Index

(1) Saturday College Football TV Schedule
(2) 2002 Texas Schedule with TV Listings
(3) How Big 12 Games Are Selected For TV Coverage
(4) Finding Whether Games Are Televised On My TV?
(5) Options in my Area for Viewing College Football Games
(6) Networks That Carry College Football and Links to Their Schedules

SEP. 13th WEEKEND COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV SCHEDULE

All Times Cenrtral

Thursday Sep 11th

6:30 PM
Cal at Utah (ESPN)

Friday Sep 12th

9:00 PM
Toledo at Marshall (ESPN)

Saturday Sep 13th

8:30 AM
College Kickoff (SUN)

9:30 AM
College Football Gameday (ESPN)
College Kickoff (FOXFL)

11:00 AM
Arkansas at Texas (ABC/ESPN Gameplan)
NC St at Ohi St (ABC/ESPN Gameplan)
Purdue at Wake Forest (ESPN)
UNLV at Wisconsin (ESPN2)
La Tech at Mich St (ESPN Gameplan)
Miami-OH at Northwestern (ESPN Gameplan)
Cincinnatti at W Va (ESPN Gameplan)
College Football Saturday Kickoff (Fox Sports Net)
Lafayette at Towson St (EMPN1)

11:30 AM
Iowa at Iowa St (Fox Sports Net)

12:00PM
Fordham at Lehigh (CSTV)

2:00 PM
College Gameday Scoreboard (ESPN)
College Gameday Now (ESPN2)
Minn at Ohio (ESPN Gameplan)

2:30PM
Notre Dame at Mich (ABC/ESPN Gameplan)
South Car at Georgia (CBS/PPV)
Auburn at Vandy (CBS/PPV)
Rutgers at Army (ESPN Gameplan/MSG/NESN)

3:00 PM
Hawaii at USC (Fox Sports Net)

3:30PM
College Football Saturday Scoreboard (CSTV)

5:00PM
Florida A&M at Florida (DirecTV PPV - Ch 775)

6:00 PM
College Gameday  Scoreboard (ESPN)
E Car at Miami (ESPN2)

6:30PM
Southwest Football Saturday (FOXSW)
Boise St at Idaho (FOXNW)

6:45PM
Kentucky at Alabama (ESPN)

7:00 PM
Illinois at UCLA (ABC/ESPN Gameplan)
Penn St at Neb (ABC/ESPN Gameplan)
Ga Tech at FSU (ABC/ESPN Gameplan)
BYU at New Mex (SportsWest)
Ga Southern at McNeese St (FOXSW/FOXO)
Tenn St at Jackson St (BET)

8:00 PM
NC A&T at Southern (ESPN Gameplan)

9:00 PM
Oregon at Arizona (TBS)
College Gameday Scoreboard(ESPN2)

11:00 PM
College Gameday Final (ESPN)

+ ABC/ESPN gameplan games are broadcast regionally on ABC and nationally on ESPN Gameplan.  Click on the following to see ABC's Reginonal Coverage Maps here.
+ Fox Sports Net includes Fox Sports SW (the Texas Fox Sports Regional station), unless otherwise noted. If you have cable, but not a satellite, click here to see if the Fox Sports Network in your area is carrying the game (note: you can change the "region" and date on the menu bar on the right of screen at that link).
+ Statioins showing the Big 12 Syndication Game can vary.
+ CBS does not provide an internet coverage map for the affilliates carrying its games, so you must go to an internet TV guide, like Zap2It.com, and plug in your zip code to determine which game is on in your area.
+ * = probably need satellite to get if you live in Texas.

TEXAS GAME TV CHART

Big 12 TV Game Selection

The Big 12 has television agreements with ABC and Fox Sports.  The ABC agreement gives ABC primary carriage rights for all Big 12 games.  The Fox Sports agreement gives Fox the rights to secondary TV coverage of Big 12 Football (which they then share with TBS).  aggy Matt Simon put together a nice article summarizing the process.  The selection process usually proceeds as follows:

(1) ABC's 2:30pm slot (sometimes also 11:00am)- 12 days before each Saturday, ABC picks a Big 12 game to show, usually in its 2:30pm Regional Coverage Slot (Note: 3 times a year, ABC can use its "6-day window" option, which allows it to wait until 6 days before a Saturday to select which Big 12 team it will televise).  Usually, ABC will carry 3-4 other games at this time slot, and each individual ABC affiliate can decide which game it wants to carry.  On certain weekends, ABC will also select a Big 12 Game for its 11:00am Split National Coverage Slot.  While Western Time Zone viewers don't get the 11:00am slot (it would be on at 9:00am there), that's only about 45 million people (out of 250 million in the U.S.), and ABC usually only runs 1-2 games in this slot, so each 11:00am game usually -- but now always -- gets a larger coverage area here than at the 2:30pm slot. For example, a coverage map for this weeks games (both the 11:00am and 2:30pm slots) looks like this (note: the Pacific Time Zone game shown on the linked map is not broadcast at 11:00am, but is instead shown at 4:00pm Pacific time (in that zone only), since the Pacific Time zone viewers don't get the 11:00am game).  The potential viewing audience of any game obviously varies upon which affilliates choose to pick up that game.  I believe that the Big 12-ABC contract prevents ABC from carrying any more than five regular season games involving one Big 12 team (although, I'm not sure whether this includes the A&M-UT and Colorado-Nebraska special Friday national games).

