ESPN College Sports Update – Oct. 9

Rachel Margolis Siegal

October 9, 2012

ABC Saturday Night Football Wins the Night among All Networks
The October 6 ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Windows broadcast – a 63-38 Ohio State victory over Nebraska – was the highest-rated and most-viewed program of the night across all of television. The Big Ten matchup averaged a 3.1 rating, 5,161,000 viewers and 3,561,000 households. Ohio had the top three metered markets for the telecast led by Columbus with a 40.9 rating followed by Cleveland (19.9 rating) and Dayton (19.7 rating). Tulsa and Cincinnati were tied for the fourth highest-rated markets with a 6.6 rating.

ESPN also posted strong audience numbers for its Saturday night SEC and Pac-12 doubleheader. The first game at 7 p.m. ET – South Carolina defeating Georgia 35-7 – averaged a 2.7 coverage rating, 4,015,000 viewers and 2,667,000 households. The telecast at 10:30 p.m. – a 52-21 Oregon victory over Washington – averaged a 2.0 coverage rating, 2,514,000 viewers and 1,939,000 households.

Birmingham was the top market for ESPN’s Georgia at South Carolina telecast with a 19.3 metered market rating, followed by Greenville (17.2 rating), Atlanta (16.6 rating), Knoxville (11.3 rating), Charlotte (8.5 rating) and Jacksonville (7.9 rating). Portland, with a 16.5 rating, was the top market for Washington at Oregon followed by Seattle (10.0 rating), Birmingham (7.7 rating), Greenville (4.6 rating) and Las Vegas (4.3 rating).

ESPNU All-Access: Louisiana-Monroe & Road Trippin’ in Columbia, S.C.
For the first time, ESPNU All-Access will take viewers inside the Louisiana-Monroe football program – airing Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m. & 10:30 p.m. To start the year, ULM upset previously top-10 ranked Arkansas and then nearly beat Auburn and Baylor in the following weeks. The team’s on-the-field performance has garnered national attention and All-Access shows a rare glimpse into the team’s meetings and workouts as they prepare for their Sun Belt Conference opener against Middle Tennessee. Plus, coaches are wired at practice and senior quarterback Cody Wells gives viewers a tour of campus.

ESPNU Road Trip follows on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. & 11 p.m. with a look back at the SEC tailgating scene from Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, Oct. 6, when the Gamecocks beat the Georgia Bulldogs 35-7.

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ESPN College Football Schedule Includes Three Games between Ranked Teams
ESPN’s college football schedule this week will be highlighted by telecasts of three of the four matchups between ranked teams, all on Saturday, Oct. 13:

No. 3 South Carolina at No. 9 LSU (8 p.m. ET on ESPN);
Red River Rivalry pitting No. 15 Texas vs. No. 13 Oklahoma from Dallas (noon on ABC);
No. 22 Texas A&M vs. No. 23 Louisiana Tech from Shreveport, a game postponed from opening weekend due to weather (9 p.m. on ESPNU).

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Recruiting: South Carolina High School Matchup
No. 23 (from the ESPN 25 Power Rankings) Goose Creek will host in-state rival Cane Bay Friday, at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. Defending state champion Goose Creek will feature multiple college recruits, including ESPN 150 No. 42 Tramel Terry, who has committed to Georgia.

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BCS Countdown Begins with Preview Show Sunday

ESPN’s BCS Countdown, a weekly BCS discussion and analysis show will release the first Standings Sunday, Oct. 14. Hosted by Rece Davis, BCS Countdown will air weekly at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and 9 p.m. on ESPNU with a variety of analysts, including Jesse Palmer and David Pollack in studio and Kirk Herbstreit via satellite.

Weekly Highlights:

Breakdown each team’s position and the analysts own selections
Focus on which teams which have the toughest road to the Discover BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio)
Emphasis on which teams have the best opportunity to move up in standings
Debate on the BCS Standings and analysis of the top team’s resumes
Possible interviews with coaches positioned in the BCS Standings

The nine-week show will conclude on the final weekend of the regular season, Sunday, Dec. 2, with The Discover Card BCS Selection Show at 8:30 p.m., followed by the College Football Bowl Selection Special Presented by Chevrolet at 9 p.m

ESPN.com: One-Stop Shopping for College Football Coverage
Week 7 of ESPN.com’s weekly comprehensive content includes exploring the top rivalries, hot button topics and much more!

Monday

Tuesday

Gene Wojciechowski’s Big Man On Campus: This week’s BMOC looks at Manti Te’o’s faith, Auburn’s crash, examines what is trending up and down, and more.

Wednesday

Chris Low: Les Miles and Steve Spurrier break the mold of football coaches, but both have been wildly successful in different ways.
Mike DiRocco: Running back Mike Gillislee just wants to be left alone. He’s Florida’s best player, is working his way into the Heisman race and he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Thursday

GameDay Kickoff gets you ready for Week 7 with predictions, what to watch, Rece Davis’ take and more.

Friday

Edward Aschoff: Florida’s win over LSU was good for the league as a whole because it provides the SEC with another storyline outside of Alabama-LSU.
Chris Low: South Carolina has won 10 straight games dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the SEC, and now sits No. 3 in the polls, its highest ranking in more than 25 years. How has this meteoric rise come about for a program that once gave new meaning to being mediocre?

All Aboard: College GameDay Going to Notre Dame

Photo Tour: A Look Inside College GameDay before Georgia-USC

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