najarian/George Smith)

Kansas at Texas Tech — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central/WLVI/KICU (Joe Myers/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
St. Francis (PA) at Monmouth — Fox College Sports Atlantic (Paul Dottino/Steve Levy)
Southeast Missouri State at Eastern Illinois — Fox College Sports Pacific (Bob Belvin/Kevin Ingram)

Iowa State at Texas — Longhorn Network (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)/ABC (Iowa only) (Mark Neely/Ray Bentley)

Williams at Amherst — NESN (Tom Caron/Steve DeOssie/Katy Fitzpatrick)

Harvard at Penn — NBC Sports Network (Randy Moss/Ross Tucker/Marshall Harris)

Louisiana-Lafayette at Florida — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. (Mike Morgan/Chris Doering)
Missouri at Tennessee — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. (Dave Ware/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)

Princeton at Yale — YES

12:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech at North Carolina — ACC Network

Colgate at Lehigh — CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan/Todd Christensen/Evan Washburn)

1:30 p.m.
Colorado at Arizona — FX (Justin Kutcher/Eric Crouch/Darius Walker)

3 p.m.
Oregon State at Stanford — Fox (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)
Wake Forest at NC State — Fox Sports Net (regional) (North Plus/South/Southwest Plus/Prime Ticket)/Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic/NESN (Mike Hogewood/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)

Arizona State at USC — Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

3:30 p.m.
Penn State at Nebraska — ABC/ESPN2 (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kessenich)
West Virginia at Oklahoma State — ABC/ESPN2 (Dave Lamont/Kelly Stouffer)

Minnesota at Illinois — Big Ten Network (Eric Collins/Derek Rackley/Jon Jansen)

Texas A&M at Missouri — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)

Maryland at Clemson — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins)

Baylor at Oklahoma — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Pacific/WLVI/WMCN/WDCA/KICU (Steve Physioc/JC Pearson/Laura McKeeman)
South Dakota State at North Dakota State — Fox College Sports Central (Brian Shawn/Lee Timmerman/Kevin Feeney)

Air Force at San Diego State — NBC Sports Network (Ari Wolfe/Blaine Fowler)

Portland State at Montana State — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Audience Network (DirecTV)

5 p.m.
Tulsa at Houston — CBS Sports Network (James Bates/Aaron Talor/Lauren Gardner)

7 p.m.
Mississippi State at LSU — ESPN (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)
Georgia at Auburn — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Allison Williams)
Vanderbilt at Mississippi — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Angela Mallen)

Kansas State at TCU — Fox (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)
Southern Mississippi at SMU — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central (Ron Thulin/Dave Lapham/Desmond Purnell)
Central Florida at UTEP — Fox College Sports Atlantic (Mike Gleason/Ben Leber/Lesley McCaslin)

Louisiana Tech at Texas State — Longhorn Network (Dave Armstrong/Ray Bentley — 2 games in one day!)

Hawaii at Boise State — NBC Sports Network (Paul Bermeister/Rod Woodson)

8 p.m.
Notre Dame at Boston College — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

10:15 p.m.
Idaho at BYU — ESPNU (Joe Davis/Jay Walker)

10:30 p.m.
Oregon at Cal — ESPN (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Samantha Steele)
UCLA at Washington State — ESPN2 (Adam Amin/Tom Luginbill/Shelley Smith)

Utah at Washington — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth)

College Football Viewing Picks for Week 10, 11/03/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule courtesy of Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from Baton Rouge, LA — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 11:30 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
Fox College Football Saturday — Fox, 2 p.m.
BTN Football Postgame — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 10 p.m.
College Football Final — ESPN2, 1:30 a.m. (Sunday)
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, 1 a.m. (Sunday) TURN BACK YOUR CLOCKS!!!!

