- Late Afternoon: No. 8 Miami, No. 14 Virginia Tech and No. 18 Michigan State all Hosting Conference Foes
- Ranked Teams in Each Game Window on Saturday
- Andre Ware as Game Analyst for No. 25 Memphis at Houston
ESPN’s networks week 8 college football schedule features more than 10 ranked teams in pivotal conference matchups as teams reach and surpass the midpoint of the 2017 season. The industry-leading slate will be highlighted by a ranked matchup of Big Ten rivals on ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Walmart.
ABC’s Saturday Night Football: No. 19 Michigan at No. 2 Penn State
ABC’s Saturday Night Football features No. 19 Michigan at No. 2 Penn State (7:30 p.m.), as the Nittany Lions welcome the Wolverines into Beaver Stadium for their traditional white out game. Last season, Penn State upset then-ranked No. 2 Ohio State on SNF in the white out game, propelling the Nittany Lions to finish the regular season with nine consecutive wins, a Big Ten Championship and an appearance in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual. After starting this season 6-0, the Nittany Lions have earned their highest AP Poll ranking since 1999.
The Wolverines were the last Big Ten team to defeat Penn State, dating back to September 2016, and have won the last three matchups in the series. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Tom Rinaldi, and Maria Taylor will call the game from State College, Pa., Earlier in the day, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will broadcast live from Penn State for the first time since 2009 (9 a.m. – noon p.m.).
Late Afternoon: No. 8 Miami, No. 14 Virginia Tech and No. 18 Michigan State Each Hosting Conference Opponents
ESPN’s networks 3:30 p.m. game windows are highlighted by three ranked teams at home in important conference matchups: Indiana at No. 18 Michigan State (ABC), Syracuse at No. 8 Miami (ESPN) and North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia Tech (ESPN2).
The Hurricanes are back in the Top 10, after starting the season 5-0, including 3-0 in the ACC. Syracuse is looking for its second major upset in consecutive weeks as the Orange knocked off then-No. 2 Clemson last week. Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams will be in Miami Gardens, Fla., for the call.
The Spartans return home after back-to-back road Big Ten wins, which puts them at 3-0 in conference play this season. The Hoosiers, coming off an overtime loss to Michigan, will be looking for an upset. Dave Flemming, Greg McElroy, and Tom Luginbill will be in East Lansing, Mich., for the game.
The Hokies are 5-1 on the season, but are just 1-1 in the ACC. North Carolina looks for its first conference victory of the season. Mike Patrick, Tommy Tuberville, and Paul Carcaterra will be in Blacksburg, Va.
Ranked Teams in Every Game Window
ESPN’s networks schedule is peppered with ranked teams throughout Saturday, October 21. No. 10 Oklahoma State at Texas (noon, ABC) begins the day and leads into the aforementioned late afternoon slate. In addition to the marquee SNF matchup, three other ranked teams will be in prime-time on ESPN’s networks: No. 16 South Florida at Tulane (7 p.m., ESPN2), No. 24 LSU at Ole Miss (7:15 p.m., ESPN), and No. 21 Auburn at Arkansas (7:30 p.m., SEC Network). No. 15 Washington State hosting Colorado concludes the day (10:45 p.m., ESPN).
