• First Three Weeks Highlighted By More Than 100 Games; Approximately 1,000 CFB Showdowns Slated for 2021-22 Season
• High-Impact Matchups in Opening Weeks on ABC Include Georgia-Clemson, Alabama-Miami, Plus Big Time Non-Conference Showdowns from Michigan and Penn State
• ESPN+ Continues Expansive CFB Coverage, Including Start of SEC Games on the Platform and Record Number of Big 12 and American Contests
• Full Bowl Season Schedule Returns with 40 Bowl Games, College Football Playoff Semifinals and Championship

The spark of college football’s pageantry and passion is ready to ignite, as ESPN welcomes back its robust portfolio of the best rivalries, non-conference clashes, in-state showdowns, unparalleled conference championship contests and premier postseason programming. ESPN will carry approximately 1,000 regular season games across all networks, gearing up for the return of a 40-game Bowl Season schedule that includes the exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff Semifinals. ESPN concludes the season in the Circle City with the CFP National Championship on Monday, January 10 in Indianapolis.

23 of ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25 teams are featured across ESPN networks during ESPN’s early season slate and special date games, as well as 11 conferences represented and teams from all 10 FBS conferences booked for bragging rights throughout ESPN’s industry-leading college football portfolio. Games are set for all ESPN platforms, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+, Longhorn Network, ESPN3, ESPN+, SEC Network+ (SECN+) and ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).

Kickoff Week
ACC and SEC Squads Clash in Charlotte and Atlanta
As previously announced, ABC’s Labor Day Weekend coverage includes the much-anticipated Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte featuring Georgia vs. Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Earlier that day, defending National Champion Alabama faces Miami in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 5, Florida State and Notre Dame tussle in Tallahassee at 7:30 p.m. in the Capital One Sunday Night Kickoff.

In addition to Saturday’s Crimson Tide-Hurricanes game, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will also play host to a second Chick-fil-A Kickoff showdown with Louisville vs. Ole Miss on Labor Day Monday (Sept. 6) at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

ESPN+ Adds Record Number of Robust Offerings Featuring SEC, Big 12 and American
As part of the SEC’s new agreement with ESPN, select SEC football games will be available on ESPN+ beginning this fall. ESPN+ has the right to stream one non-conference football game per school each season kicking off in 2021. These matchups will also be simulcast on SEC Network+, with both streams accessible in the ESPN App via connected devices. Four matchups are set for Week 1 action, including Akron-Auburn, Rice-Arkansas, Eastern Illinois-South Carolina and East Tennessee State-Vanderbilt. SEC squads featured on ESPN+ in the second and third weeks of the season include Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee, with additional games to be determined over the remainder of the season

Additionally, a record number of Big 12 games will be featured on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with 11 contests featuring eight different Big 12 teams scheduled across the first three weeks and as many as 15 total games likely throughout the season.

The American returns for its second season on ESPN+ as well, with approximately 25 total games planned throughout the season, featuring two appearances by returning conference champion Cincinnati to open the season.

In addition to the above, ESPN+ will feature games from Conference USA, MAC, Sun Belt and more, with more than 150 total FBS games expected on the platform throughout the season.

ESPN Welcomes Back CFB in Weeks 0 and 1
In Week 0, the West Coast contest between Hawaii and UCLA officially kicks off the 2021 season across ESPN networks on Saturday, August 28 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.

For Week 1, ESPN will also showcase a trio of on-campus games during the holiday weekend, beginning with UCF hosting Boise State on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. Friday night (Sept. 3) features a doubleheader of ACC and Big Ten openers as North Carolina plays Virginia Tech in Blacksburg (6 p.m.), followed by Michigan State at Northwestern at 9 p.m.

Marquee matchups from ESPN’s first three weeks and select blockbuster showdowns throughout the season were announced as part of last week’s Disney Upfront.

ESPN Events Features Expansive Schedule of Early Season Contests
ESPN Events’ Kickoff Games in Las Vegas and Houston Set for Saturday, Sept. 5
ESPN Events’ portfolio of premier college football events will be on display opening week with the 2021 Texas Kickoff and inaugural Vegas Kickoff Classic, both primed for primetime. Longtime Lone Star State rivals Texas Tech and Houston will match up in the Texas Kickoff at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the home of the Raiders, will host Arizona vs. BYU following the action from Houston at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Montgomery, Ala. Plays Host to Two Inaugural ESPN Events
The official Week 1 college football slate will begin with the first edition of the Montgomery Kickoff in Montgomery, Ala. on Wednesday, Sept. 1. ESPN will televise the neutral site showdown between UAB and Jacksonville State at 7:30 p.m.

In addition to the Montgomery Kickoff, the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery welcomes another inaugural neutral site showdown within the ESPN Events collection. Previously announced in February, Tuskegee University and Fort Valley State will play in the first Red Tails Classic on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. ESPN Events launched the event to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary Black military aviators who served in World War II.

MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff Now in Week 0
As part of a new, six-year agreement with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), ESPN Events will now schedule the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff in Week 0. This year, North Carolina Central and Alcorn State will match up on Saturday, August 28 on ESPN at 7 p.m.

SEC Network Kicks Off 2021 in Knoxville
SEC Network starts the season in primetime on Thursday, Sept. 2 with Tennessee hosting Bowling Green at 8 p.m. in Neyland Stadium. SECN is then set for a trio of tripleheaders to kickoff 2021, including SEC Saturday Night matchups featuring an early season SEC showdown between Missouri and Kentucky (Saturday, Sept. 11 | 7:30 p.m.) and an all-Florida feature with FAU traveling to Gainesville to take on Florida in Week 1 (Saturday, Sept. 4 | 7:30 p.m.). Overall, the network boasts a comprehensive slate each week of the season, with more details here.

