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Bama News
Alabama to open season, play on Halloween in prime time
Kickoff times for the Tide's games against Missouri and Mississippi State are out.
After a 2019 season that was notably thin on prime-time games, Alabama’s 2020 schedule is already loaded with them.
An hour after CBS announced it would televise Oct. 17 and Nov. 14 games against Georgia and LSU, respectively, in prime time, ESPN said later Tuesday it will also broadcast two other Alabama games in the evening.
ESPN will air Alabama’s season opener Sept. 26 at Missouri at 6 p.m. CT. The network will also show Alabama hosting Mississippi State on Halloween evening, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. CT.
That gives the Tide four games that kick off at 5 p.m. CT or later this season after having only two -- against Tennessee and Arkansas -- all of last season.
CBS also announced Tuesday it will air Alabama’s home opener Oct. 3 against Texas A&M at 2:30 p.m. CT as its game of the week.
The announcements mean five kickoff times are already known of Alabama’s 10-game, SEC-only schedule.
In typical seasons, many of those kickoff times are not set until less than two weeks before games. But the SEC said Tuesday, “given the unique circumstances of this season, the SEC requested that its television partners make advanced game selections where possible prior to the start of the season to assist the Conference and schools with planning and logistics.”
The biggest of Alabama’s five remaining games without an announced kickoff time is the Iron Bowl, which will remain the Saturday after Thanksgiving this season (Nov. 28) but will serve as the second-to-last -- instead of final -- game of the regular-season schedule. CBS has yet to announce its game of the week for Nov. 28.
Other Alabama games that still do not have kickoff times are Oct. 10 at Ole Miss, Oct. 24 at Tennessee, Nov. 21 vs. Kentucky and Dec. 5 at Arkansas. The conference said those game times will be announced in the typical window less than two weeks before the contests.
Here is Alabama’s updated schedule:
Sept. 26 -- at Missouri, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN
Oct. 3 -- vs. Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m. CT, CBS
Oct. 10 -- at Ole Miss, game time and network TBA
Oct. 17 -- vs. Georgia, 7 p.m. CT, CBS
Oct. 24 -- at Tennessee, game time and network TBA
Oct. 31 -- vs. Mississippi State, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN
Nov. 7 -- open date
Nov. 14 -- at LSU, 5 p.m. CT, CBS
Nov. 21 -- vs. Kentucky, game time and network TBA
Nov. 28 -- vs. Auburn, game time and network TBA
Dec. 5 -- at Arkansas, game time and network TBA
Dec. 12 -- open date (all SEC)
Dec. 19 -- SEC championship, game time TBA, CBS