ESPN will also feature a rank team on Thursday, Oct. 19, as No. 25 Memphis is at Houston. Former Cougar Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware will be the analyst on the matchup, joining Dave Flemming and Laura Rutledge.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Thu, Oct 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Louisiana at Arkansas State Mark Neely, Ray Bentley |
ESPNU |
| 8 p.m. | No. 25 Memphis at Houston Dave Flemming, Andre Ware, Laura Rutledge |
ESPN | |
| Fri, Oct 20 | 7 p.m. | Marshall at Middle TennesseeDave Lamont, Mack Brown, Julie Stewart-Binks | ESPN2 |
| 10:15 p.m. | Colorado State at New Mexico Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath |
ESPN2 | |
| Sat, Oct 21 | Noon | No. 10 Oklahoma State at Texas Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay |
ABC |
| Louisville at Florida State TV: Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint KessenichRadio:Bill Rowsinski, David Norrie, Ian Fitzsimmons |
ESPN & ESPN Radio | ||
| Iowa at NorthwesternJason Benetti, Kelly Stouffer, Kris Budden | ESPN2 | ||
| Tulsa at Connecticut Mike Couzens, John Congemi |
ESPNU | ||
| Idaho at Missouri Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport |
SEC Network | ||
| Akron at Toledo | ESPN3 | ||
| St. Francis (PA) at Duquesne | ESPN3 | ||
| William Penn at Peru State | ESPN3 | ||
| San Diego at Jacksonville | ESPN3 | ||
| 12:20 p.m. | Pittsburgh at Duke | ACC Network Extra | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Boston College at Virginia | ACC Network Extra | |
| 1 p.m. | Grand Valley State at Ferris State | ESPN3 | |
| Liberty at Monmouth | ESPN3 | ||
| Bethune-Cookman at North Carolina A&T | ESPN3 | ||
| Morgan State at Howard | ESPN3 | ||
| 1:30 p.m. | Mercer at Furman | ESPN3 | |
| Western Carolina at VMI | ESPN3 | ||
| Samford at Wofford | ESPN3 | ||
| 2 p.m. | Northern Illinois at Bowling GreenMichael Reghi, Jerod Cherry | ESPN3 | |
| Kent State at Ohio Dave Weekley, John Gregory |
ESPN3 | ||
| Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan Dan Gutowsky, Marcus Ray |
ESPN3 | ||
| Troy at Georgia State Matt Stewart, Wayne Gandy |
ESPN3 | ||
| West Alabama at Florida Tech | ESPN3 | ||
| Youngstown State at Northern Iowa | ESPN3 | ||
| The Citadel at Chattanooga | ESPN3 | ||
| Albany State at Clark Atlanta | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:30 p.m. | Buffalo at Miami (Ohio) Doug Sherman, Tyoka Jackson |
ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Central Michigan at Ball State Jim Barbar, Hutson Mason |
ESPN3 | |
| Jacksonville State at Eastern Illinois | ESPN3 | ||
| South Dakota at Illinois State | ESPN3 | ||
| South Dakota State at Missouri State | ESPN3 | ||
| 3:30 p.m. | Indiana at No. 18 Michigan State Dave Flemming, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill |
ABC | |
| Syracuse at No. 8 Miami Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams |
ESPN | ||
| North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia TechMike Patrick, Tommy Tuberville, Paul Carcaterra | ESPN2 | ||
| Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State | ESPN3 | ||
| Western Illinois at North Dakota State | ESPN3 | ||
| 4 p.m. | SMU at Cincinnati Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia |
ESPNU | |
| Kentucky at Mississippi State Taylor Zarzour, Andre Ware, Olivia Harlan |
SEC Network | ||
| Southern Illinois at Indiana State | ESPN3 | ||
| Houston Baptist at Stephen F. Austin | ESPN3 | ||
| Lamar at Sam Houston State | ESPN3 | ||
| Bloomsburg at East Stroudsburg | ESPN3 | ||
| 5 p.m. | North Texas at Florida Atlantic | ESPN3 | |
| Louisiana-Monroe at South Alabama Brock Bowling, Watson Brown |
ESPN3 | ||
| 7 p.m. | Gardner-Webb at Kennesaw State | ESPN3 | |
| No. 16 South Florida at Tulane Clay Matvick, Kirk Morrison |
ESPN2 | ||
| 7:15 p.m. | No. 24 LSU at Ole Miss Joe Tessitore, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe |
ESPN | |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 19 Michigan at No. 2 Penn State Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Tom Rinaldi, Maria Taylor |
ABC | |
| Wake Forest at Georgia Tech Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks, Roddy Jones |
ESPNU | ||
| No. 21 Auburn at Arkansas Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic |
SEC Network | ||
| 8 p.m. | Tarleton State at Texas A&M-Kingsville | ESPN3 | |
| 10:15 p.m. | Wyoming at Boise State Roy Philpott, Tom Ramsey |
ESPN2 | |
| 10:45 p.m. | Colorado at No. 15 Washington State Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman |
ESPN |
Please note: Note all ESPN3 and ACC Network Games are Exclusive
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