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Underdogs challenge bullies on TV
[ Originally posted 07.18.03 ]
From
Conference USA reports
David vs.
Goliath showdowns featuring South Florida at Alabama, Houston at Michigan,
East Carolina at Miami, and Nebraska at Southern Miss will give a powerful
first-month jump-start to a 2003 Conference USA football television schedule
that will present at least 24 games involving four different networks.
The dates of the
telecasts include a number of unopposed windows assigned to time slots when
no other nationally-televised games are scheduled. In addition to a number
of contests pitting league teams against high-profile non-conference
opponents, the slate offers an abundance of key intra-conference collisions.
This is the third year of an exclusive eight-year agreement between C-USA
and ESPN Inc. to televise league football games. The contract incorporates
ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Regional, ABC Sports, ESPN.com and ESPN Classic.
The schedule kicks off with four nationally-televised games during Labor Day
weekend. South Florida will make its debut as a football-playing member of
Conference USA when it battles the Crimson Tide on ESPN at 3:00 p.m. EDT on
Saturday, August 30, in Birmingham.
On Sunday,
August 31, Louisville and Kentucky battle for Bluegrass State bragging
rights at 6:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN 2.
Labor Day
(Monday, September 1) will feature a C-USA day-night doubleheader on ESPN.
At Noon EDT, East Carolina and 2002 co-champion Cincinnati kick off the
conference season with a game at Nippert Stadium. At 8:00 p.m. EDT,
defending AXA Liberty Bowl champion Texas Christian faces Tulane at the
Louisiana Superdome.
In addition to the games slated for ESPN Inc., CBS will air the annual
Army-Navy battle as part of its network package on Saturday, December 6 in
Philadelphia, Pa.
Each C-USA school will make at least one national television appearance this
fall. According to the league office, additional television exposures
involving C-USA members remain a possibility.
2003 C-USA FOOTBALL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
ESPN SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 30 South
Florida at Alabama 3:00 p.m. EDT
Monday, September 1 East Carolina at Cincinnati Noon EDT
Monday, September 1 TCU at Tulane 8:00 p.m. EDT
Saturday, September 6 Houston at Michigan Noon EDT
Thursday, September 25 Nebraska at Southern Miss 7:30 p.m. EDT
Friday, October 10 TCU at South Florida 8:00 p.m. EDT
Friday, October 17 Tulane at Louisville 8:00 p.m. EDT
Thursday, November 20 TCU at Southern Miss 7:30 p.m. EST
Thursday, December 25 Hawaii Bowl 8:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, December 31 AXA Liberty Bowl 3:30 p.m. EST
ESPN 2
SCHEDULE
Sunday, August 31
Louisville at Kentucky 6:30 p.m. EDT
Thursday, September 4 Southern Miss at UAB 7:00 p.m. EDT
Saturday, September 6 Mississippi at Memphis Noon EDT
Saturday, September 13 East Carolina at Miami (Fla.) 7:00 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, September 30 Houston at East Carolina 7:30 p.m. EDT
Friday, November 28 Louisville at Cincinnati 11:00 a.m. EST
Tuesday, December 16 New Orleans Bowl 7:00 p.m. EST
Thursday, December 18 GMAC Bowl 7:30 p.m. EST
Tuesday, December 23 PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl 7:30 p.m. EST
ESPN OR ESPN 2
Wed., Nov. 5/Thu., Nov.
6 Louisville at TCU TBA
CBS SCHEDULE
Saturday, December 6
Army vs. Navy (in Philadelphia, Pa.) 4:00 p.m. EST
ESPN PLUS
Saturday, September 13
Rutgers at Army 3:30 p.m. EDT
Saturday, September 20 Tulane at Army 3:30 p.m. EDT
Saturday, November 15 Tulane at Southern Miss 3:30 p.m. EST
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