Monaghan beat Down to secure quarter-final spot
It was a winner-takes-all shootout in Group Three in Armagh as the sides were level on four points heading into the final fixture.
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Down held a narrow 1-15 to 1-14 lead at the break as John McGeough and Michael Bannigan exchanged first-half goals.
There was little to split the sides throughout the contest, but McCarron's goal was crucial as Monaghan moved clear in the final quarter to book their place in the last eight.
Down will go into the preliminary quarter-final after the defeat, and they will be joined by Leinster champions Louth, who defeated Clare by 2-17 to 2-14 to progress.
Monaghan held a three-point lead in the early stages but Down drew level when McGeough netted after being found by Ryan McEvoy.
In a role reversal, Down edged into a three-point lead after a flurry of points before Bannigan struck in the 31st minute to level the contest.
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Down again moved three points clear as the clock ticked towards half-time, but Rory Beggan's two-pointer reduced the lead at the interval.
The end-to-end nature continued before Pat Havern's 11th point of the game moved Conor Laverty's side four points clear.
However, Monaghan grabbed their second goal 14 minutes into the second half in scrappy circumstances when Conor McCarthy was denied by Ronan Burns, Bannigan hit the post from the rebound but the ball fell kindly to McCarron, who was able to fire into the unguarded net.
Neither side could find clear daylight until McCarron, Bannigan, Ryan O'Toole and Beggan's two-pointer moved Gabriel Bannigan's side five points clear heading into injury-time, which was enough to help Monaghan over the line and into the last eight.
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New York Times
13 hours ago
- New York Times
Why is Iowa State-Kansas State in Ireland? How ‘Farm O' Geddon' went international
The first time a Kansas State-Iowa State football game was referred to as 'Farmageddon' was the summer before their 2009 neutral-site matchup at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. Two years ago, the nickname morphed into 'Snowmageddon' when six inches of snow fell during a 42-35 Cyclones win in Manhattan, Kan. Last November, 20-degree temperatures and brisk wind turned Ames, Iowa, into Frozen Farmageddon, and the Cyclones' victory sent them to the conference title game. Advertisement This week, one of the great rivalry series nicknames gets yet another temporary makeover: Farm O'Geddon. With Dublin's Aviva Stadium serving as the backdrop for the 2025 college football season kickoff, the two Big 12 title contenders will open the season on Saturday in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Ireland has leaned into early-season college football as a way to attract tourists from the U.S. What once was an occasional event involving Notre Dame and teams from the eastern United States — capitalizing on a special international game exemption to NCAA rule 17.11.4, which forbids teams from kicking off their seasons any earlier than the Thursday before Labor Day — has become an annual opener as the showcase game of Week 0. It's the fourth consecutive year the Emerald Isle has staged a college football game, and there are additional ones scheduled through 2027. But before Kansas State and Iowa State lock helmets for the 109th consecutive year, it's important to note none of the 10 previous Ireland games featured a rivalry like this or two ranked opponents. The No. 17 Wildcats and No. 22 Cyclones combined for 20 wins last season and feature two of the league's best quarterbacks in Avery Johnson (Kansas State) and Rocco Becht (Iowa State). So how did a rivalry with such historic importance end up as a neutral-site battle, with Kansas State giving up home-field advantage? It boils down to one person saying yes: K-State coach Chris Klieman. 'We had reservations about taking a home game out of our community and our economy,' Klieman said. 'But just talking to our athletic director (Gene Taylor), it just gave our kids an opportunity. There's (110 players) on the roster that are going to get a chance to go abroad.' But the idea traveled a long way before Klieman had his chance to bless this trip overseas. With one of the better traveling fan bases and a home attendance that has exceeded 50,000 in 85 consecutive games, Iowa State was a natural target for game organizers. In 2022, Aer Lingus staff approached Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard about moving a 2025 Big 12 game to Dublin. But the Cyclones have only four conference home games this season and six overall. Moving one to a neutral site would not only impact Iowa State competitively but also deal a blow to the Ames economy. Pollard politely declined. Advertisement 'For us to be the home game, it just didn't work,' Pollard said. 