ABC's "Saturday Night Football" First Three Week Slate Continues ESPN's Early Season Schedule Rollout

ABC's "Saturday Night Football" First Three Week Slate Continues ESPN's Early Season Schedule Rollout
New this year, all ABC "Saturday Night Football" games will begin at 7:30/6:30c.

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[via press release from ESPN] ABC's Saturday Night Football First Three Week Slate Continues ESPN's Early Season Schedule Rollout; American Athletic, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 Championship Games will Conclude ABC's Regular Season

· Franchise's 14th Season Begins with Auburn vs. Oregon; LSU at Texas in Week 2
· College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers Visit Syracuse in Week 3
· ESPN Launches Storytelling Experience around College Football's 150th Anniversary
ABC's Saturday Night Football, college football's premier weekly franchise since 2006, will feature a season-long slate of marquee matchups, beginning with a likely top 25, neutral site, non-conference showdown during ESPN's five-day, multiplatform Kickoff Weekend. Then, the first Saturday in September, New Year's Six winners from the SEC and Big 12 will clash and Week 3 features the College Football Playoff National Champions in their first road test of the season. New this year, all ABC Saturday Night Football games will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.

ABC Saturday Night Football Begins Season in Arlington, Texas, for the Sixth Time
ABC's Saturday Night Football's 14th season begins with Auburn vs. Oregon on August 31 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers and Ducks are expected to be ranked and both feature several marquee returning players, headlined by Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert. The SEC vs. Pac-12 contest will be a rematch of the 2010 season's national championship game, which represents the only meeting between the two schools. This is the sixth time that ABC's Saturday Night Football opened the season from AT&T Stadium.

Texas Hosts SNF for First Time Since 2013
In Week 2, ABC SNF will return to Austin, Texas, for the first time since 2013, as Texas hosts LSU on September 7 in a matchup of New Year's Six winners from last season and a potential early season top 10 matchup. For the Tigers, the non-conference game will be their first visit to Austin since 1954 and is just the third meeting between the two schools since Texas' victory on that date.
Clemson Faces First Road Test of Season, Returns to Syracuse, the Site of Tigers' Last Regular Season Loss

The College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers open their road slate in Week 3, as their conference clash with Syracuse on September 14 will be aired on ABC's Saturday Night Football. For the Orange, the ACC game will represent its second home appearance on SNF; with the previous occurrence in 2014. For the Tigers, they ride into the 2019 season on a 17 game regular season winning streak, with their last loss coming October 13, 2017, at the same site as this year's game - against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.

ABC to Televise Four Conference Championship Games
ABC will televise four conference championship games, beginning with the Pac-12 Championship game Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. which will represent the first time ABC has televised a Friday night conference championship game. The next day, the network will have a tripleheader of championship games featuring the ACC, American Athletic Conference and the Big 12, with game times announced at a later date.

ABC's Saturday Night Football Adds to ESPN's Early Season Slate; ESPN Launches Storytelling Experience around College Football's 150th Anniversary
Today's announcement continues to build upon ESPN's 2019 early season slate. Previously announced, ABC's Sunday night special during Kickoff Week features Houston at Oklahoma on September 1, which now joins Auburn-Oregon for back-to-back nights of prime time games.
Also announced earlier this year, The Camping World Kickoff featuring Miami vs. Florida has moved to Week 0, with the Hurricanes and Gators played Saturday, Aug. 24 (ESPN, 7 p.m.). ESPN's complete early season slate will be announced in the coming weeks.
Throughout the 2019 season, ESPN will embark on a year-long, multi-platform storytelling experience celebrating college football's 150th anniversary, which has already begun on ESPN.com and will ramp up on August 17. 

ABC's "Saturday Night Football": Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State Headline First Three Weeks

ABC's "Saturday Night Football": Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State Headline First Three Weeks
For the third consecutive year, ABC will also air a special Sunday night game during kickoff weekend, with this year's matchup featuring an ACC vs. SEC clash from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

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[via press release from ESPN] ABC's "Saturday Night Football": Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State Headline First Three Weeks
· Kickoff Week:
· 2018 Camping World Kickoff: Louisville vs. Alabama from Orlando
· Miami vs. LSU in Special ABC Sunday Night Presentation
· Week 2: Penn State at Pitt
· Week 3: Ohio State vs. TCU from Arlington, Texas

ABC's Saturday Night Football, the most-watched college football franchise on any network the last two seasons, will begin the 2018 season with the College Football Playoff National Champions on opening weekend, the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Champions in week 2, and the Big Ten and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Champions in week 3. All three weeks will feature last season's New Year's Six qualifiers in key non-conference matchups as teams seek marquee wins early in the season.
For the third consecutive year, ABC will also air a special Sunday night game during kickoff weekend, with this year's matchup featuring an ACC vs. SEC clash from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kickoff Week: National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide Title Defense Begins in Prime Time
ABC's prime time campaign begins with the 2018 Camping World Kickoff: Louisville vs. Alabama (Sept. 1 at 8 p.m.) from Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The season opener will be just the fourth meeting between the two schools and the first since 1991.

