BIG EAST Announces Football TV Schedule

July 23, 2002

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – College football viewers will have plenty of chances to catch BIG EAST football on television this season, and Miami Hurricanes fans will get plenty of opportunities to see the Hurricanes.

By virtue of its agreements with ABC and ESPN, the league will once again be among the nation’s most televised conferences. What it means for the college football fan is that BIG EAST games will be televised every week of the season. And the Hurricanes already are penciled in for 5 nationally televised games, plus at least one game to be televised regionally by ESPN Regional Television.

Miami’s games with Florida (Sept. 7 on CBS), Boston College (Sept. 21 on ESPN), Florida State (Oct. 12 on ABC), Pittsburgh (Nov. 21 on ESPN) and Virginia Tech (Dec. 7 on ABC) will be nationally televised. Also, the Hurricanes’ clash with Temple on Sept. 14 will be carried by ESPN Regional with more regional matchups yet to be announced.

On ABC, four games BIG EAST have thus far been selected for air. Virginia Tech will be one of the teams to kick off the first full weekend of college football when it hosts LSU on Sunday, September 1. Miami will renew its rivalry with Florida State by hosting the Seminoles on October 12. The first scheduled league game on ABC is slated for November 30, with the Hurricanes traveling to Syracuse. UM and the Hokies will conclude the BIG EAST season for the second straight year, facing off on December 7. Additional selections will be added later in the fall.

Among the numerous contests slated for ESPN, Syracuse at BYU on August 29 will begin the network’s Thursday night schedule. Three conference matchups have also been announced for ESPN. Boston College travels to Miami on Sept. 21, while the Eagles host Virginia Tech on Thursday, Oct. 10. The ‘Canes are also slated for Thursday, hosting Pittsburgh on Nov. 21. Two conference squads will begin the ESPN2 schedule. BC hosts Stanford at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 7, followed by North Carolina at Syracuse at 8:00 p.m. West Virginia at Virginia Tech will be the first league squads to play on a Wednesday, facing off on Nov. 20. More games will be added at later dates.

Games will also be shown on CBS and NBC, giving the league exposure around the country. Miami will face the Florida Gators in the regular season for the first time since 1987. The contest will be shown by CBS. Pittsburgh (Oct. 12), Boston College (Nov. 2) and Rutgers (Nov. 23) all travel to Notre Dame this season, with each game slated for NBC.

The BIG EAST also has numerous games scheduled for ESPN Regional Television. The BIG EAST Game of the Week package is one of the largest in the nation, reaching more than 33 million homes. Three games lead off the schedule in September – West Virginia at Wisconsin (Sept. 7), Miami at Temple (Sept. 14) and Rutgers at Pittsburgh (Sept. 21). Several more matchups will be announced at later dates. All games broadcast by ERT are offered as part of the ESPN GamePlan pay subscription service. Comcast Sports Southeast and Action Sports Cable Network in the Pacific Northwest, regional subscriber networks that boast over 3.3 million subscribers, will also carry games.

2002 BIG EAST FOOTBALL TELEVISION SCHEDULE

ABCSun. Sept. 1    LSU at Virginia Tech    2:30 p.m.Sat. Oct. 12    Florida State at Miami  NoonSat. Nov. 30    Miami at Syracuse       1:00 p.m.Sat. Dec. 7     Virginia Tech at Miami  1:00 p.m.  At least one additional game to be announced

ESPNThu. Aug. 29 Syracuse at BYU 7:30 p.m.Sat. Sept. 7 Texas A&M at Pittsburgh NoonThu. Sept. 12 Marshall at Virginia Tech 7:30 p.m.Sat. Sept. 21 Boston College at Miami 7:45 p.m.Thu. Oct. 10 Virginia Tech at Boston College 7:30 p.m.Thu. Nov. 21 Pittsburgh at Miami 7:30 p.m. Additional games to be announced later in the season

ESPN2Sat. Sept. 7 Stanford at Boston College 3:30 p.m. North Carolina at Syracuse 8:00 p.m.Wed. Nov. 20 West Virginia at Virginia Tech 7:00 p.m. Additional games to be announced later in the season

CBSSat. Sept. 7 Miami at Florida 5:00 p.m.

NBCSat. Oct. 12 Pittsburgh at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m.Sat. Nov. 2 Boston College at Notre Dame 2:30 p.m.Sat. Nov. 23 Rutgers at Notre Dame 1:00 p.m.

All times Eastern and subject to change.

ESPN Regional/BIG EAST Game of the WeekMany BIG EAST contests will be broadcast by ESPN Regional Television as part of its BIG EAST Game of the Week package. The following dates and games are scheduled as of July 22. A majority of the selections will be made later in the season (schedule subject to change).

Sat. Sept. 7    West Virginia at Wisconsin      NoonSat. Sept. 14   Miami at Temple NoonSat. Sept. 21   Rutgers at Pittsburgh   NoonSat. Sept. 28   To Be Determined        NoonSat. Oct. 5     To Be Determined        NoonSat. Oct. 19    To Be Determined        NoonSat. Oct. 26    To Be Determined        NoonSat. Nov. 2     To Be Determined        NoonSat. Nov. 9     To Be Determined        NoonSat. Nov. 16    To Be Determined        Noon

All times Eastern and subject to change.