'But we wanted to be part of it, and so we offered to be part of it as the visitor. We just had to find the right team to give up a home game.' The Cyclones' 2025 road schedule included trips to Cincinnati, Colorado, TCU, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Game organizer John Anthony had approached Taylor previously about playing in Ireland, but the Wildcats had no interest in an early-season contest not involving another power-conference squad. At an athletic directors convention in 2022, Anthony met with Taylor again and asked if he'd consider shifting Farmageddon to Dublin. 'I'm like, 'What?'' Taylor said. 'He goes, 'Would you think the Big 12 would move it?' I said, 'There's no way Klieman is moving the Iowa State game to a neutral site in Ireland.' And he said, 'Would you just ask?'' Anthony brought his staff to Manhattan for a presentation. Taylor and Klieman went over the details, and the coach polled his colleagues at Northwestern and Nebraska, which played in Dublin in 2022. The feedback was encouraging. One of the coaches called it 'the greatest experience their kids have ever had.' That sealed it for Klieman. 'Chris came down to my office, and said, 'Let's do it,'' Taylor said. 'I was shocked, literally, because of the importance of the game. It's a conference game. It's the first game of the year. I didn't think he'd do it.' Iowa State and Kansas State pull together multi-day road trips almost every December for bowl games. This one is different in both vibe and process. For road trips or bowl games, the teams usually load their equipment into a semi-truck and haul it wherever it needs to go. In this case, they had to prepare a cargo jet well in advance to fly their equipment to Dublin. On most road trips, teams pack gameday helmets and shoulder pads in the truck. This time, those items, in addition to knee braces and cleats, will travel with the players. Advertisement 'It's kind of like a bowl game, kind of not like a bowl game,' Iowa State associate athletic director for football Greg Brabenec said. 'I've had a year and a half to plan. Where a bowl game, you have like 10 days to plan. So that's one major difference.' As the home team, Kansas State was more involved, with a February visit that included a tour of the hotel, stadium, practice field and airport. Aer Lingus provides the team planes, which will fly Iowa State from Des Moines (40 miles) and K-State from Kansas City (130 miles). Unlike other charters, the players will go through the airport's main terminal and, of course, customs. There's also the challenge of dealing with passports for the entire team. That process began a year ago. 'For the players who did not already have passports — about 50 percent of the roster — we scheduled individual appointments in January and February to complete and submit their applications,' said Kacey Feldkamp, Kansas State's director of football operations. This is night before your packing list due for your overseas trip where they pickup your equipment week + before the game. — K-State Equipment (@KStateSWAG) August 1, 2025 The teams are scheduled to fly out Wednesday and will return Sunday morning. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell spoke with Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and New England's Mike Vrabel about the logistics. Campbell compared this trip to what the Eagles experienced last September in traveling to Brazil for the season opener. The Iowa State staff spoke with nutritionists and sports science professionals about not only preparing for this game but returning to a regular-season routine the following week. Klieman and his wife went on the Ireland trip in February, which he called 'a great opportunity.' Campbell echoed that sentiment: 'You're very honored to play in this game. It just makes it a really unique opportunity.' Each fan base has bought more than 10,000 tickets for what will be the Cyclones' first international trip and Wildcats' first since 1992. Kansas State's helmets feature a unique 'Celtic' design to commemorate the trip. Iowa State chose to wear traditional road attire with cardinal helmets and pants rather than spend $75,000 for a special jersey. Fan requests for the Cyclones to add a fourth color were rejected for non-monetary reasons. 'They can pick yellow uniforms or Coach Campbell,' Brabenec said. 'You can't have both.' See you in 15 days @kstatesports — Iowa State Athletics (@CycloneATH) August 8, 2025 Jokes may surface on Saturday that the proud land-grant institutions now will include potatoes or clover as staple crops alongside corn and wheat. But when the rivals kick off at noon ET, there's plenty at stake. The winner will certainly remain ranked and likely become the Big 12 frontrunner. Ultimately, there's nothing more important than victory. 'Eighteen months ago, this is the greatest thing,' Klieman said. 'Now it's coming up on us pretty fast.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
