ESPN’s College Football Coverage Continues with Debut of ABC’s Saturday Night Football, Opening Weeks for ACC and SEC Matchups
- ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One Debuts Sept. 12 with Top-Ranked Clemson at Wake Forest
- Opening Weeks of ACC and SEC Play Set
- Four Conference Championship Games Slated for ESPN Networks this December
ESPN’s industry-leading coverage of college football, which includes a total of nearly 325 games across all ESPN networks this fall, continues with the debut of ABC’s Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One on Saturday, Sept. 12, as 2019 ACC champion and preseason No. 1 Clemson travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The second week of Saturday Night Football is guaranteed to be another ACC showdown, with either Virginia at Virginia Tech or Miami at Louisville taking the primetime SNF spot. Both matchups are slated for ABC in either the afternoon or primetime window.
ACC Play to Kick Off Across ESPN Networks
In addition to ACC action on two straight Saturday Night Football showcases, ACC Network will kick off its second college football campaign on Thursday, Sept. 10 with a non-conference matchup featuring UAB at Miami at 8 p.m. ACCN will also have a tripleheader on Saturday, Sept. 12 with Syracuse at North Carolina (noon), Austin Peay at Pittsburgh (4 p.m.) and Western Kentucky at Louisville (8 p.m.). The network will carry seven games in the first two weeks of the ACC season, with more information available here.
Opening Weeks of SEC Showdowns Set for ESPN, SEC Network
The opening weekend of SEC play (Saturday, Sept. 26) sees a full slate across ESPN and SEC Network, including preseason No. 3 Alabama on the road at Missouri at 7 p.m. on ESPN. SEC Network will spotlight the opening weekend of the SEC football season with an SECN tripleheader, including Kentucky at No. 11 Auburn (noon), No. 4 Georgia at Arkansas (4 p.m.) and No. 25 Tennessee at South Carolina on SEC Saturday Night (7:30 p.m.). On SEC Network Alternate, Vanderbilt ventures to No. 13 Texas A&M for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. In total, SEC Network will telecast eight games on SEC Network and SEC Network Alternate in the first two weeks of the 2020 campaign. In addition, a marquee matchup on ESPN is scheduled for Sat, Oct. 3, as Auburn travels to 2019 SEC runner-up Georgia to battle between the hedges at 7:30 p.m. For more on the first few weeks of the SEC TV schedule, please visit SECSports.com.
Four Big 12 Battles on ESPN Networks to Begin 2020 Season
On Sept. 12, ESPN networks will showcase the Big 12’s start to the season, with No. 14 Texas, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 24 Iowa State and Texas Tech all slated to play. Iowa State hosts Louisiana at noon on ESPN, Oklahoma State will match up against in-state foe Tulsa on ESPN or ESPNU (7:30 p.m.) and Texas Tech kicks off at 8 p.m. against Houston Baptist on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
In addition, the 14th-ranked Longhorns are set to open the season on Longhorn Network, as they host UTEP at 8 p.m. LHN will have studio coverage surrounding the Longhorns’ 2020 debut on The Forty, including the return of Texas GameDay and Texas GameDay Final. For more details on LHN’s college football programming, please click here.
Additional programming highlights include:
- AAC: The first American Athletic Conference football game to air live on ESPN+ is set for Sat, Sept 12, as South Florida hosts The Citadel at 1 p.m. The AAC is a mainstay in ESPN’s linear programming this fall as well, including on Thursday and Friday nights. Nearly a dozen AAC games will be carried across ESPN networks, highlighted by two crucial conference contests on Thanksgiving Friday in UCF at South Florida and Memphis at Tulane.
- Sun Belt: Key Sun Belt showdowns are set for midweek matchups in primetime on ESPN, with the first slated for Wed, Oct. 7 (Louisiana at Appalachian State)
- C-USA: Nearly 40 Conference USA games are set for ESPN networks this fall, with three contests scheduled for ESPN3 in primetime on C-USA’s opening weekend
Conference Championship Matchups Slated for ESPN Networks
This December, ESPN networks are scheduled to air the following conference championship games: American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and Sun Belt. All dates, times and networks will be determined at a later date.