Noon
Oklahoma State at Iowa State — ABC (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)
Temple at Louisville — ABC (Dave Lamont/Kelly Stouffer)

Syracuse at Cincinnati — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra)

Michigan at Minnesota — Big Ten Network

Air Force at Army — CBS Sports Network (Ben Holden/Randy Cross/Cadet Ted Kostich)

Texas at Mississippi State — ESPN (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)
Missouri at Florida — ESPN2/ESPN 3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Vanderbilt at Kentucky — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Allison Williams)

Houston at East Carolina — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central/KICU (Rod Thulin/Dave Lapham/Desmond Purnell)
Troy at Tennessee — Fox Sports Net (regional) (Bob Rathbun/Tim Couch/Elizabeth Moreau)
Tennessee State at Murray State — Fox College Sports Pacific

Towson at Delaware — NBC Sports Network (Ari Wolfe/Anthony Herron/Carolyn Manno)

Tulsa at Arkansas — SEC Network (Dave Neal/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)

12:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech at Arkansas — ACC Network
Virginia at North Carolina State — ACC Network

Lehigh at Holy Cross — Fox College Sports Atlantic

New Mexico State at Auburn — CSS (Matt Stewart/Chris Doering/Angela Mallen)

Yale at Brown — YES

2 p.m.
Stanford at Colorado — FX (Justin Kutcher/Eric Crouch/Darius Walker)

3 p.m.
TCU at West Virginia — Fox (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)

Washington State at Utah — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth)

3:30 p.m.
Nebraska at Michigan State — ABC/ESPN2 (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kessenich)
Texas at Texas Tech — ABC/ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)

Iowa at Indiana — Big Ten Network

Mississippi at Georgia — CBS (Tim Brando/Steve Beuerlein/Marty Snider)
Florida Atlantic at Navy — CBS Sports Network (Grant Boone/Todd Christensen/Sheehan Stanwich Burch)

James Madison at Maine — Comcast SportsNet (California/Houston/Mid-Atlantic/New England/Philadelphia)

Illinois at Ohio State — ESPN (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Lewis Johnson)
Penn State at Purdue — ESPNU (Tom Hart/John Congemi)

Kansas at Baylor — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central/WDCA/WMCN/KICU) (Steve Physioc/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
Boston College at Wake Forest — Fox Sports Net (regional)/NESN (Rich Waltz/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)
Duquense at Robert Morris — Fox College Sports Pacific

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame — NBC (Dan Hicks/Mike Mayock/Alex Flanagan)

Montana at Weber State — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain/Audience Network (DirecTV)

4 p.m.
Texas-San Antonio at Louisiana Tech — ESPN Plus (Trey Bender/Jay Taylor)

7 p.m.
SMU at Central Florida — CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan/Corey Chavous/Evan Washburn)

UAB at Southern Mississippi — CSS

Clemson at Duke — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Jessica Mendoza)
UConn at South Florida — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins)

Oregon at USC — Fox (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)

Montana State at Sacramento State — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Audience Network (DirecTV)

8 p.m.
Oklahoma State at Kansas State — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

Alabama at LSU — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)

10:30 p.m.
San Diego State at Boise State — CBS Sports Network (James Bates/Aaron Taylor/Lauren Gardner)

Arizona State at Oregon State — ESPN2 (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Tom Luginbill)

Arizona at UCLA — Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 9, 10/27/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule courtesy Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from Norman, OK — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
Big Ten Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
Fox College Football Preview Show — Fox Sports Net, 11:30 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
Pac-12 Football Pregame Show — Pac-12 Network, 2 p.m.
College Football Countdown — ABC, 3 p.m.
College Football Today — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
BTN Football Gamebreak 2012 — Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
Fox College Saturday — Fox, 3 p.m.
ESPN Goal Line — ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
SEC Tonight — CBS Sports Network, 7 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Fox College Saturday — Fox, 7 p.m.
Pac-12 Football Postgame Report — Pac-12 Network, 9:45 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, midnight
Inside College Football — CBS Sports Network, midnight
College Football Final — ESPN2, 12:30 a.m. (Sunday)
Pac-12 Football Postgame Report — Pac-12 Network, 1:45 a.m. (Sunday)

noon
Temple at Pittsburgh — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra)

Indiana at Illinois — Big Ten Network (Kevin Kugler/Chris Martin/Jon Jansen)