ACC Network
ACC Network opens its third season with three straight days of games in Week 1 beginning in Raleigh, N.C. with NC State hosting USF on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ACCN is set for tripleheader Saturdays Weeks 1 and 3, and a quadruple header Week 2 starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. An ACC Coastal Division matchup – Virginia at North Carolina – highlights week 3 of ACC Primetime Football Presented By GEICO (Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.). More information on ACCN’s first three weeks of football can be found here.

Week 2
In addition to Washington-Michigan on ABC’s Saturday Night Football presented by Capital One, marquee matchups in Week 2 include the Sunshine State showdown on Saturday, Sept. 11 between Florida and USF at noon on ABC, as well as an early season rivalry battle between ranked in-state foes Iowa and Iowa State at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. On ESPN, Pittsburgh and Tennessee kick things off at noon, followed by Texas-Arkansas in primetime at 7 p.m. and another in-state rivalry, Utah-BYU at 10:15 p.m.

On ESPN2, 2020’s breakout team Coastal Carolina hosts Kansas at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept 10.

Week 3
ESPN is set for several exciting matchups in Week 3, including Louisville hosting UCF on Friday, Sept 17, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. South Carolina and Georgia will meet in their first conference contest of the season at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, followed by BYU hosting Arizona State at 10:15 p.m. on ESPN. The week kicks off on Thursday night with Ohio facing perennial Sun Belt contender Louisiana at 8 p.m. on ESPN, with the previously announced Saturday Night Football matchup featuring Auburn visiting Penn State in Happy Valley at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

As Longhorn Network nears its 10th anniversary this August, the network’s opening game of the 2021 season will be an in-state showcase as Texas hosts Rice on Sept. 18 at 8 p.m.

ESPN Special Date Games Set for Spotlight
In addition to the first three weeks, ESPN has teed up an expansive schedule of marquee matchups for viewers to mark on their calendars, including ESPN’s signature slate of mid-week games. Highlights include:

• Week 4
  • Marshall at Appalachian State (Thursday, Sept. 23 | ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
• Week 5
  • Virginia at Miami (Fla.) (Thursday, Sept. 30 | ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Houston at Tulsa (Friday, Oct. 1 | ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
• Week 6
  • Temple at Cincinnati (Friday, Oct. 8 | ESPN, 7 p.m.)
  • Stanford at Arizona State (Friday, Oct. 8 | ESPN, 10:30 p.m.)
• Week 7
  • Appalachian State at Louisiana (Tuesday, Oct. 12 | ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Clemson at Syracuse (Friday, Oct. 15 | ESPN, 7 p.m.)
  • California at Oregon (Friday, Oct. 15 | ESPN, 10:30 p.m.)
• Week 8
  • Tulane at SMU (Thursday, Oct. 21 | ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
  • Washington at Arizona (Friday, Oct. 22 | ESPN2, 10:30 p.m.)
• Week 11
  • North Carolina at Pittsburgh (Thursday, Nov. 11 | ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
• Week 12
  • Northern Illinois at Buffalo (Wednesday, Nov. 17 | ESPN2 or ESPNU, 7 p.m.)
• Rivalry Week (Week 13)
  • Buffalo at Ball State (Tuesday, Nov. 23 | ESPNU or ESPN+, 7 p.m.)
  • Ole Miss at Mississippi State (Thursday, Nov. 25 | ESPN, 7:30 p.m.)
  • North Carolina at North Carolina State (Friday, Nov. 26 | Network/Time TBD)
  • South Florida at UCF (Friday, Nov. 26 | Network/Time TBD)

A complete list of games is provided in the grid at the bottom of the release.

Conference Championships for ACC, American, Big 12 and Pac-12 Set for ABC; Six Total Currently Slated for ESPN Networks
ESPN is set to broadcast the ACC, American, Big 12 and Pac-12 Championship Games on ABC the first weekend of December, as ESPN networks close out their signature coverage of conference action. The Pac-12 Championship Game is slated for primetime on ABC (8 p.m.) on Friday, Dec. 3, with the ACC, Big 12 and American all set for the spotlight on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 4. Times for these games will be announced later in the season.

Additionally, the Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship and Sun Belt Championship Game will each be televised live on ESPN, with the tussle between the top teams of the MAC slated to kickoff at noon. The time for the Sun Belt Championship will be set at a later date.

Bowl Season is Back
ESPN’s continued commitment to the college football postseason is on full display this winter with a full 40-game slate in December and January, including 17 ESPN Events owned and operated bowl games and the entirety of the New Year’s Six. The postseason begins with the Bahamas Bowl on Friday, Dec. 17 at noon on ESPN, and ABC’s first bowl game is the Cricket Celebration Bowl at noon on Saturday, Dec. 18. The lineup also includes the inaugural editions of the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl and the Fenway Bowl.

The College Football Playoff returns for Year 8, with the Capital One Orange Bowl and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic each playing host to the CFP Semifinals on ESPN. The College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN. More details regarding ESPN’s multi-platform presentation of the college football postseason and CFP will be announced later this year.

Schedules are subject to change. Please continue to check @ESPNPR and ESPN Press Room for more information.

ESPN NETWORKS – EARLY SEASON COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

* One of the listed matchups will be on Fri, Nov 26. Others remain on Sat, Nov 27.