I certainly may be wrong, but it looks like Mizzou already has more prime time games scheduled for TV than we had in the Big 12 over several seasons.
The Southeastern Conference has taken the cover off the early-season football schedule and there are some dandy games mixed in amongst the usual flotsam. All times are Eastern and the “SEC Network” remains the league’s syndicated package of games, for now:
Week One
8/30 (Thursday), ESPN, 7:00pm — South Carolina at Vanderbilt
A great early-season “prove it” game for both squads
8/30 (Thursday), ESPNU, 7:30pm — Texas A&M vs Louisiana Tech at Shreveport, LA
La. Tech might have a blah name, but this will be a challenge for Kevin Sumlin in his opener
8/31 (Friday), ESPNU, 7:30pm — Tennessee vs NC State at Atlanta, GA
Recruits will be playing, not watching… but this features two teams that should be improved in 2012
9/1, SEC Network, 12:21pm — Buffalo at Georgia
Yawn
9/1, ESPN, 7:00pm — Auburn vs Clemson at Atlanta, GA
These two played a high-scoring game last season
9/1, ESPNU, 7:00pm — North Texas at LSU
Yawn
9/1, FSN, 7:00pm — Jackson State at Mississippi State
Yawn
9/1, ABC, 8:00pm — Alabama vs Michigan at Arlington, TX
The biggest game Week One game in the country
9/1, PPV, 7:00pm — Central Arkansas at Ole Miss
Rebel fans will have to pay to see Hugh Freeze debut
9/1, PPV, TBA — Jacksonville State at Arkansas
Ditto Hog fans with John L. Smith’s debut
9/1, PPV, 7:00pm — Southeastern Louisiana at Missouri
Mizzou fans will have to pay, too
9/2 (Sunday), ESPN, 3:30pm — Kentucky at Louisville
This one will have big implications for Joker Phillips’ job status
Week Two
9/8, ESPN, 12:00pm — Auburn at Mississippi State
These two played a barn-burner last year
9/8, SEC Network, 12:21pm — East Carolina at South Carolina
ECU fans campaigned for SEC inclusion… now they get a taste
9/8, ESPN, 3:30pm — Florida at Texas A&M
Here we go… Kyle Field will be wild as ex-Texas assistant Will Muschamp is SEC Foe #1 for the Aggies
9/8, SEC Network, 3:39pm — Western Kentucky at Alabama
Yawn
9/8, ESPN, 7:00pm — Washington at LSU
A good intersectional matchup between one great program and one that’s getting better
9/8, FSN, 7:00pm — UTEP at Ole Miss
Ex-Bama coach for a blink (and a drink) Mike Price finally visits an SEC West opponent
9/8, ESPNU, 7:00pm — Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas at Little Rock, AR
Yawn
9/8, CSS, 7:30pm — Kent State at Kentucky
A riveting matchup of national importance… and that opinion has nothing to do with my weekly work on CSS
9/8, ESPN2, 7:45pm — Georgia at Missouri
UGA will come in shorthanded and Tiger fans will be crazed with SEC Fever… this won’t be as easy as for the Dawgs as some seem to think
9/8, Big Ten Network, 8:00pm — Vanderbilt at Northwestern
Here’s guessing Big Ten commish Jim Delany loves forcing SEC fans to watch his network
9/8, PPV, TBA — Georgia State at Tennessee
Pay to yawn
Week Three
9/15, SEC Network, 12:21pm — Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn
Yawn
9/15, CSS, 12:30pm — Presbyterian at Vanderbilt
What… Episcopalian was busy?
9/15, CBS, 3:30pm — Alabama at Arkansas
The first CBS “Game of the Week” and it’s a doozy… for Bama’s title hopes and John L. Smith’s job hopes
9/15, FSN, 3:30pm — Texas A&M at SMU
Two old Southwest Conference rivals get together
9/15, ESPN, 6:00pm — Florida at Tennessee
How the mighty have fallen… UF and UT won’t open CBS’s SEC coverage for the first time since the Earth cooled
9/15, ESPN2, 7:00pm — Arizona State at Missouri
A good intersectional matchup… more SEC versus Pac-12 games, please
9/15, ESPNU, 7:00pm — Western Kentucky at Kentucky
Yawn
9/15, FSN, 7:00pm — UAB at South Carolina
Yawn
9/15, ESPN3, 7:00pm — Mississippi State at Troy
An internet-only broadcast… ouch
9/15, CSS, 7:30pm — Florida Atlantic at Georgia
Exciting college football action… and again, this has nothing to do with those CSS checks I like cashing
9/15, PPV, 8:00pm — Idaho at LSU
Bet the Vandals will hear a lot of that “Chinese Bandits” theme
9/15, ESPN, 9:15pm — Texas at Ole Miss
The Rebels may get crushed, but at least they’re playing a name foe on actual television
Others Already on the Schedule
9/22, FSN, 12:00pm — Ole Miss at Tulane
10/27, CBS, 3:30pm — Georgia vs Florida at Jacksonville, FL
11/3, CBS, 3:30pm — Doubleheader Game 1
11/3, CBS, 8:00pm — Doubleheader Game 2: Alabama at LSU
11/10, CBS, 12:00pm — Doubleheader Game 1
11/10, CBS, 3:30pm — Doubleheader Game 2
11/23 (Friday), CBS, 2:30pm — LSU at Arkansas
12/1, CBS, 4:00pm — SEC Championship Game at Atlanta, GA