Ball State at Army — CBS Sports Network (Ben Holden/Randy Cross/Cadet Geoff Easteling)

Tennessee at South Carolina — ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Iowa at Northwestern — ESPN2 (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Lewis Johnson)
Kentucky at Missouri — ESPNU (Tom Hart/John Congemi)
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan — ESPN Plus (Michael Reghi/Doug Graber)

Texas at Kansas — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central/WLVI/KICU (Ron Thulin/Dave Lapham/Desmond Purnell)
Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky — Fox College Sports Pacific (Bob Melvin/Kevin Ingram)

Delaware at Old Dominion — NBC Sports Network

Mississippi at Arkansas — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. kickoff (Dave Neal/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)

12:30 p.m.
NC State at North Carolina — ACC Network

Yale at Columbia — YES

1 p.m.
Southern Mississippi at Rice — CSS/Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Chicago/Houston/Philadelphia)

3 p.m.
UCLA at Arizona State — FX (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)
BYU at Georgia Tech — Fox Sports Net (regional) (Rich Waltz/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)

Colorado at Oregon — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth)

3:30 p.m.
Michigan State at Wisconsin — ABC/ESPN2 (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)
USC at Arizona — ABC/ESPN2 (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Maria Taylor)

Kent State at Rutgers — Big East Network (Mike Corey/Rene Ingoglia)

Purdue at Minnesota — Big Ten Network (Eric Collins/Drerek Rackley/J Leman)

Florida vs. Georgia at Jacksonville, FL — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)
Boise State at Wyoming — CBS Sports Network (James Bates/Todd Christensen/Lauren Gardner)

Towson at Villanova — Comcast SportsNet (Mid-Atlantic/Philadelphia)

Duke at Florida State — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins/Tom Luginbill)

Texas Tech at at Kansas State — Fox (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)
TCU at Oklahoma State — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Pacific/WMCN/WDCA/KICU (Joel Myers/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
Navy at East Carolina — Fox College Sports Atlantic (Adam Alexander/Gary Reasons/Lesley McCaslin)
Southern Illinois at North Dakota State — Fox College Sports Central (Brian Shawn/Lee Timmerman/Kevin Feeney)

Idaho State at Montana — Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Audience Network (DirecTV)

4:30 p.m.
UTEP at Houston — CSS/Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Houston)

5 p.m.
Illinois State at Northern Iowa — Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Harvard at Dartmouth — Comcast SportsNet New England

5:30 p.m.
Ohio State at Penn State — ESPN (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kussenich)

6:15 p.m.
Washington State at Stanford — Pac-12 Network (Rich Cellini/Rick Neuheisel/Curtis Conway/Jeremy Bloom)

7 p.m.
Texas A&M at Auburn — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Alison Williams)

Baylor at Iowa State — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Pacific (Mike Morgan/JC Pearson/Laura McKeeman)
UMass at Vanderbilt — Fox Sports Net (regional)/NESN (Bob Rathbun/Tim Couch/Elizabeth Moreau)

8 p.m.
Notre Dame at Oklahoma — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

Central Florida at Marshall — CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan/Corey Chavous/Evan Washburn)

Michigan at Nebraska — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Jessica Mendoza)

8:30 p.m.
Mississippi State at Alabama — ESPN (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)

9:45 p.m.
Cal at Utah — Pac-12 Networks (Bay Area/Mountain) (Ron Pitts/Kelly Stouffer)

10:15 p.m.
Oregon State at Washington — Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 9 Including Announcing Assignments

Let’s provide the college football games for Week 9 which actually began on Tuesday. ESPN has an ACC matchup on Thursday night.

For Saturday, the big game is Notre Dame at Oklahoma, both hoping to move up in the BCS rankings. College GameDay will be in Norman, OK and that will be the showcase game on ABC in primetime with Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox.

There are plenty of more games that will be aired on the ESPN family in Week 9. It’s Week 9 already! Amazing.

Here’s the ESPN listing of games for you. It’s all below in black & white.