13 hours ago
- New York Times
Mandel's Mailbag: Wrapping up the Michigan scandal and Week 0 Big 12 stakes
Are you ready for some football? Good, because on Saturday, we have a Week 0 big-network tripleheader. Noon ET on ESPN: No. 17 Kansas State vs. No. 22 Iowa State in Ireland 6:30 ET on Fox: Fresno State at Kansas 7:30 ET on CBS: Stanford at Hawaii But first, let's put a bow on the whole Michigan-NCAA thing. (Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.) Advertisement With Michigan's light-tap-on-the-wrist 'penalty,' why don't more major programs just cheat and dare the NCAA to do anything about it? — Mia-Do' A Call me crazy, but I don't consider a $30 million-plus fine to be a tap on the wrist. In fact, if you gave Michigan AD Warde Manuel truth serum, he'd probably tell you he'd rather be banned from the Citrus Bowl this year than add that considerable expense to an athletic department already projecting a $15 million deficit in the first year of revenue sharing. But I get it. If you're someone who wanted blood over the sign-stealing scandal, you've been conditioned for decades to expect postseason bans and vacated wins when a school gets in trouble. Personally, I'm glad the membership has finally realized that the people most affected by postseason bans are athletes who weren't even on the team at that time and had nothing to do with the infractions. Some of the players on the 2010 and '11 USC teams who got banned over Reggie Bush's extra benefits were in junior high when Bush played there. Which is why USC fans — and Ohio State fans, and Miami fans, and any other fan base that suffered through a postseason ban — may be furious Michigan didn't get one. However, even though I think an eight-figure fine is plenty punitive, it's not exactly a deterrent. That money is not coming out of Jim Harbaugh's, Sherrone Moore's or Connor Stalions' pockets. And generally speaking, it's not 'programs' that cheat, it's individuals. I wonder how differently this would all feel if Harbaugh weren't already long gone to the NFL. The guy is effectively banned from college coaching for 14 years. That's unheard of. In this case, it doesn't matter because the guy wasn't coming back to college regardless. But if this were a college-only guy (Dabo Swinney, Kalen DeBoer, Josh Heupel) or someone still early in their career (Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Kenny Dillingham), it would be devastating for them. Advertisement As for Stalions himself, if you read that report, he is the clumsiest saboteur since the 'Home Alone' burglars. I can't say his eight-year show cause will be a deterrent to fellow GAs and analysts as much as it will be comical reading material around their offices. Stewart, why can't Michigan's fans understand why we all think they have no integrity left anymore? They all claim to be so much better than every other team when they obviously aren't. Signed, your friends in SEC country. — Bob D. No idea what you're talking about, Bob. Haven't most Michigan fans accepted the punishment and expressed ample disappointment in the stain this story brought on their university? Do you and The Athletic refer to the Michigan 'situation' as the sign-stealing scandal to sensationalize and draw engagement, or because it is easy (and a bit lazy)? — Todd D. Oh, I see. Several prominent coaches have the 'can't win the big game' label, like James Franklin. However, it would seem that if you keep getting close consistently, you eventually break through (e.g. Ryan Day last year). Tom Osborne couldn't win the big game … until he did. Now we only remember the dominance and the titles. Are there any coaches who have consistently had winning top-10 programs yet never broken through? — Cullen The first guy that comes to mind in my time covering the sport was Georgia's Mark Richt. For most of his 15 seasons (2001-15), you could count on the Dawgs to field a top-10 team and compete for SEC titles. However, they never climbed that last rung to