(2) Fox Sports Net/TBS 6:00pm Slot -  After ABC selects their game or games (usually,12 days before the games occur), on most weekends, Fox Sports or TBS (they share rights to Big 12 games and switch off weekends) selects one game to show nationally at 6:00pm from the remaining Big 12 games.  That game is carried on most of Fox's regional sports networks (a few are obligated to cover baseball) that span accross the country.  The potential viewing audience for these games (which is based on the number of cable and satellite subscribers with access to regional Fox Sports channels or TBS) is around 80% of households (although Nielsen ratings show that fewer viewers watch these games than the ABC regionally broadcast games).  A list of games carried by Fox Sports Net can be found here.  To find out if a particular Fox Sports Channel (like Fox Sports Southwest) is carrying the game, click here, and select your region and date.

(3) Fox Sports Net 11:30am Slot - After ABC and Fox Sports Net select their games, Fox selects one Big 12 game from the remaining games to show on many, but not all, Fox Sports regional channels at 11:30am.   Fox Sports Southwest is included ni the regionals that pick up this game.  (note: this used to be shown only on regional broadcast stations in the Big 12 instead of Fox's cable regional channels, but that changed in 2002, and now these games are viewable in a much wider area of the country).

(4) Fox PPV Games - If a Big 12 school's games are not picked up by the above three options, each school may independently offer their games via a Pay-Per-View package.  They must receive approval from the visiting team, as well (not usually an issue).  The game also cannot overlap (in any part) with a Big 12 ABC telecast.  These games used to only be seen by cable viewers in selected cities.  However, starting in 2002, Fox Sports started making the games available on a PPV basis also through DirecTV and The Dish, making them nationally available.  Note, however, that while residential DirecTV or Dish viewers pay only $29.95, the commercial cost is around $500 (or more).  Therefore, sports bars have to pay that much to show the game in their bar, so most sports bars outside of areas with high clusters of fans for a particular school will not pick up these games. 

Note: ESPN does not carry Big 12 games, because the Big 12 signed its carriage deal with Fox Sports Net, rather than with ESPN.  ESPN (and ESPN2) will carry games with Big 12 teams that are outside the Fox Sports Net's rights to carry (such as "Preseason" specials and AWAY games where Big 12 teams play teams from conferences that have a contract with ESPN).

HOW CAN I FIND OUT IF I CAN PICK UP THE GAME IN MY AREA?

The most helpful tool for this is an internet television guide I've found called Gist.com. By going here and just punching in your zip code and type of TV system (local broadcast stations only, cable or DSS), it will show you all programs on at any given time on a grid.  

Gist.com is much like several other internet TV guides, except it has one huge advantage: instead of just showing for each game the words "College Football", it also shows the teams playing each game in small letters underneath the words "College Football."  So you can actually tell which games are on at various times without having to click each listing of "College Football."  Another good one much like it is at zap2it.com.

 The only thing that Gist.com doesn't show are the ESPN Gameplan games (usually only available for DSS and Digital Cable viewers), but a list of those games can be found here.

TV Viewing Options

The following are a list of TV viewing options for the average couch potato college football fan:

(1) Local Coverage/Buy a TV with Rabbit Ears Only - this means you can only watch 1-2 ABC games per week, the NBC Notre Dame game, a CBS SEC game and any games that happen to air on local broadcast channels (like the Big 12 Syndication games).  

(2) Plain Old Cable - you can get the above, plus the games on ESPN, (usually) ESPN2's games, (usually) one Fox Sports Regional network (which lets you see Fox Sports Net games, and those carried by your regional station), and (sometimes) one "ABC/ESPN Gameplan" game (which means one game that ABC is carrying that isn't shown in your region).  

(3) Digital Cable/Microwave - you can get the above, plus -- many times -- you have access to more than one of the ABC/ESPN Gameplan games.

(4) DSS (DirecTV or the Dish Network) - you can get the above, plus all of the ABC/ESPN Gameplan games (which have now been expanded for up to 16 per weekend) and all (around 20) of the Fox Sports Regional Network games.  

(5) C-Band Dish (the huge dishes) - if you buy the proper licenses (and/or descramblers), you can basically get every single game broadcast anywhere in the US on TV, including even local cable Pay-Per-View games.  Even for games not technically televised, you may be able to pick up a "backhaul" feed via C-Band.  Backhaul feeds are sent so that news and sports shows can pick out highlight clips and so delayed telecasts of the game may be shown without having to fly the tape to the station replaying the game.  A good bulletin board for finding backhaul feed coordinates (satellite, transponder and channel) is this yahoo e-mail/board. 

