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SEC Sports
- Top Teams, Multiple Networks: Alabama and Oklahoma Open Season on ABC; Clemson on ACC Network; Notre Dame on ESPN; Georgia on SEC Network
- Signature Matchups: Miami vs. Florida, Oregon vs. Auburn, Texas A&M at Clemson, and LSU at Texas in First Three Weeks; Michigan State at Ohio State, Notre Dame at Michigan among Additional Signature Games Locked into ESPN’s Slate
- More than 100 Games in Season’s First Three Weeks; Approximately 1,000 Games Expected This Season
- Big 12 Football Makes Debut on ESPN+; Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Platform Expected to Carry More than 300 Games from 12 Conferences this Season
- ESPN CFB150 Multiplatform Storytelling Initiative Executed throughout the Entire Season
Fans will have even more options to watch college football games this season with the launch of the ACC Network and the debut of a new Big 12 offering on ESPN+. Across all its networks, ESPN will carry approximately 1,000 regular season games, leading into a 35-game bowl schedule which includes the exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff Semifinals. ESPN concludes the season with the CFP National Championship at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, January 13.
ESPN’s Networks 2019 College Football Slate
Please note: All games are on Saturday unless identified
Kickoff Week:
ESPN’s Signature Five-Day Season Beginning Celebration Returns
ESPN’s complete Kickoff Week schedule will feature more than 45 games across five days (Aug. 29 – Sept. 2), including the season debut of ABC’s Saturday Night Football (Oregon vs. Auburn), ABC’s Sunday night primetime Kickoff Week presentation (Houston at Oklahoma) and ESPN’s Labor Day Night matchup (Notre Dame at Louisville) which have all been previously announced.
Today, Alabama and Georgia’s season opener, a never-seen-before matchup, rivalry games and more has been added to ESPN’s networks Kickoff Week slate.
- Bama’s Quest Begins: Alabama will open vs. Duke on ABC (3:30 p.m. ET) in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff from Atlanta, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Tide begin a quest for their fifth straight CFP Championship appearance.
- Never Seen Before: ESPN’s Saturday Primetime package will begin with Boise State vs. Florida State (7 p.m.) from Jacksonville, the first matchup between the two schools.
- Battle of the Carolinas: South Carolina vs. North Carolina from Charlotte will air on ESPN (3:30 p.m.), marking Tar Heel head coach Mack Brown’s return to the sideline.
- In-State Rivalries: ESPN will have back-to-back nights of in-state rivalries to begin Kickoff Week, with Utah at BYU on Thursday, Aug. 29, (10:15 p.m.) and Colorado State vs. Colorado on Friday, Aug. 30 (10 p.m.)
- Signature Programs: ESPN will air Wisconsin at South Florida on Friday, Aug. 30 (7 p.m.) the night before South Alabama at Nebraska (noon), and Fresno State at USC (10:30 p.m.) on the season’s first full Saturday.
ESPN+ is Home to Select Big 12 Games; Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Platform Begins Second Season with More than 20 Games in First Week; Expected to Carry More than 300 Games this Season from 12 Conferences
ESPN+ begins its second college football season with more than 20 games in the season’s first week, including Baylor hosting Stephen F. Austin (7 p.m.) and Kansas State welcoming in Nicholls (7 p.m.) The two Big 12 games are the conference’s first on the service and a result of an enhanced comprehensive rights agreement announced in April. On the same day, Syracuse at Liberty (6 p.m.) will be streamed. Overall, ESPN+ is expected to carry north of 300 games this season from 12 conferences, including the Big 12, C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt and multiple FCS conferences, with its games confirmed later this summer.
College Football Playoff National Champions Showcased on ACC Network’s First Football Game
The College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers will begin their season by playing in ACC Network’s first football telecast when they host Georgia Tech (8 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 29. The ACC matchup will be the first of five matchups for ACC Network in week 1, with a total of 14 games on network in the season’s first three weeks, as announced earlier this month.
SEC Network Opens the Season in College Station, Texas; Features Georgia on Kickoff Saturday in Prime-Time
SEC Network will begin its sixth college football season with Texas A&M hosting Texas State (8:30 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 29, beginning a season opening week where the network carries four games including Georgia at Vanderbilt (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday. Overall, the network will have a comprehensive slate each week of the season, with more details here.
Longhorn Network to Carry Texas’ Season Opener
Longhorn Network will televise Texas’ season opener against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, August 31 (8 p.m.), kicking off a 2019 campaign following a 2018 season that saw the Longhorns take home the Allstate Sugar Bowl trophy. More details on the network’s plans can be found here.
