ESPN Adds More Marquee Games to Early Season College Football Slate; Features Best Matchups Along with Deepest, Most Diverse Schedule in the Industry

With the addition of Alabama and Georgia’s season opener, a series of marquee non-conference games, and high-impact conference showdowns from across all 10 FBS conferences, a dynamic early season college football slate is now solidified across ESPN’s networks and streaming platforms. Today’s announcement completes a multi-staged 2019 schedule rollout which began in March and will now serve as the foundation for ESPN’s season-long, multiplatform college football 150th anniversary endeavor.

Fans will have even more options to watch college football games this season with the launch of the ACC Network and the debut of a new Big 12 offering on ESPN+. Across all its networks, ESPN will carry approximately 1,000 regular season games, leading into a 35-game bowl schedule which includes the exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff Semifinals. ESPN concludes the season with the CFP National Championship at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, January 13.


ESPN’s Networks 2019 College Football Slate
Please note: All games are on Saturday unless identified

Kickoff Week:
ESPN’s Signature Five-Day Season Beginning Celebration Returns
ESPN’s complete Kickoff Week schedule will feature more than 45 games across five days (Aug. 29 – Sept. 2), including the season debut of ABC’s Saturday Night Football (Oregon vs. Auburn), ABC’s Sunday night primetime Kickoff Week presentation (Houston at Oklahoma) and ESPN’s Labor Day Night matchup (Notre Dame at Louisville) which have all been previously announced.

Today, Alabama and Georgia’s season opener, a never-seen-before matchup, rivalry games and more has been added to ESPN’s networks Kickoff Week slate.

ESPN will begin Kickoff Week with UCLA at Cincinnati (7 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 29 and ABC will begin its tripleheader on the season’s first Saturday with Ole Miss at Memphis (noon).

ESPN+ is Home to Select Big 12 Games; Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Platform Begins Second Season with More than 20 Games in First Week; Expected to Carry More than 300 Games this Season from 12 Conferences
ESPN+ begins its second college football season with more than 20 games in the season’s first week, including Baylor hosting Stephen F. Austin (7 p.m.) and Kansas State welcoming in Nicholls (7 p.m.) The two Big 12 games are the conference’s first on the service and a result of an enhanced comprehensive rights agreement announced in April. On the same day, Syracuse at Liberty (6 p.m.) will be streamed. Overall, ESPN+ is expected to carry north of 300 games this season from 12 conferences, including the Big 12, C-USA, MAC, Sun Belt and multiple FCS conferences, with its games confirmed later this summer.

College Football Playoff National Champions Showcased on ACC Network’s First Football Game
The College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers will begin their season by playing in ACC Network’s first football telecast when they host Georgia Tech (8 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 29. The ACC matchup will be the first of five matchups for ACC Network in week 1, with a total of 14 games on network in the season’s first three weeks, as announced earlier this month.

SEC Network Opens the Season in College Station, Texas; Features Georgia on Kickoff Saturday in Prime-Time
SEC Network will begin its sixth college football season with Texas A&M hosting Texas State (8:30 p.m.) on Thursday, Aug. 29, beginning a season opening week where the network carries four games including Georgia at Vanderbilt (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday. Overall, the network will have a comprehensive slate each week of the season, with more details here.

Longhorn Network to Carry Texas’ Season Opener
Longhorn Network will televise Texas’ season opener against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, August 31 (8 p.m.), kicking off a 2019 campaign following a 2018 season that saw the Longhorns take home the Allstate Sugar Bowl trophy. More details on the network’s plans can be found here.

Week 0
Miami vs. Florida Begins ESPN’s FBS Season with Special ESPN CFB 150 Game
ESPN’s first FBS game of the season will feature Miami vs. Florida (7 p.m.) in the Camping World Kickoff in a special week 0 game on Saturday, Aug. 24, which was announced back in early March. The game will highlight a tent pole day of ESPN CFB 150 content, which also includes the 2019 Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff between Samford and Youngstown State (3 p.m.) on ESPN and ESPN CFB150 opening documentary (Time TBD). Additional programming schedule to be announced in the coming weeks.

