There was a time not that long ago when broadcast times and kickoffs for college football games were decided a week, maybe two, before the game. That was when networks were waiting to see how schools played before they used their turn in the rotation to select their game of the week. Times have changed throughout the sport. Now, in mid-May, the ACC is announcing game times for the first week of the season.
ESPN had its annual Ad Sales Up Front this week. As part of its presentation to the national advertising agencies, the network announced the Labor Day weekend schedule and the start of the college football season.
Labor Day Weekend Schedule
The Long Weekend
Georgia Tech is playing at Colorado on Friday, August 29th. ESPN is showing the game at 8 pm Eastern. It will be the first meeting ever between the schools, making it one of the more intriguing match-ups of the opening weekend.
Saturday
Saturday, August 30th, brings us three ACC out-of-conference headline games. Syracuse plays Tennessee in Atlanta in the Aflac Kickoff Game at noon Eastern. The Orange play four teams that reached the College Football Playoff last year. Both teams will also be breaking in new quarterbacks.
At 3:30 pm that Saturday, ESPN is showing Alabama at Florida State. Tide fans are still burning over being left out of the first expanded playoff last year. And no coach needs a reformation more than Florida State’s Mike Norvell.
Saturday prime time (7:30 pm Eastern), ABC has the marquee match-up of the day. LSU leaves Death Valley to travel to Death Valley and play the Clemson Tigers. In a group that likes to tout itself as the conference of quarterbacks, Clemson is one of the few teams that has a veteran returning starter.
Two on Sunday
Sunday has two games. There is another Aflac Kickoff Game (originality not withstanding). Atlanta is hosting Virginia Tech versus South Carolina.
Sunday night, ABC has a renewal of one of the epic rivalries of the 1980s and 90s. Notre Dame travels to Miami Gardens to play the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. It’s another match-up with two teams putting out new quarterbacks. Miami will have Georgia transfer Carson Beck. Notre Dame had Riley Leonard go the NFL and Steve Angeli transfer to Syracuse. So, the Irish will go into Fall camp with a quarterback competition.
The Belichick Debut
Monday/Labor Day caps off the long opening weekend with a game of great curiosity. TCU opens the season at North Carolina at 8 pm Eastern on ESPN. In case you hadn’t heard, the Tar Heels have a new head coach.
Main Image: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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