No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma & No. 11 Mississippi State at No. 1 Alabama in Prime Time

ESPN’s college football schedule this week will be highlighted by two Saturday night telecasts matching ranked teams with all four in the top 11 of the BCS standings:

• ABC will broadcast undefeated No. 5 Notre Dame at one-loss No. 8 Oklahoma as part of the Saturday Night Football series at 8 p.m. ET. Notre Dame has defeated Oklahoma eight of the nine all-time meetings against the Sooners, including the last meeting in 1999.
• ESPN will televise No. 11 Mississippi State at No. 1 Alabama in a showdown of unbeaten SEC teams at 8:30 p.m. Mississippi State, at 7-0, has had its best start to a season since 1999 and won its first seven games for only the second time in 113 years of playing football. Alabama has won eight of the last 10 games against the Bulldogs.

Overall, ESPN platforms will offer coverage of seven of the remaining 11 undefeated teams: No. 1 Alabama, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 11 Mississippi State, No. 15 Rutgers, No. 16 Louisville, No. 24 Ohio and Ohio State. Additional highlights:

• An ESPN Friday night matchup on October 26 will pit one-loss Cincinnati at undefeated BIG EAST foe No. 16 Louisville at 8 p.m.
• ESPN will televise unbeaten Ohio State at a Penn State squad that has won five straight since opening the season 0-2 on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 5:30 p.m.
• ESPN3 will provide coverage of Kent State, with a 6-1 record, at undefeated No. 15 Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 27, at 3:30 p.m.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Network
Thu, Oct 25	7:30 p.m.	No. 18 Clemson at Wake Forest Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele	ESPN
	7:30 p.m.	Delaware State at Morgan State Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	Valdosta State at Shorter	ESPN3
Fri, Oct 26	8 p.m.	Cincinnati at No. 16 Louisville Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN
Sat, Oct 27	Noon	Tennessee at No. 13 South Carolina Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown	ESPN & ESPN 3D
	Noon	Iowa at Northwestern Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson	ESPN2
	Noon	Kentucky at Missouri Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
	Noon	Ole Miss at Arkansas Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC Network
	Noon	Temple at Pittsburgh Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network
	Noon	Northern Illinois at Western Michigan Michael Reghi & Doug Graber	ESPN3 *
	12:30 p.m.	NC State at North Carolina	ESPN3 * & ACC Network
	1 p.m.	Maryland at Boston College Shawn Kenney & John Bunting	ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Stony Brook at Presbyterian	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	The Citadel at Wofford	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	Presbyterian at Charleston Southern	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	Utah State at Texas-San Antonio Jonathan Yardley & Forrest Conoly	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	South Dakota at Indiana State	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	BYU at Georgia Tech	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Youngstown State at South Dakota State	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Michigan State at No. 25 Wisconsin Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC & ESPN2 *
		No. 9 USC at Arizona Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Maria Taylor	ABC & ESPN2 *
	3:30 p.m.	Duke at No. 12 Florida State Anish Shroff, Dan Hawkins & Tom Luginbill	ESPNU
	3:30 p.m.	Kent State at No. 15 Rutgers Mike Corey & Rene Ingoglia	ESPN3 *
	3:30 p.m.	No. 24 Ohio at Miami (Ohio)	ESPN3 *
	3:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green Greg Franke & Tom Cole	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	North Texas at Middle Tennessee	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Liberty at Coastal Carolina	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Sam Houston State at Lamar	ESPN3
	5:30 p.m.	Ohio State at Penn State Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich	ESPN
	6 p.m.	Western Kentucky at Florida International Drew Fellios & Warrick Dunn	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	No. 20 Texas A&M at Auburn Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Syracuse at South Florida Mike Gleason & John Gregory	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	Massachusetts at Vanderbilt	ESPN3 *
	8 p.m.	No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox	ABC
	8 p.m.	No. 22 Michigan at Nebraska ESPN: Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza ESPN Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie & Joe Schad	ESPN2 & ESPN Radio
	8 p.m.	Louisiana Tech at New Mexico State	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	Stephen F. Austin at McNeese State	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	West Texas A&M at West Georgia	ESPN3
	8:30 p.m.	No. 11 Mississippi State at No. 1 Alabama Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ESPN
	10:30 p.m.	Magic City Classic: Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State (from Birmingham) Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU ***

* Local blackout may apply
** Reverse mirror in which ESPN2 will regionalize two games on ABC to markets not receiving the telecast
*** Live on ESPN3 at 3:30 p.m. ET & same day delay on ESPNU

ESPN will use BCS Standings through the remainder of the season

That is all.