Week 2
High Octane, Potential Top 10 Non-Conference Matchups Fuel the Slate
Back-to-back potential top 10 matchups on ABC highlight the season’s second full week, as Texas A&M at Clemson (3:30 p.m.)  leads into LSU at Texas (7:30 p.m.), with the latter airing on Saturday Night Football. The Aggies-Tigers matchup is a rematch from last year’s 28-26 Clemson victory in College Station, Texas, and will be the sixth matchup overall between the teams. For LSU, the non-conference game will be their first visit to Austin since 1954 and is just the third meeting between the two schools since Texas’ victory on that date.  Additional highlights:

Week 3
Clemson Makes Season’s Debut on Saturday Night Football; 100th Meeting Between Pitt and Penn State
The Clemson Tigers will be showcased on ABC’s Saturday Night Football for the first time in week 3, as they travel to Syracuse (7:30 p.m.) – the site of the national champions last regular season loss. For the Orange, the marquee ACC game will be the first time they have hosted the signature television franchise at the Carrier Dome. Additional highlights:

ESPN Locks in Marquee Games Including Michigan State at Ohio State and Notre Dame at Michigan; Continues to Air Comprehensive Mid-Week Slate
In addition to the first three weeks, ESPN has locked in a number of marquee games for the remainder of the season. This includes its patented slate of midweek games. Highlights include:

Week 4

Saturday, Sept. 21

Week 6

Friday, Oct. 4

Saturday, Oct. 5

Week 7

Saturday, Oct. 12


Week 9 

Saturday, Oct. 26

 

Week 11

Wednesday, Nov. 6 – College Football’s 150th Anniversary

Saturday, Nov. 9

 

Rivalry Week

      Thanksgiving Night

Friday, Nov. 29

Saturday, Nov. 30

A complete list of games is provided at the bottom of the release. All games Saturday unless noted   

MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt Games Added to Conference Championship Slate; Total of Eight Games
ESPN has confirmed the MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt Championship, and SWAC games will once again be on its networks, with the MAC and Sun Belt slated for noon Saturday, Dec. 7, (ESPN or ESPN2) leading into the Mountain West Championship (ESPN) and SWAC (ESPNU) at 4 p.m. and  The American Conference Championship is now slated for 3:30 p.m. (ABC) on the same day.

In addition to the American, ABC will televise the Pac-12 Championship on Friday, Dec. 6 (8 p.m.) and then the ACC and the Big 12 on Saturday, Dec. 7. The latter two game times will be announced at a later date.

Documentaries, Weekly Series, and Naming of Sport’s Greatest Coaches, Games, Players, and Teams Anchor ESPN CFB 150 Initiative
Throughout the 2019 season, ESPN will embark on a year-long, multi-platform storytelling experience celebrating college football’s 150th anniversary, which has already begun on ESPN.com and will ramp up on August 17. Announced last fall, key elements include two weekly documentary series, three documentaries, 150 personal stories, weekly themes, and the naming of the sports All-Time All America team and its greatest coaches, games, players and teams. Details have been rolled out over the course of the last year and more announcements will come this summer.

College Football Slate for ESPN’s Networks

Date Time (ET) Matchup Network
Sat, Aug 24 3 p.m. 2019 Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff: Samford vs. Youngstown State ESPN
  7 p.m. 2019 Camping World Kickoff: Miami vs. Florida from Orlando ESPN
Thur, Aug. 29 7 p.m. UCLA at Cincinnati ESPN
  Robert Morris at Buffalo ESPN+
  Morgan State at Bowling Green ESPN3
  Albany at Central Michigan ESPN3
  Wagner at Connecticut ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. Gardner-Webb at Charlotte ESPN+
  Central Arkansas at Western Kentucky ESPN+
  8 p.m. Georgia Tech at Clemson ACC Network
  Alabama State at UAB ESPN+
  Florida International at Tulane ESPN3
  8:30 p.m. Texas State at. Texas A&M SEC Network
  10:15 p.m. Utah at BYU ESPN
Fri, Aug. 30 7 p.m. Wisconsin at South Florida ESPN
  8 p.m. Utah State at Wake Forest ACC Network
  10 p.m. Colorado State vs. Colorado from Denver ESPN
Sat, Aug. 31 Noon Ole Miss at Memphis ABC
  South Alabama at Nebraska ESPN
  Mississippi State vs. Louisiana from New Orleans ESPNU
  East Carolina at NC State ACC Network
  Toledo at Kentucky SEC Network
  2 p.m. Rhode Island at Ohio ESPN+
  3 p.m. Bucknell at Temple ESPN3
  3:30 p.m. 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff: Duke vs. Alabama from Atlanta ABC
  2019 Belk Kickoff: South Carolina vs. North Carolina from Charlotte ESPN
  Georgia State at Tennessee ESPNU
  East Tennessee State at Appalachian State ESPN+
  Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina ESPN+
  4 p.m. Virginia Tech at Boston College ACC Network
  Portland State at Arkansas SEC Network
  6 p.m. Syracuse at Liberty ESPN+
  Campbell at Troy ESPN+
  Incarnate Word at UTSA ESPN3
  7 p.m. Boise State vs. Florida State from Jacksonville ESPN
  Stephen F. Austin at Baylor ESPN+
  Nicholls at Kansas State ESPN+
  SMU at Arkansas State ESPN+
  Alcorn State at Southern Miss ESPN+
  Illinois State at Northern Illinois ESPN+
  Monmouth at Western Michigan ESPN3
  Norfolk State at Old Dominion ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. Oregon vs. Auburn from Arlington ABC
  Georgia Southern at LSU ESPNU
  Virginia at Pittsburgh ACC Network
  Georgia at Vanderbilt SEC Network
  Abilene Christian at North Texas ESPN+
  8 p.m. Houston Baptist at UTEP ESPN+
  Grambling at Louisiana-Monroe ESPN3
  10:30 p.m. Fresno State at USC ESPN
Sun, Sept. 1 3 p.m. MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Bethune-Cookman vs. Jackson State from Atlanta

