• 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.

Please note:  Note all ESPN3 and ACC Network Games are Exclusive

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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; [email protected] and @DerekVolner