The National Champion Crimson Tide remain the only team to qualify for the CFP each of the four years of the system and are set up for another successful year, having brought in one of the top recruiting classes according to ESPN.com propelling them to be ranked No. 2 in the "Way-Too-Early Top 25". The start of Alabama's title defense will also mark a signature moment in the likely quarterback competition between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.

ABC's Special Sunday Presentation Features ACC-SEC Clash
ABC's special kickoff weekend Sunday night prime time game features Miami vs. LSU from AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET). Both the Hurricanes and Tigers are ranked in the "Way-Too-Early Top 25", with Miami in the top 10 coming off an ACC Coastal Division championship.

In the last two seasons, ABC has set kickoff weekend viewership records, with Notre Dame at Texas delivering more than 11 million viewers in 2016, followed by Florida State vs. Alabama delivering more than 12 million in 2017. Combined with ESPN, the two networks have set new kickoff week viewership records each of the last three years.

Week 2: Penn State-Pitt Rivalry Goes Prime Time
In Week 2, one of college football's oldest in-state rivalries will be played in prime time when Penn State travels to Pitt (Sept. 8 at 8 p.m.). The Nittany Lions and the Panthers have met 98 times, dating back to 1893. The two schools renewed their rivalry the last two seasons, with both schools winning on their home fields.

The Nittany Lions are poised for another big year, coming off their second consecutive New Year's Six appearance and have added a top 5 recruiting class to its roster. They are currently a top 10 team in the "Way-Too-Early Top 25".

Week 3: Ohio State-TCU Clash in Texas
In Week 3, ABC's Saturday Night Football will air from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for Ohio State vs. TCU (Sept. 15 at 8 p.m.). The prime time affair will be just the seventh-ever matchup between the two schools and their first matchup outside of Columbus, Ohio. Both teams are ranked in the "Way-Too-Early Top 25", with the Horned Frogs at No. 16 and the Buckeyes at No. 4.
Both teams are coming off appearances in their conference championship games, with the Buckeyes winning the Big Ten. Ohio State then played in the New Year's Six, winning the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and TCU concluded its season with a victory in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Additional ESPN/ABC first three week college football scheduling information will be announced in the coming weeks 

Maria Taylor Named "College GameDay" and ABC "Saturday Night Football" Reporter

Maria Taylor Named "College GameDay" and ABC "Saturday Night Football" Reporter
She will begin her new duties in August as part of her existing multiyear contract.

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[via press release from ESPN]

    

Maria Taylor Named "College GameDay" and ABC "Saturday Night Football" Reporter
ESPN has filled a key position for the upcoming college football season. Maria Taylor, current ESPN and SEC Network host, reporter and analyst, will join the crews of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and ABC Saturday Night Football. Taylor will take on the reporter role vacated by Samantha Ponder who was recently named the new host of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. She will begin her new duties in August as part of her existing multiyear contract.

"In a very short time, Maria has demonstrated versatility, presence and ease in her many roles. She is the rare 'triple threat' in this industry and we look forward to having her on the road with GameDay and SNF come fall," said Lee Fitting, ESPN senior coordinating producer, college sports.

A former Georgia standout basketball and volleyball player, Taylor joined ESPN in 2012 from IMG College, and served as a sideline reporter for the ESPN2 Saturday night primetime telecast and the Orange Bowl. In 2014, she joined SEC Network as a sideline reporter for each week's biggest football and basketball games. In 2016, she was named host for SEC Nation, the national network's traveling pre-game show, with Paul Finebaum, Marcus Spears and Tim Tebow, while also hosting ESPN's season-long women's basketball studio coverage including the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. In addition, Taylor is a game analyst on ESPN and SEC Network women's basketball and volleyball games.

Taylor said, "I am honored and excited to join the College GameDay and Saturday Night Football teams. I grew up watching GameDay and I have always been inspired by the new and innovative ways they entertain and inform college football fans. And I welcome a return to the sideline reporting role to cover the games that shape the college football landscape." Taylor added, "I know this would not have been possible without my colleagues at the SEC Network for teaching, encouraging, and supporting me over the last three years. I am grateful."

With Taylor's departure from SEC Nation, it was announced today that Laura Rutledge will be the new host each Saturday where she has served as reporter the past year. Rutledge will retain her role as host of the network's news & information show SEC Now outside of football season.