 

ESPN2
  7:30 p.m. Houston at Oklahoma ABC
Mon, Sept. 2 8 p.m. Notre Dame at Louisville ESPN
Fri, Sept. 6 8 p.m. William & Mary at Virginia ACC Network
  9 p.m. Marshall at Boise State ESPN2
Sat, Sept. 7 11 a.m. Ohio at Pittsburgh ACC Network
  Noon Cincinnati at Ohio State ABC
  Syracuse at Maryland ESPN or ESPN2
  West Virginia at Missouri ESPN or ESPN2
  Old Dominion at Virginia Tech ESPNU
  Charleston Southern at South Carolina SEC Network
  Kennesaw State at Kent State ESPN3
  2 p.m. South Florida at Georgia Tech ACC Network
  Fordham at Ball State ESPN3
  2:30 p.m. Tennessee Tech at Miami (Ohio) ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Texas A&M at Clemson ABC
  Southern Miss at Mississippi State ESPNU
  Charlotte at Appalachian State ESPN+
  Richmond at Boston College ACC Network Extra
  4 p.m. Murray State at Georgia ESPN2
  New Mexico State at Alabama SEC Network
  5 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State ACC Network
  6 p.m. North Carolina A&T at Duke ACC Network Extra
  Maine at Georgia Southern ESPN+
  Gardner-Webb at East Carolina ESPN3
  7 p.m. BYU at Tennessee ESPN
  Western Kentucky at Florida International ESPN+
  Coastal Carolina at Kansas ESPN+
  McNeese State at Oklahoma State ESPN+
  Wyoming at Texas State ESPN+
  Eastern Kentucky at Louisville ACC Network Extra
  Furman at Georgia State ESPN3
  Tennessee State at Middle Tennessee State ESPN3
  Jackson State at South Alabama ESPN3
  7 p.m. North Texas at SMU ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. LSU at Texas ABC
  Tulane at Auburn ESPN2
  Arkansas at Ole Miss SEC Network
  Tennessee-Martin at Florida ESPNU or SEC Network Alternate
  Eastern Michigan vs. Kentucky ESPNU or SEC Network Alternate
  Liberty at Louisiana ESPN+
  8 p.m. Miami at North Carolina ACC Network
  Prairie View A&M at Houston ESPN3
  10:30 p.m. Stanford at USC ESPN
Fri, Sept. 13 6 p.m. North Carolina at Wake Forest ESPN
  7:30 p.m. Kansas at Boston College ACC Network
  9:15 p.m. 2019 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff: Washington State vs. Houston (NRG Stadium) ESPN
Sat Sept. 14 Noon Pittsburgh at Penn State ABC
  Arkansas State at Georgia ESPN or ESPN2
  Kansas State at Mississippi State ESPN or ESPN2
  Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati ESPNU
  Furman at Virginia Tech ACC Network
  Chattanooga at Tennessee SEC Network
  2 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Ball State ESPN+
  Norfolk State at Coastal Carolina ESPN3
  3 p.m. Akron at Central Michigan ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Oklahoma State at Tulsa ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
  Stanford at UCF ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
  USC at BYU ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2
  Memphis at South Alabama ESPNU
  4 p.m. Bethune-Cookman at Miami ACC Network
  Colorado State at Arkansas SEC Network
  Southeastern Louisiana at Ole Miss SEC Network Alternate
  5 p.m. Louisiana Tech at Bowling Green ESPN+
  6 p.m. Massachusetts at Charlotte ESPN+
  Southern Miss at Troy ESPN+
  Buffalo at Liberty ESPN+
  South Carolina State @ South Florida ESPN3
  7 p.m. Florida vs. Kentucky ESPN
  Kent State at Auburn ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Lamar at Texas A&M ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Georgia State at Western Michigan ESPN+
  New Hampshire at Florida International ESPN3
  Murray State at Toledo ESPN3
  Texas State at SMU ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. Clemson at Syracuse ABC
  Florida State at Virginia ACC Network
  Northwestern State at LSU SEC Network
  Southeast Missouri State at Missouri SEC Network Alternate
  Texas Southern at Louisiana ESPN3
  8 p.m. Missouri State at Tulane ESPN3
  10:15 p.m. Portland State at Boise State ESPN2
  10:30 p.m. Texas Tech at Arizona ESPN
Thur, Sept. 19 8 p.m. Houston at Tulane ESPN
Fri, Sept. 20 9 p.m. Air Force at Boise State ESPN2
Sat, Sept. 21 6 p.m. Wagner at Florida Atlantic ESPN+
  Hampton at Liberty ESPN+
  8 p.m. Nevada at UTEP ESPN3
  TBD Washington at BYU ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
  TBD Toledo at Colorado State TBD
Thur, Sept. 26 7:30 p.m. Delaware State at North Carolina A&T ESPNU
  8 p.m. Navy at Memphis ESPN
Fri, Sept. 27 7 p.m. Duke at Virginia Tech ESPN
  10:30 p.m. Arizona State at California ESPN
Sat, Sept. 28 6:00 p.m. East Carolina at Old Dominion ESPN+
  New Mexico at Liberty ESPN+
  7 p.m. UTEP at Southern Miss ESPN+
  UAB at Western Kentucky ESPN+
  Louisiana Tech at Rice ESPN3
  TBD Middle Tennessee at Iowa ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
