First Week of Season to Include 28 Games in Five Days and College GameDay from Atlanta as Part of Dick’s Sporting Goods Kickoff Week
ESPN will kick off the 2009 college football season with the second annual Dick’s Sporting Goods Kickoff Week (Thursday, Sept. 3 to Monday, Sept. 7), featuring extensive studio programming and 28 games over Labor Day weekend, including Labor Day, across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Classic, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and SportsCenter.
As part of Kickoff Week, ESPN will provide extensive studio coverage, including College GameDay Built by The Home Depot originating from Atlanta – site of the ABC Saturday Night Football telecast pitting #5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game Presented by Southwest Airlines Sept. 5 at 8 p.m.
- College GameDay, entering its 23rd season, will air every Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN during the college football season beginning Sept. 5. This year will mark the 16th consecutive year College GameDay will consistently originate from the site of one of the day’s best games or most compelling storylines. Chris Fowler will return as host for his 20th season with analysts Lee Corso, who has been affiliated with the show since the first year, Kirk Herbstreit, who joined in 1996, and Desmond Howard, entering his fourth season.
The first week of game coverage will feature 28 telecasts in five days across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV. In addition to #5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech, highlights include:
- The Pac-10’s #16 Oregon will look to avenge a 37-32 loss last year against defending WAC champion #14 Boise State, which finished the regular-season undefeated, Thursday, Sept. 3, at 10:15 p.m. on ESPN.
- ESPN will televise the first college football game from Dallas’ new Cowboys Stadium pitting #20 BYU against #3 Oklahoma on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. BYU won the only meeting between the perennial powers 31-6 in the 1994 Copper Bowl.
- An ABC telecast Saturday, Sept. 5, at 3:30 p.m. will feature a #13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State. Georgia, 34-3 against non-conference opponents with head coach Mark Richt, will open against a top-10 ranked team for the first time since 1967. Oklahoma State has won 15 straight non-conference games at Boone Pickens Stadium.
- The fifth annual The MEAC/SWAC Challenge from Orlando will pit MEAC defending champion South Carolina State against 2008 SWAC title winner Grambling State for the first time since 1994 on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. on ESPN2.
- A special Monday night college football telecast (one week before ESPN’s Monday Night Football kickoff) will feature Miami at #18 Florida State on Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. on ESPN. It will mark the first time the intrastate ACC rivals have played on Labor Day since 2006, which was ESPN’s most-viewed college football game ever – regular and postseason – with 6,330,000 households (based on a 6.9 rating).
- Other ranked teams in action include:
- #6 Ohio State against Navy Saturday, Sept. 5, at noon on ESPN;
- #8 Mississippi at Memphis Sunday, Sept. 6, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN;
- #11 LSU at Washington Saturday, Sept. 5, at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN;
- #12 California against Maryland Saturday, Sept. 5, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2;
- #15 Georgia Tech against Jacksonville State Saturday, Sept. 5, at 1 p.m. on ESPN360.com;
- #21 North Carolina against The Citadel Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m. on ESPN360.com.
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Game / Commentators |
Network |
|
Thu, Sep 3 |
7 p.m. |
South Carolina at N.C. State Sean McDonough, Craig James, Jesse Palmer and Erin Andrews |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
7:30 p.m. |
North Texas at Ball State Charlie Neal and Jay Walker |
ESPNU |
|
|
10:15 p.m. |
#16 Oregon at #14 Boise State Mark Jones, Bob Davie and Heather Cox |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
|
Fri, Sep 4 |
8 p.m. |
Tulsa at Tulane Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
Sat, Sep 5 |
noon |
Navy at #6 Ohio State Dave Pasch, Chris Spielman and Bob Griese |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
noon |
Minnesota at Syracuse Pam Ward and Ray Bentley |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
|
|
noon |
Kentucky vs. Miami (Ohio) [From Cincinnati] Clay Matvick and David Diaz-Infante |
ESPNU |
|
|
1 p.m. |
Jacksonville State at #15 Georgia Tech Frank Giardina and Doug Chapman |
ESPN360.com |
|
|
2 p.m. |
Northeastern at Boston College Dave Popkin and Jon Ritchie |
ESPN360.com |
|
|
3:30 p.m. |
#13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State * Sean McDonough, Matt Millen and Holly Rowe |
ABC / ESPN360.com |
|
|
Western Michigan at Michigan * Mike Patrick, Craig James and Quint Kessenich |
ABC / ESPN360.com |
||
|
Baylor at Wake Forest Dave Lamont and JC Pearson |
ABC / ESPN360.com |
||
|
3:30 p.m. |
Reverse Mirror of ABC * |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
|
|
3:30 p.m. |
Jackson State at Mississippi State Todd Harris and Charles Arbuckle |
ESPNU |
|
|
3:30 p.m. |
Missouri vs. Illinois Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
|
6 p.m. |
Middle Tennessee at Clemson Ryan Rose and Danny Kanell |
ESPN360.com |
|
|
6 p.m. |
William & Mary at Virginia Jim Barbar and Sonny Randle |
ESPN360.com |
|
|
6 p.m. |
The Citadel at #21 North Carolina Bob Picozzi and Paul Maguire |
ESPN360.com |
|
|
7 p.m. |
Dick’s Sporting Goods Cowboys Classic Presented By Hampton Hotels: #20 BYU vs. #3 Oklahoma (From Cowboys Stadium) Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Heather Cox |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Radio / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
|
7 p.m. |
Louisiana Tech at Auburn Eric Collins, Brock Huard and Beth Mowins |
ESPNU |
|
|
7 p.m. |
Connecticut at Ohio Michael Reghi and Jerod Cherry |
ESPN360.com |
|
|
8 p.m. |
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Presented By Southwest Airlines: #5 Alabama vs. #7 Virginia Tech (from Atlanta) Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters |
ABC / ESPN Radio |
|
|
10 p.m. |
Maryland at #12 California Terry Gannon and David Norrie |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
|
|
10:30 p.m. |
#11 LSU at Washington Mark Jones and Bob Davie |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
|
10:30 p.m. |
Prairie View A&M at Texas Southern ^ Carter Blackburn and Eddie Robinson, Jr. |
ESPNU |
|
|
Sun, Sep 6 |
2 p.m. |
Grambling State vs. South Carolina St. (from Orlando, The MEAC•SWAC Challenge) Charlie Neal and Jay Walker |
ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
|
3:30 p.m. |
#8 Mississippi at Memphis Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
|
Mon, Sep 7 |
4 p.m. |
Cincinnati at Rutgers Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
|
8 p.m. |
Miami at #18 Florida State Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Erin Andrews |
ESPN / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile TV |
* Reverse mirror in which ESPN or ESPN2 will regionalize two games on ABC to markets no receiving the telecast
^ Same-day delay
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