Miami-Penn State Game To Be Televised By ABC
June 26, 2001
NEW YORK (ABC Sports) – Four Miami Hurricanes football games will be part of ABC Sports’ college football telecasts during the 2001 football season, the network announced Tuesday, June 26, starting with a prime time (8 p.m.) telecast of the Penn State game to a split national audience. Miami’s clashes with Washington, Florida State and Virginia Tech also will be aired to all or much of the nation as ABC enters its first season in a contract with the BIG EAST Conference.
ABC Sports, the home of the Bowl Championship Series, announced its 2001 college football schedule, the deepest and most comprehensive on television. The network’s 36th consecutive season of coverage kicks off on SATURDAY, AUG. 25, with the Pigskin Classic and culminates on THURSDAY, JAN. 3, with the National Championship Game, the Rose Bowl Presented by AT&T.
ABC will mark the first two full Saturdays of the regular season with blockbuster triple-headers loaded with BCS implications. On SATURDAY, SEPT. 1, QB KEN DORSEY and the reigning Nokia Sugar Bowl champion Miami Hurricanes will tackle legendary head coach JOE PATERNO’s Penn State Nittany Lions in a prime-time split-national game at 8 p.m. ET. The rest of the nation will see Pac-10 power Oregon tackle Big Ten contender Wisconsin. Earlier that day, at noon, Maryland battles North Carolina and Boston College entertains West Virginia in regional action. At 3:30 p.m. ET, Air Force hosts defending National Champion Oklahoma, while rivals Colorado and Colorado State will square off at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.
“We are building on last season’s exciting BCS with great games in 2001, like Miami-Penn State, Notre Dame-Nebraska, Ohio State-UCLA, Miami-Florida State and Ohio State-Michigan, to name just a few on the schedule,” said Loren Matthews, senior vice president of programming, ABC Sports. “These matchups, coupled with the addition of the Big East to our outstanding lineup of conferences, give this college football season on ABC tremendous potential.”
The network’s early-season schedule has been set and includes multiple appearances by defending national champion Oklahoma and perennial powerhouses Florida State, Michigan, Miami, Nebraska, Texas, UCLA and Washington. In order to provide viewers with the top games in each region every week, ABC will select most games six to 12 days prior to airdate.
This fall the network will showcase the best inter-conference and conference matchups from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 (including the Big 12 Championship, Dec. 1), Pac-10, Mountain West and Big East — which returns to ABC’s lineup for the first time since 1995.
ABC Sports’ post-season lineup is highlighted by the Bowl Championship Series which comprises the nation’s four premier Bowl games: The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1, 4:30 p.m.), the Nokia Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m.), the FedEx Orange Bowl (Jan. 2, 8 p.m.) and college football’s National Championship game, the Rose Bowl presented by AT&T (Jan. 3, 8 p.m.). In addition, the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1, 1:00 p.m.), the top non-BCS Bowl, returns to ABC’s lineup for the 16th consecutive season.
ABC Sports kicks off its 2001 college football schedule on SATURDAY, AUG. 25, at 1 p.m. ET when Heisman hopeful QB ERIC CROUCH leads Nebraska against first-year head coach GARY PATTERSON and Texas Christian in the Pigskin Classic, the first of two “Classic Weekend” showdowns. On SUNDAY, AUG. 26, All-ACC QB GEORGE GODSEY will lead Georgia Tech against Syracuse in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET.
ABC will mark the first two full Saturdays of the regular season with blockbuster triple-headers loaded with BCS implications. On SATURDAY, SEPT. 1, QB KEN DORSEY and the reigning Nokia Sugar Bowl champion Miami Hurricanes will tackle legendary head coach JOE PATERNO’s Penn State Nittany Lions in a prime-time split-national game at 8 p.m. ET. The rest of the nation will see Pac-10 power Oregon tackle Big Ten contender Wisconsin. Earlier that day, at noon, Maryland battles North Carolina and Boston College entertains West Virginia in regional action. At 3:30 p.m. ET, Air Force hosts defending National Champion Oklahoma, while rivals Colorado and Colorado State will square off at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.
On SATURDAY, OCT. 13, ABC Sports will be home to one of college football’s most heated rivalries, Miami at Florida State. Last year the Hurricanes defeated the Seminoles 27-24, nearly ending FSU’s FedEx Orange Bowl hopes. This year Florida State will look to avenge that defeat.
On SATURDAY, SEPT. 8, Notre Dame and Nebraska, two of college football’s most storied programs, will meet in a national prime-time rematch of last season’s overtime thriller, won by then-No.-1 Nebraska 27-24. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET. Earlier that day, at noon, Heisman hopeful QB CHRIS SIMMS will lead Texas against North Carolina and, at 3:30 p.m. ET, defending Rose Bowl champion Washington will tangle with Big Ten power Michigan. Other early-season highlights include Notre Dame at Purdue (Sept. 15, 3:30 p.m.), Washington at Miami (Sept. 15, 3:30 p.m.) and Ohio State at UCLA (Sept. 22, 3:30 p.m.).
Conference crowns and bowl bids will be at stake when ABC presents two doubleheaders on Thanksgiving weekend. The Big 12 Conference will be featured on FRIDAY, NOV. 23, with arch-rivals Texas and Texas A&M playing at noon and Nebraska facing Colorado at 3:30 p.m. On SATURDAY, NOV. 24, Stanford will entertain Notre Dame and Georgia will tackle Georgia Tech in split-national games at 8:00 p.m. ET. Earlier that day, at 1 p.m. ET, Ohio State and Michigan will battle for Big Ten supremacy.
A Bowl Championship Series berth will be on the line when ABC Sports presents the Big 12 Championship from Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, on SATURDAY, DEC. 1, at 8 p.m. ET. The game is the third in an action-packed triple-header that begins at 1 p.m. ET, when Miami faces RB LEE SUGGS and Virginia Tech in a crucial Big East Conference showdown. At 3:30 p.m.,ET, Heisman hopefuls will collide when QB JOEY HARRINGTON leads Oregon against RB KEN SIMONTON and Oregon State in “The Civil War.”