  TBD Hawai‘i at Nevada TBD
  TBD UNLV at Wyoming TBD
Thur, Oct. 3 7:30 p.m. Georgia Southern at South Alabama ESPNU
  8 p.m. Temple at East Carolina ESPN
Fri, Oct. 4 8 p.m. UCF at Cincinnati ESPN
Sat, Oct. 5 Noon Purdue at Penn State ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2
  6 p.m. Western Kentucky at Old Dominion ESPN+
  7 p.m. Massachusetts at Florida International ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. Michigan State at Ohio State ABC or ESPN
  TBD Kent State at Wisconsin ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
  TBD Rice at UAB ESPN+
  TBD San Diego State at Colorado State* TBD
  8 p.m. UTSA at UTEP ESPN+
Wed, Oct. 9 8 p.m. Appalachian State at Louisiana ESPN2
Thur, Oct. 10 6 p.m. Bethune-Cookman at North Carolina Central ESPNU
  8 p.m. Syracuse at NC State ESPN
  9:15 p.m. Louisiana-Monroe at Texas State ESPNU
Fri, Oct. 11 8 p.m. Virginia at Miami ESPN
Sat, Oct. 12 4 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic ESPN+
  6 p.m. UAB at UTSA ESPN+
  7 p.m. Charlotte at Florida International ESPN+
  Massachusetts at Louisiana Tech ESPN3
  TBD Hawai‘i at Boise State* TBD
  TBD Michigan at Illinois ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2
Wed, Oct. 16 8 p.m. South Alabama at Troy ESPN2
Thur, Oct. 17 7:30 p.m. Louisiana at Arkansas State ESPNU
  9 p.m. UCLA at Stanford ESPN
Fri, Oct. 18 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Syracuse ESPN
Sat, Oct. 19 4:00 p.m. Charlotte at Western Kentucky ESPN+
  6:00 p.m. Maine at Liberty ESPN+
  Rice at UTSA ESPN3
  7:00 p.m. UTEP at Florida International ESPN+
  TBD Boise State at BYU ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
  TBD Old Dominion at UAB ESPN+
  TBD Nevada at Utah State* TBD
Thur, Oct. 24 7:30 p.m. SMU at Houston ESPN
  Jackson State at Prairie View A&M ESPNU
Fri, Oct. 25 9 p.m. USC at Colorado ESPN2
Sat, Oct. 26 1 p.m. Southern Miss at Rice ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. North Texas at Charlotte ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Old Dominion ESPN+
  8:00 p.m. Louisiana Tech at UTEP ESPN3
  TBD Notre Dame at Michigan ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2
  TBD Maryland at Minnesota ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2
  TBD Utah State at Air Force TBD
  TBD Colorado State at Fresno State TBD
Thur, Oct. 31 8 p.m. West Virginia at Baylor ESPN
  Georgia Southern at Appalachian State ESPNU
Fri, Nov. 1 8 p.m. Navy at Connecticut ESPN2
Sat, Nov. 2 Noon Old Dominion at Florida International ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Charlotte ESPN3
  4 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky ESPN+
  TBD BYU at Utah State TBD
  TBD New Mexico at Nevada* TBD
Tues, Nov. 5 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. Kent State at Toledo ESPN2 or CBSSN
  7 p.m. or 8 p.m. Ball State at Western Michigan ESPN2 or CBSSN
Wed, Nov. 6 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Ohio ESPN2
Thur, Nov. 7 7:30 p.m. Louisiana at Coastal Carolina ESPNU
  8 p.m. Temple at South Florida ESPN
Fri, Nov. 8 7 p.m. UCF at Tulsa ESPN2
Sat, Nov. 9 2 p.m. UTSA at Old Dominion ESPN3
  3 p.m. Charlotte at UTEP ESPN+
  TBD Liberty at BYU ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU
  TBD Wyoming at Boise State TBD
  TBD Nevada at San Diego State TBD
  TBD Dartmouth vs. Princeton from Yankee Stadium TBD
Tue, Nov. 12 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Akron ESPN2 or ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Western Michigan at Ohio ESPN2 or ESPNU
Wed, Nov. 13 8 p.m. Northern Illinois at Toledo ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Bowling Green at Miami (Ohio) ESPN2 or ESPNU
Thur, Nov. 14 8 p.m. North Carolina at Pittsburgh ESPN
Fri, Nov. 15 9:30 p.m. Fresno State at San Diego State ESPN2
Sat, Nov. 16 4:30 p.m. Rice at Middle Tennessee ESPN+
  6 p.m. Southern Miss at UTSA ESPN+
  TBD UTEP at UAB ESPN3
  TBD New Mexico at Boise State TBD
  TBD Wyoming at Utah State TBD
  TBD Air Force at Colorado State TBD
Tues, Nov. 19 7:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Ohio at Bowling Green ESPN2 or ESPNU
Wed, Nov. 20 7:30 p.m. Toledo at Buffalo ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Akron at Miami ESPN2 or ESPNU
Thur, Nov. 21 8 p.m. NC State at Georgia Tech ESPN
Fri, Nov. 22 9:30 p.m. Colorado State at Wyoming ESPN2
Sat, Nov. 23 3:30 p.m. Western Kentucky at Southern Miss ESPN+
  4:30 p.m. Old Dominion at Middle Tennessee ESPN3
  6 p.m. Florida Atlantic at UTSA ESPN+
  TBD Florida Classic: Florida A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman from Orlando, Fla.