(6) Hit a Sports Bar - WARNING: Call the Sports Bar first to make sure they will be showing your game.  Also, find out if there is a cover, and if you need to show up early to gain entrance (many sports bars fill up quickly on Saturdays, and there is a line to get in if you don't come early).  Many establishments which call themselves "Sports Bars", have nothing more than standard cable, so they don't show anything 90+% of viewers can't just click on at home.  Some have DSS, so you can see any game you could get on DirecTV.  The best ones have multiple C-Band dishes, and can pick up almost any game in the country.  Suggestion: find one of these, get to know the owner (or waitresses) and you can usually talk them into picking up your game on most weekends (helps if you blow significant amounts of dough while watching game).

(7) Catch A Replay of the Game  - if it's just not possible to catch the game anywhere, Fox Sports Regional networks show several replays of games on Sunday and Monday.  Go to this page enter "College Football" and then click Sunday (and then Monday) after the game for the dates to get a list of the games that are being replayed.

NETWORKS/STATIONS THAT CARRY COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The following are the Networks that carry college football, and links to their schedules:

(1) ABC - ABC has a primary carriage contract with every conference except the SEC and the Big East.  ABC carries 1-2 games in their11:00am Split National spot and 3-4 games in their Regional Slot.  They sometimes also carry games at 7:00pm in their Saturday Night slot.  A coverage map showing which ABC affilliates around the country are picking up which games is located here. 

(2) CBS - CBS  has a primary carriage contract with only the SEC and the Big East, and carries 1-2 SEC games per week. A link to there College Football schedule is here. CBS does not provide a coverage map showing which of its affilliates pick up which games, so you must call your local CBS affilliate, or check an internet TV guide, like Gist.com.

(3) NBC - NBC carries all Notre Dame (an independent team) games not covered by another contract (all home Notre Dame games and away games not under another contract).  A link to NBC's Notre Dame Central page is here.

(4) Fox Sports Net/TBS - Fox Sports has regional cable networks that reach 70 million viewers and has a secondary carriage contract with the Big12, PAC-10 and Conference USA.  "Fox Sports Net" shows 3-4 national games each week, a list of which is here.   Starting in 2002, TBS began to share Big12 and PAC-10 rights with Fox Sports Net and switching off weeks with them carrying games for those conferences.

(5) ESPN/ESPN2 - These networks have national cable carriage penetration (ESPN2 nearing 90% now), and have secondary carriage contracts with the Big 10, SEC, Big East and ACC.  A link to their schedule can be found here.

(6) ABC/ESPN Gameplan -  ABC/ESPN Gameplan is pay-per-view coverage that has been recently been expanded so that it carries up to 16 games/week (from 10, before). Many of these games are also broadcast regionally by ABC, but some of them are carried only on local (non-ABC) broadcast stations or not carried anywhere else but by Gameplan.  Some cable systems permit their subscribers to view only one of these ESPN Gameplan games per week, but DSS viewers can see all of them.  A list of ABC/ESPN Gameplan games is here or here.

(7) Fox Sports Regional Channel Coverage -  Some Regional Fox Channels carry various games that are not carried nationally on all Fox Regional Channels.  The number of quality games on these channels has greatly decreased with the increase of ESPN Gameplan coverage, and ABC/ESPN's more rigorous enforcement of their rights to keep DSS (DirecTV and the Dish network0 providers from showing Big 10 (and certain other conference games) on their systems, nationally.  To see games that are on a particular Fox Sports regional channel (e.g., Fox Sports Southwest), click here, and then select the region and date about which you are interested.  

(8) Locally Broadcast Games - These are games picked up by local TV stations, or small networks thereof.   Other small local stations all around the country every week carry various college football games not televised elsewhere.  If you have a C-Band satellite dish, you can pick up all of these.  Otherwise, you can use an internet TV guide, like Gist.com, and plug in your local zip code to see what games are broadcast locally in your area.

(9) Local Pay-Per-View Games - many teams arrange with local cable companies to carry games on a pay-per-view basis in certain cities.  For example, the University of Texas broadcasts the few games (usually only 1-2/year ) that aren't picked up by ABC or Fox on pay-per-view basis on a group of cable systems in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and other cities.  Contact your local cable or satellite provider to find out if these games are available.

(10) Internet "Netcast" Games - video and audio from a game can be broadcast over the internet.  At this point, the picture and sound quality are usually fairly choppy, even for people with ultra-fast connnections, because of current limitations of the internet and "Netcast" servers.  The only Netcast game I know of so far is Fox Sports Netcast of the Nebraska-San Jose State game in early September2000.  Netcasting is likely to greatly expand in the future, as broadband access expands in subscribers and bandwidth.