Week 0
Miami vs. Florida Begins ESPN’s FBS Season with Special ESPN CFB 150 Game
ESPN’s first FBS game of the season will feature Miami vs. Florida (7 p.m.) in the Camping World Kickoff in a special week 0 game on Saturday, Aug. 24, which was announced back in early March. The game will highlight a tent pole day of ESPN CFB 150 content, which also includes the 2019 Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff between Samford and Youngstown State (3 p.m.) on ESPN and ESPN CFB150 opening documentary (Time TBD). Additional programming schedule to be announced in the coming weeks.
Week 2
High Octane, Potential Top 10 Non-Conference Matchups Fuel the Slate
Back-to-back potential top 10 matchups on ABC highlight the season’s second full week, as Texas A&M at Clemson (3:30 p.m.) leads into LSU at Texas (7:30 p.m.), with the latter airing on Saturday Night Football. The Aggies-Tigers matchup is a rematch from last year’s 28-26 Clemson victory in College Station, Texas, and will be the sixth matchup overall between the teams. For LSU, the non-conference game will be their first visit to Austin since 1954 and is just the third meeting between the two schools since Texas’ victory on that date. Additional highlights:
- ABC will begin its second tripleheader of the season with Ohio State hosting Cincinnati (noon).
- ESPN’s prime-time slate will begin with BYU at Tennessee (7 p.m.), the first time the two schools have ever faced off on the gridiron. Stanford at USC will conclude the day (10:30 p.m.), as both teams open conference play.
- ESPN2 will feature a pair of top teams home openers, as Georgia hosts Murray State (4 p.m.) and Auburn hosts Tulane (7:30 p.m.).
- ESPN+ will stream a full slate of games, including Oklahoma State hosting McNeese State (7 p.m.) and Kansas at home vs. Coastal Carolina (7 p.m.), as Jayhawks head coach Les Miles makes his debut on the platform.
Clemson Makes Season’s Debut on Saturday Night Football; 100th Meeting Between Pitt and Penn State
The Clemson Tigers will be showcased on ABC’s Saturday Night Football for the first time in week 3, as they travel to Syracuse (7:30 p.m.) – the site of the national champions last regular season loss. For the Orange, the marquee ACC game will be the first time they have hosted the signature television franchise at the Carrier Dome. Additional highlights:
- ABC will begin the day with the 100th meeting between Pitt and Penn State (noon).
- ESPN prime-time action will begin with Florida vs. Kentucky (7 p.m.) followed by Texas Tech at Arizona (10:30 p.m.) ESPN2 will feature its first quadruple-header of the season.
- Oklahoma State at Tulsa, Stanford at UCF and USC at BYU will all play at 3:30 p.m., with each game airing on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2. Network designation will be decided later on.
In addition to the first three weeks, ESPN has locked in a number of marquee games for the remainder of the season. This includes its patented slate of midweek games. Highlights include:
Week 4
Saturday, Sept. 21
- Washington at BYU: Time TBD, on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Friday, Oct. 4
- UCF at Cincinnati: 8 p.m. on ESPN (Friday, Oct. 4)
- Michigan State at Ohio State: 7:30 p.m. on ABC or ESPN
- Purdue at Penn State: Noon, on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Saturday, Oct. 12
- Michigan at Illinois: Time TBD, on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Week 9
Saturday, Oct. 26
- Notre Dame at Michigan: Time TBD, on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
Week 11
Wednesday, Nov. 6 – College Football’s 150th Anniversary
- Miami (Ohio) at Ohio: 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. on ESPN2
- Dartmouth vs. Princeton from Yankee Stadium: Time TBD, Network, TBD
Rivalry Week
Thanksgiving Night
- Ole Miss at Mississippi State: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
- South Florida at UCF, Time TBD on ABC or ESPN
- Virginia Tech at Virginia, Time TBD on ABC or ESPN
- Arizona at Arizona State: Time TBD, on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt Games Added to Conference Championship Slate; Total of Eight Games
ESPN has confirmed the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt Championship, and SWAC games will once again be on its networks, with the MAC and Sun Belt slated for noon Saturday, Dec. 7, (ESPN or ESPN2) leading into the Mountain West Championship (ESPN) and SWAC (ESPNU) at 4 p.m. and The American Conference Championship is now slated for 3:30 p.m. (ABC) on the same day.
In addition to the American, ABC will televise the Pac-12 Championship on Friday, Dec. 6 (8 p.m.) and then the ACC and the Big 12 on Saturday, Dec. 7. The latter two game times will be announced at a later date.
Documentaries, Weekly Series, and Naming of Sport’s Greatest Coaches, Games, Players, and Teams Anchor ESPN CFB 150 Initiative
Throughout the 2019 season, ESPN will embark on a year-long, multi-platform storytelling experience celebrating college football’s 150th anniversary, which has already begun on ESPN.com and will ramp up on August 17. Announced last fall, key elements include two weekly documentary series, three documentaries, 150 personal stories, weekly themes, and the naming of the sports All-Time All America team and its greatest coaches, games, players and teams. Details have been rolled out over the course of the last year and more announcements will come this summer.