 

TBD
  TBD Louisiana Tech at UAB ESPN+
  TBD Nevada at Fresno State* TBD
Tue, Nov. 26 7 p.m. Western Michigan at Northern Illinois ESPNU or ESPN+
  Ohio at Akron ESPNU or ESPN+
Thu, Nov 28 7:30 p.m. Ole Miss at Mississippi State ESPN
Fri, Nov. 29 3:30 p.m. West Virginia at TCU ABC or ESPN
  TBD Virginia Tech at Virginia ABC or ESPN
  TBD South Florida at UCF ABC or ESPN
  TBD Cincinnati at Memphis ABC or ESPN
Sat, Nov. 30 2 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky ESPN+
Charlotte at Old Dominion ESPN+
New Mexico State at Liberty ESPN+
3 p.m. Rice at UTEP ESPN3
3:30 p.m. UTSA at Louisiana Tech ESPN+
TBD Arizona at Arizona State ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
TBD Fresno State at San José State TBD
Fri, Dec. 6 8 p.m. Pac-12 Championship ABC
Sat, Dec. 7 Noon 2019 Marathon MAC Championship Game (from Detroit) ESPN or ESPN2
2019 Sun Belt Championship Game ESPN or ESPN2
3:30 p.m. 2019 American Championship Game ABC
4 p.m. 2019 Mountain West Championship Game ESPN
2019 SWAC Championship Game ESPNU
TBD 2019 ACC Championship Game ABC
TBD 2019 Big 12 Championship Game ABC

Subject to change; Additional FCS Games will be added throughout the summer

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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner

 

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