(Click on the link for the preliminary schedule) http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2004-07-20-schedule_x.htm
Fall TV offers 19-day football streak By Jack Carey, USA TODAY Sometimes it seems football is on TV all the time. During an unprecedented stretch of 19 consecutive days this fall, it will be. Football teams play only once a week, but television viewers are under no such restriction. From Oct. 28 to Nov. 15, at least one football game � major college or pro � will be televised each day. That includes Election Day. The NFL will present its traditional Sunday-Monday fare, but college football will be on the air for 13 of the 19 days. It's a dramatic demonstration of the proliferation of weeknight college games, which started with ESPN's Thursday night telecasts but recently have included Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday night broadcasts on ESPN and ESPN2. More "mid-major" conferences are looking to give their teams exposure that often can't happen on Saturdays, when premier leagues such as the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference dominate the TV time slots. The weeknight games have drawn the wary attention of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which for more than a decade has been pushing for reform in college sports. Commission members have decried the practice because players miss more class time and tens of thousands of fans descend on a campus in the hours before a game, which can disrupt the academic environment. Commission chairman William Friday, president emeritus of the University of North Carolina, says the wall-to-wall TV proves "presidents haven't gotten ahold of the issue, which is driven by money and not academic concerns." "The question is, is this an academic enterprise or are you running an entertainment enterprise? In these manifestations, it looks like entertainment." Plenty of teams are providing the entertainment. Five leagues will be represented on the weeknight telecasts during the 19-day stretch: the recently expanded Atlantic Coast Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Sun Belt Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. As the schedule stands now, only five out of 30 days in November will be football-free. There are no TV games scheduled Nov. 16, 17, 19, 24 and 30. By then, of course, pro and college basketball will be taking over the airwaves. Televised football streak will be politically direct The growing presence of televised college football on weeknights could give a new meaning to the term "political football" during this election year. While awaiting the outcome of the races Nov. 2, which is Election Day, football fans can switch to ESPN2, where what shapes up as a key Mid-American Conference game between visiting Toledo and Miami (Ohio) airs at 7:30 p.m. ET. Why a game on Election Day? Miami coach Terry Hoeppner, who calls himself "a bit of a political aficionado," thought the same thing until he realized TV will have wall-to-wall election coverage that night and some viewers might be in the mood for something else. "A lot of people will be looking for an alternative," Hoeppner says. "I think it will be one of the most watched games on ESPN this year." Hoeppner says Miami officials had some trepidation about a Tuesday game vs. Bowling Green last year until it turned into a town-wide tailgate party with fans clamoring for hard-to-get tickets. "It was a resounding success, he says. "The impact was tangible in our recruiting efforts, in alumni development and in marketing. Our admissions are up. There's not a corner of this university that hasn't been affected positively." Miami athletics director Brad Bates says: "On that one night, you are the only college football game being played in the world. That exposure gives the whole school incredible recognition." This year's game is part of an unprecedented string of televised contests over 19 days, Oct. 28-Nov. 15. At least one major college or pro football game will be aired each day in that span. But even long-time Tennessee sports information director Heywood Harris, who used to have a sign in his office that said "Never Enough UT Football," wonders now if there's too much TV football. "I guess it's possible to overdo anything," Harris says. "Maybe you reach a saturation point, but as long as there's money to be made, somebody will put (the games) on." But when push comes to shove, will Harris watch the games? "I wouldn't bet against it," he says. Count on U.S. Olympic women's soccer team defender Cat Reddick, from the football hotbed of Birmingham, Ala., and a huge college football fan, as one tuning in often. Last year's national collegiate player of the year at North Carolina calls the 19-day gridiron-palooza "the best idea since Alabama and Auburn decided to play the series at their home stadiums. That could be the best weeks of my life." Contributing: Kelly Whiteside ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