College Football Viewing Picks For Week 8, 10/20/2012, All Times Eastern

Schedule courtesy Matt’s College Sports

Pregame & Studio Shows
College GameDay live from Gainesville, FL — ESPNU, 9 a.m./ESPN, 10 a.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 11 a.m.
ACC Blitz — ACC Network, noon
College Football Today — CBS, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN2, 3 p.m.
College Football Scoreboard — ESPN, 6 p.m.
BTN Football Postgame — Big Ten Network, 6:30 p.m.
BTN Football Pregame — Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
The Final Drive — Big Ten Network, 11 p.m.
College Football Final — ESPN2, 1:30 a.m. (Saturday)

noon
Purdue at Ohio State — ABC/ESPN2 (Beth Mowins/Joey Galloway/Lewis Johnson)
Virginia Tech at Clemson — ABC/ESPN2 (Mike Patrick/Ed Cunningham/Jeannine Edwards)

Rutgers at Temple — Big East Network (Eamon McAnaney/David Diaz-Infante/Paul Carcaterra)

New Hampshire at Maine — Comcast SportsNet (Bay Area/Mid-Atlantic/New England/Philadelphia)

LSU at Texas A&M — ESPN/ESPN 3D (Dave Pasch/Brian Griese/Jenn Brown)
Minnesota at Wisconsin — ESPNU (Tom Hart/John Congemi)
Northern Arizona at Akron — ESPN Plus (Michael Reghi/Doug Graber)

Iowa State at Oklahoma State — FX (Justin Kutcher/Eric Crouch/Darius Walker)
Tennessee State at Jacksonville State — Fox College Sports Pacific (Bob Belvin/Kevin Ingram)

Penn at Yale — NBC Sports Network (Randy Moss/Ross Tucker/Kelli Johnson)

Auburn at Vanderbilt — SEC Network, 12:21 p.m. kickoff (Dave Neal/Andre Ware/Cara Capuano)

12:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Virginia — ACC Network

3 p.m.
Stanford at Cal — Fox (Craig Bolerjack/Joel Klatt/Petros Papadakis)
Boston College at Georgia Tech — Fox Sports Net (regional) (Paul Kennedy/Keith Jones/Jenn Hildreth)

3:30 p.m.
Nebraska at Northwestern — ABC/ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen/Danny Kanell/Maria Taylor)
South Florida at Louisville — ABC (Mark Neely/Ray Bentley)
Texas Tech at TCU — ABC/ESPN2 (Dave Lamont/Kelly Stouffer)

Michigan State at Michigan — Big Ten Network (Matt Devlin/Glen Mason/J Leman)

South Carolina at Florida — CBS (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson)
Indiana at Navy — CBS Sports Network (Grant Boone/Todd Christensen/Sheehan Stanwick Burch)

James Madison at Richmond — Comcast SportsNet (Chicago/Mid-Atlantic/Philadelphia)

NC State at Maryland — ESPNU (Anish Shroff/Dan Hawkins)
Pittsburgh at Buffalo — ESPN Plus (Bob Picozzi/Chris Doering)

Rice at Tulsa — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central/WDCA/KICU (Mike Morgan/JC Pearson/Laura McKeenan)

BYU at Notre Dame — NBC (Tom Hammond/Mike Mayock/Alex Flanagan)
UNLV at Boise State — NBC Sports Network (Paul Burmeister/Rod Woodson/Anthony Herron)

Montana at North Dakota — Audience Network (DirecTV)/Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)

6 p.m.
Colorado at USC — Pac-12 Network (Kevin Calabro/Adam Archuleta/Yogi Roth)

