2012 College Football Season Kicks off Thursday
ESPN will kick off the 2012 college football season with 46 games in five days across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, Longhorn Network and ESPN Radio as part of the fifth annualKickoff Week August 30 to September 3. The season will conclude with all five post-season Bowl Championship Series bowls, highlighted by the BCS National Championship Game Jan. 7, at 8:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio.
This season’s Labor Day weekend season kickoff celebration will showcase 16 teams in the Associated Press poll highlighted by eight of the top 10. The weekend coverage will conclude with Georgia Tech at No. 16 Virginia Tech in a Labor Day telecast Monday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Goal Line & WatchESPN
For the third consecutive season, the ESPN Goal Line network will offer unlimited live cut-ins and highlights from numerous top college football games every Saturday beginning at noon. Goal Line is currently available to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast and Midcontinent Communications customers. The season will kick off with a special edition of Goal Line on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. ESPNU will simulcast Goal Line Thursday, Aug. 30 from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Viewers can also watch live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Goal Line game action online at WatchESPN.com or on smart phones and tablets through the WatchESPN app. The service – available to customers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV and Comcast Xfinity TV – gives fans the ability to watch ESPN’s live networks, no matter where they are.
Schedule highlights
- The season will kick off with ESPN doubleheader: No. 9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. followed by Washington State, led by new head coach Mike Leach, at BYU at 10:15 p.m.
- ESPN3 will offer exclusive coverage of 15 games and 25 games overall.
- Saturday Night Football on ABC, the first primetime weekly college football series on broadcast television, will kick off with No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 2 Alabama. The Cowboys Classic matchup from Dallas Cowboys stadium Arlington, Texas will begin at 8 p.m.
- ESPN’s weekly Friday night series will kick off with No. 24 Boise State at No. 13 Michigan State in a showdown between Mountain West and Big Ten teams at 8 p.m.
- Overall, the weekend will include 16 teams from the AP preseason poll. Additional teams include:
- No. 1 USC against Hawaii Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Radio
- No. 3 LSU against North Texas Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPNU
- No. 5 Oregon against Arkansas State Saturday, Sept. 1, at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 6 Georgia against Buffalo Saturday, Sept. 1, at noon on ESPN3 and the SEC Network
- No. 7 Florida State against Murray State Saturday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. on ESPN3
- No. 9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 10 Arkansas against Jacksonville State Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPN3
- No. 14 Clemson vs. Auburn from Atlanta in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 15 Texas against Wyoming Saturday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. on Longhorn Network
- No. 16 Virginia Tech against Georgia Tech Monday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 17 Nebraska against Southern Mississippi Saturday, Sept. 1, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN2
- No. 23 Florida against Bowling Green Saturday, Sept. 1, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 25 Louisville against Kentucky Sunday, Sept. 2, at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
2012 Season
With the addition of games from the Mountain West Conference, ESPN will be the only network to televise home games from all 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and BYU. ESPN will also televise road games featuring Notre Dame, Navy and Army.
The 2012 college football season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN GamePlan will total more than 450 regular-and post-season games, concluding with the entire Bowl Championship Series, highlighted by the National Championship Game, on ESPN. The schedule will include weekly Saturday night games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, weekly ESPN and ESPNU Thursday night contests and telecasts every Friday.
ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN 3D, Longhorn Network and ESPN Radio Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Network |
| Thu, Aug 30 | 7 p.m. | No. 9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, David Pollack & Samantha Steele |
ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Central Florida at Akron Keith Morehouse & Jerod Cherry |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Eastern Michigan at Ball State Jim Barbar & Rocky Boiman |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Southeast Missouri State at Central Michigan Dan Gutowsky & Bob Chmeil |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | ESPN Goal Line simulcast | ESPNU | |
| 7:30 p.m. | McNeese State at Middle Tennessee State | ESPN3 | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Massachusetts at Connecticut Bob Picozzi & David Diaz-Infante |
ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network | |
| 8 p.m. | Sacramento State at New Mexico State | ESPN3 * | |
| 8 p.m. | Southern Utah at Utah State | ESPN3 * | |
| 9 p.m. | Eastern Washington at Idaho Trey Bender & Jay Taylor |
ESPN3 | |
| 10:15 p.m. | Washington State at BYU Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shannon Spake |
ESPN | |
| Fri, Aug 31 | 7 p.m. | Villanova at Temple Scott Graham, John Bunting & Cat Whitehill |
ESPN3 |
| 7:30 p.m. | Kickoff Game: NC State vs. Tennessee (Atlanta) ESPNU: Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Holly Rowe Radio: Bill Rosinski, David Norrie, and Joe Schad |
ESPNU & ESPN Radio | |
| 8 p.m. | No. 24 Boise State at No. 13 Michigan State Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill |
ESPN | |
| 8 p.m. | Wagner at Florida Atlantic Jared Schwartz & Forrest Conoly |
ESPN3 | |
| Sat, Sep 1 | Noon | Ohio at Penn State Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Rinaldi & Mark Schwartz |
ESPN & ESPN 3D |
| Noon | Northwestern at Syracuse Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway & Jenn Brown |
ESPN2 | |
| Noon | Western Michigan at Illinois Anish Shroff & Dan Hawkins |
ESPNU | |
| Noon | Buffalo at No. 6 Georgia Dave Neal, Andre Ware & Cara Capuano |
ESPN3 & SEC Network | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Elon at North Carolina | ESPN3 * & ACC Network | |
| 2 p.m. | Texas San Antonio at South Alabama Jonathon Yardley & Cole Cubilic |
ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | William & Mary at Maryland John Sadak, Cory Chavous & Beth McDade |
ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Richmond at Virginia | ESPN3 * & ACC Network | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Southern Mississippi at No. 17 Nebraska Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham & Jeannine Edwards |
ABC & ESPN2 ** | |
| Miami at Boston College Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell & Maria Taylor |
ABC & ESPN2 ** | ||
| 3:30 p.m. | Bowling Green at No. 23 Florida Mark Jones, Brock Huard & Jessica Mendoza |
ESPN | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Iowa vs. Northern Illinois (from Solider Field – Chicago) Tom Hart & John Congemi |
ESPNU | |
| 6 p.m. | Youngstown State at Pittsburgh Bob Picozzi, Ralph Freidgen & Rotina McCann |
ESPN3 | |
| 6 p.m. | Murray State at No. 7 Florida State Shawn Kenney& Rene Ingoglia |
ESPN3 | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Liberty at Wake Forest Ryan Rose & Stan Lewter |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Kickoff Game: No. 14 Clemson vs. Auburn (Atlanta) Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge & Holly Rowe |
ESPN | |
| 7 p.m. | North Texas at No. 3 LSU Clay Matvick, Matt Stinchcomb & Allison Williams |
ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Florida International at Duke Darren Goldwater, John Gregory & Angela Mallen |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Tennessee-Chattanooga at South Florida Dave Weekley, Warrick Dunn & Tiffany Greene |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Austin Peay at Western Kentucky Dan Gutowsky & Doug Graber |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Jackson State at Mississippi State | ESPN3 * & RSN | |
| 7 p.m. | Central Arkansas at Mississippi | ESPN3 * & PPV | |
| 7 p.m. | Jacksonville State at No. 10 Arkansas | ESPN3 * & PPV | |
| 7 p.m. | Southeastern Louisiana at Missouri | ESPN3 * & PPV | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Hawaii at No. 1 USC Rich Cellini, John Mackovic, and Brett McMurphy |
ESPN Radio | |
| 8 p.m. | Cowboys Classic: No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 2 Alabama (Arlington, Texas) Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox |
ABC & ESPN Radio | |
| 8 p.m. | Wyoming at No. 15 Texas Mark Neely, Ray Bentle7 & Kaylee Hartung |
Longhorn Network | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Arkansas State at No. 5 Oregon Joe Tessitore, Matt Millen & Shelley Smith |
ESPN | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Toledo at Arizona Joe Davis & Mike Bellotti |
ESPNU | |
| Sun, Sep 2 | Noon | MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Bethune-Cookman vs. Alabama State (from Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium – Orlando) Dave Lamont, Jay Walker & Paul Carcaterra
|
ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | Kentucky at No. 25 Louisville Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore & Jemele Hill |
ESPN | |
| Mon, Sep 3 | 8 p.m. | Georgia Tech at No. 16 Virginia Tech Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman & Quint Kessenich |
ESPN |
* Local blackout may apply
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