Additional college football programming updates will be forthcoming, and the schedule is subject to change. Please continue to check @ESPNPR and ESPN Press Room for more information.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Thu, Sep 10 | 8 p.m. | UAB at Miami | ACC Network |
| Sat, Sep 12 | Noon | Louisiana at Iowa State | ESPN |
| Charlotte at Appalachian State | ESPN2 | ||
| Syracuse at North Carolina | ACC Network | ||
| 1 p.m. | The Citadel at South Florida | ESPN+ | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Florida State | ABC | |
| UTSA at Texas State | ESPN2 | ||
| Campbell at Georgia Southern | ESPNU | ||
| 4 p.m. | Austin Peay at Pittsburgh | ACC Network | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Clemson at Wake Forest | ABC | |
| Tulsa at Oklahoma State | ESPN or ESPNU | ||
| Tulane at South Alabama | ESPN2 | ||
| 8 p.m. | UTEP at Texas | Longhorn Network | |
| Western Kentucky at Louisville | ACC Network | ||
| Houston Baptist at Texas Tech | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | ||
| Fri, Sep 18 | 7:30 p.m. | Houston at Memphis | ESPN |
| Sat, Sep 19 | Noon | Navy at Tulane | ABC |
| Austin Peay at Cincinnati | ESPN | ||
| Louisiana at Georgia State | ESPN2 | ||
| Liberty at Western Kentucky | ESPNU | ||
| Syracuse at Pittsburgh | ACC Network | ||
| Boston College at Duke | ESPN3 | ||
| 3 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin at UTSA | ESPN3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. | Virginia at Virginia Tech | ABC | |
| 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. | Miami at Louisville | ABC | |
| 3:30 p.m. | UCF at Georgia Tech | ESPN | |
| Charlotte at North Carolina | ESPN3 | ||
| 4 p.m. | Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern | ESPN2 | |
| Troy at Middle Tennessee | ESPNU | ||
| The Citadel at Clemson | ACC Network | ||
| 7 p.m. | Central Arkansas at Arkansas State | ESPN+ | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech at Southern Mississippi | ESPN2 | |
| Texas State at Louisiana-Monroe | ESPNU | ||
| 8 p.m. | Wake Forest at NC State | ACC Network | |
| 9 p.m. | Abilene Christian at UTEP | ESPN3 | |
| TBD | Campbell at Coastal Carolina | ESPN3 | |
| Thu, Sep 24 | 7:30 p.m. | UAB at South Alabama | ESPN |
| Sat, Sep 26 | Noon | Florida at Ole Miss | ESPN |
| Kentucky at Auburn | SEC Network | ||
| 4 p.m. | Georgia at Arkansas | SEC Network | |
| 7 p.m. | Alabama at Missouri | ESPN | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Tennessee at South Carolina | SEC Network | |
| Vanderbilt at Texas A&M | SEC Network Alternate | ||
| 10:15 p.m. | Troy at BYU | ESPN | |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Noon | South Carolina at Florida | ESPN |
| Missouri at Tennessee | SEC Network | ||
| 4 p.m. | Ole Miss at Kentucky | SEC Network | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Auburn at Georgia | ESPN | |
| LSU at Vanderbilt | SEC Network | ||
| Arkansas at Mississippi State | SEC Network Alternate | ||
| Wed, Oct 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Louisiana at Appalachian State | ESPN |
| Thu, Oct 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulane at Houston | ESPN |
| Fri, Oct 9 | 7 p.m. | Louisville at Georgia Tech | ESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Campbell at Wake Forest | ACC Network | |
| Wed, Oct 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Appalachian State at Georgia Southern | ESPN |
| Thu, Oct 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Georgia State at Arkansas State | ESPN |
| Fri, Oct 16 | 7:30 p.m. | SMU at Tulane | ESPN2 |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Noon or 3:30/4 p.m. | Auburn at South Carolina | ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU or SEC Network |
| Noon or 3:30/4 p.m. | Kentucky at Tennessee | ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU or SEC Network | |
| Noon or 3:30/4 p.m. | Texas A&M at Mississippi State | ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU or SEC Network | |
| Noon or 3:30/4 p.m. | Ole Miss at Arkansas | ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU or SEC Network | |
| 3:30 p.m. | LSU at Florida | ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Vanderbilt at Missouri | SEC Network | |
| Thu, Oct 22 | 7:30 p.m. | Arkansas State at Appalachian State | ESPN |
| Fri, Oct 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulsa at South Florida | ESPN |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 7:30 p.m. | South Alabama at Georgia Southern | ESPN |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Noon | Kentucky at Missouri | SEC Network |
| 4 p.m. | Ole Miss at Vanderbilt | SEC Network | |
| 7 p.m. | Mississippi State at Alabama | ESPN | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Arkansas at Texas A&M | SEC Network | |
| Thu, Nov 5 | 7:30 p.m. | SMU at Temple | ESPN |
| Fri, Nov 6 | 7:30 p.m. | Miami at NC State | ESPN |
| Sat, Nov 7 | 4 p.m. | Vanderbilt at Mississippi State | SEC Network |
| 7:30 p.m. | Tennessee at Arkansas | ESPN or SEC Network | |
| Texas A&M at South Carolina | ESPN or SEC Network | ||
| Sat, Nov 14 | TBD | Memphis at Navy | TBD |
| Fri, Nov 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Syracuse at Louisville | ESPN |
| Fri, Nov 27 | TBD | Iowa State at Texas | TBD |
| TBD | Notre Dame at North Carolina | TBD | |
| TBD | UCF at South Florida | TBD | |
| TBD | Memphis at Tulane | TBD | |
| TBD | Louisville at Boston College | TBD |