7 p.m.
Marshall at Southern Mississippi — CBS Sports Network (Dave Ryan/Steve Beuerlein/Evan Washburn)

Alabama at Tennessee — ESPN (Brad Nessler/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe)
Middle Tennessee at Mississippi State — ESPN2 (Mark Jones/Brock Huard/Jessica Mendoza)
North Carolina at Duke — ESPNU (Clay Matvick/Matt Stinchcomb/Allison Williams)
Idaho at Louisiana Tech — ESPN Plus (Trey Bender/Jay Taylor)

Kansas State at West Virginia — Fox/Fox Deportes (Gus Johnson/Charles Davis/Julie Alexandria)
Kansas at Oklahoma — Fox Sports Net (national)/Fox College Sports Central (Joel Myers/Brian Baldinger/Jim Knox)
Georgia at Kentucky — Fox Sports Net (regional) (Bob Rathbun/Tim Couch/Elizabeth Moreau)
East Carolina at UAB — Fox College Sports Atlantic (Steve Physioc/Ben Leber/Lesley McCann)

New Mexico at Air Force — Root Sports Rocky Mountain

8 p.m.
Baylor at Texas — ABC (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Quint Kessenich)
Florida State at Miami — ABC (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Heather Cox)

Penn State at Iowa — Big Ten Network (Eric Collins/Derek Rackley/Jon Jansen)

Central Florida at Memphis — CSS

10 p.m.
Washington at Arizona — Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson/Glenn Parker/Ryan Nece)

10:30 p.m.
San Diego State at Nevada — CBS Sports Network (James Bates/Aaron Taylor/Lauren Gardner)

Utah at Oregon State — ESPN2 (Joe Tessitore/Matt Millen/Shannon Spake)
South Carolina State at Florida A&M — ESPNU (Joe Davis/Jay Walker) (same day coverage)

Wyoming at Fresno State — Time Warner SportsNet/Root Sports (Northwest/Rocky Mountain)/Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)

ESPN’s College Football Games For Week 8 Including Announcing Assignments

Week 8 in college football actually begins tonight with a game on ESPN2 between Louisiana-Lafayette and North Texas to be called by the SEC Network crew of Dave Neal, Andre Ware and Cara Capuano.

Then on Thursday, ESPN has a Pac-12 showdown between Oregon and Arizona State, two teams with one loss among them.

In addition, there’s a rare SEC game at noon ET on ESPN between LSU and Texas A&M this Saturday. Also on Saturday, ABC will have regional action at noon, 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. It includes Beth Mowins making her ABC College Football debut on Purdue at Ohio State.

Let’s check out the schedule for ESPN’s family of networks this week.

College Football: 17 Games Featuring Undefeated or One-Loss Teams

ESPN’s college football schedule this week will include 17 telecasts involving an undefeated or one-loss team. The weekday schedule is highlighted by an ESPN telecast pitting undefeated No. 3 Oregon at one-loss Arizona State in a Pac-12 showdown between Division leaders on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 9 p.m. ET.

Highlights for Saturday, Oct. 20:

• ESPN and ABC will each televise a game between ranked, one-loss teams: No. 6 LSU at No. 18 Texas A&M in a matchup between SEC West Division squads at noon on ESPN and No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 23 TCU in a Big 12 contest at 3:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN2.
• ESPN2 will televise unbeaten No. 8 Oregon State against Utah at 10:30 p.m.
• The ABC Saturday Night Football broadcast at 8 p.m. will feature regional coverage of two intrastate matchups: No. 14 Florida State at Miami (Fla.) and Baylor at No. 25 Texas.
• ESPN platforms will carry eight of the remaining 12 undefeated teams: No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Oregon, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 12 Mississippi State, No. 15 Rutgers, No. 16 Louisville, No. 21 Cincinnati and Ohio State.
• ESPN and ESPN2 will each televise an unbeaten SEC team at 7 p.m.: No. 1 Alabama (at Tennessee) on ESPN and No. 12 Mississippi State (against Middle Tennessee) on ESPN2.
• ESPN will offer coverage of all three remaining undefeated BIG EAST teams: No. 15 Rutgers (at Temple) at noon on ESPN3 and the BIG EAST Network, No. 16 Louisville (against South Florida) at 3:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN3, and No. 21 Cincinnati (at 6-1 Toledo from the Mid-American Conference) at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D and ESPN Radio Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game / Commentators	Network
Tue, Oct 16	9 p.m.	Louisiana-Lafayette at North Texas Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN2
Thu, Oct 18	7:30 p.m.	Hampton at North Carolina Central Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU
	7:30 p.m.	North Alabama at West Georgia	ESPN3
	9 p.m.	No. 3 Oregon at Arizona State Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele	ESPN
Fri, Oct 19	8 p.m.	Connecticut at Syracuse Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill	ESPN
Sat, Oct 20	Noon	Purdue at Ohio State Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Lewis Johnson	ABC & ESPN2 **
		Virginia Tech at No. 19 Clemson Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards	ABC & ESPN2 **
	Noon	No. 6 LSU at No. 18 Texas A&M Dave Pasch, Brian Griese & Jenn Brown	ESPN & ESPN 3D
	Noon	Minnesota at Wisconsin Tom Hart & John Congemi	ESPNU
	Noon	Auburn at Vanderbilt Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano	ESPN3 & SEC Network
	Noon	No. 15 Rutgers at Temple Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante & Paul Carcaterra	ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network
	Noon	Northern Illinois at Akron Michael Reghi & Doug Graber	ESPN3 *
	12:30 p.m.	Wake Forest at Virginia	ESPN3 * & ACC Network
	1 p.m.	Army at Eastern Michigan	ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Harvard at Princeton	ESPN3
	1 p.m.	Florida International at Troy	ESPN3
	1:30 p.m.	Presbyterian at Charleston Southern	ESPN3
	2 p.m.	San Jose State at Texas-San Antonio	ESPN3
	3 p.m.	Boston College at Georgia Tech	ESPN3 *
	3 p.m.	Western Carolina at Elon	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Nebraska at Northwestern Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor	ABC & ESPN2 *
		No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 23 TCU Dave Lamont & Kelly Stouffer	ABC & ESPN2 *
		South Florida at No. 16 Louisville Mark Neely & Ray Bentley	ABC & ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	NC State at Maryland Anish Shroff & Dan Hawkins	ESPNU
	3:30 p.m.	Michigan State at Michigan	ESPN Radio
	3:30 p.m.	Ball State at Central Michigan	ESPN3
	3:30 p.m.	Pittsburgh at Buffalo Bob Picozzi & Chris Doering	ESPN3 *
	3:30 p.m.	Concord at Liberty	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Louisiana-Monroe at Western Kentucky	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Nicholls State at Stephen F. Austin	ESPN3
	4 p.m.	Shorter at West Alabama	ESPN3
	6 p.m.	Colorado at No. 10 USC	ESPN Radio
	7 p.m.	No. 1 Alabama at Tennessee Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe	ESPN
	7 p.m.	Middle Tennessee at No. 12 Mississippi State Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza	ESPN2
	7 p.m.	North Carolina at Duke Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	No. 21 Cincinnati at Toledo	ESPN3
	7 p.m.	No. 11 Georgia at Kentucky	ESPN3 *
	7 p.m.	Idaho at Louisiana Tech Trey Bender & Jay Taylor	ESPN3
	8 p.m.	Baylor at No. 25 Texas Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich	ABC & ESPN3 *
		No. 14 Florida State at Miami (Fla.) Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox	ABC & ESPN3 *
	10:30 p.m.	Utah at No. 8 Oregon State Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon Spake	ESPN2
	10:30 p.m.	South Carolina State at Florida A&M Joe Davis & Jay Walker	ESPNU ***

* Local blackout may apply
** Reverse mirror in which ESPN2 will regionalize two games on ABC to markets not receiving the telecast
*** Live on ESPN3 at 6 p.m. ET & same day delay on ESPNU

ESPN will use BCS Standings through the remainder of the season.

That is all.