the national title game and suffered some pretty bad luck along the way. The 2002 team went 13-1, but it just so happened Miami and Ohio State were undefeated. In 2007, they were No. 4 heading into championship Saturday. No. 1 and No. 2 both lost, but they got passed by LSU when the Tigers won the SEC title game. And in the 2012 SEC championship game, they were four yards and six seconds short against Alabama from advancing to the BCS title game and playing overmatched Notre Dame. Advertisement Most of all, his bad luck was that only two teams reached the 'playoff' back then. Contrast that with successor Kirby Smart, who began his tenure with a 'can't win the big one' run, specifically with Nick Saban and Alabama. There was a second-and-26 in the 2017 national title game, the infamous Justin Fields fake punt in the next year's SEC title game, a blowout loss in 2020 and the inexplicable 2021 SEC title game meltdown. Then the Dawgs won the rematch, and all anyone mentions about Smart now is the back-to-back championships. (And lots and lots of player arrests.) I do believe the 'getting close consistently' theory is correct. Franklin is a particularly extreme case, though, as his big-game record is truly atrocious (1-15 against top-five teams), and even with five top-10 finishes in 11 seasons, even after reaching the CFP semifinals last year, it doesn't feel like he's come close to the top yet. The Nittany Lions have been consistent, but not dominant. However, in most, if not all, of those top-10 losses, he did not have the better team. Simple as that. This year, he may well have the best team in the country. How does a Farmageddon loss this weekend shape either Iowa State's or Kansas State's season outlook? — Jon S. It'd be bad! We're only one season in the expanded CFP era, but I think you can assume for now that anyone other than the Big 12 champ is going to face tall odds to be a CFP participant. The loser of this game will not have the same margin for error as the losers of Texas-Ohio State or LSU-Clemson. An 8-1 Big 12 record likely gets you to Arlington, but it's asking a lot to win eight straight in a conference with more parity than any of the other P4 leagues. However, you could also have a situation like last year, where everyone goes 7-2 and it's tiebreakers galore. Advertisement I've noticed over the years that these big Week 0 games tend to foreshadow the rest of the teams' seasons. Nebraska's season-opening loss to Illinois in 2021 was the moment you began to realize, this isn't getting better, is it? And the 2022 loss to Northwestern, coupled with a Week 2 loss to Georgia Southern, led to Scott Frost's firing. (That was also Pat Fitzgerald's last Big Ten win at Northwestern before he, too, was fired the following offseason amid a hazing scandal.) In 2023, Sam Hartman threw it all over Navy in his Notre Dame debut. The Irish went 10-3, the Midshipmen 5-7. And Georgia Tech running all over Florida State last year was the most telling Week 0 precursor yet. Doubtful either Matt Campbell or Chris Klieman will lose their job anytime soon, but they need this win. And whoever loses might become a bit nervous about the rest of the season. The coverage of Michigan's sign-stealing scandal has been bad journalism all around. Michigan has been the victim of at least two known instances where their previous week's opponent deciphered all of their signals by game's end and then handed that information over to the next opponent. On a scale of 1 to 10 in the cheating department, this is a 10, and what Michigan did is a 3. — Adam L. Oh, those poor victims. Will no one think of the innocent children whose signs were stolen? Which do you think is the most likely reason for the Big Ten/Tony Petitti pivoting to their new proposed 28-team Playoff? A. They think it's the best way to maximize revenue. B. It's a ploy to make the original 16-team proposal seem better or C. Spite for everyone making fun of him for his last proposal. — Tyler S. At this point, I'm beginning to think it's D: Petitti is making his own elaborate Borat-style troll documentary and we're all unwitting subjects in it. Behind the scenes, folks are insistent this latest version is just an 'idea,' not a formal proposal. However, many important people around the sport are still ticked about it, given that they found out through the media and the entire operation looks buffoonish by association. 'We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall,' a CFP executive told CBS Sports. Advertisement Somehow, the lesson Petitti took from the 4-4-2-2-1 backlash wasn't 'people hate the idea of predetermined Playoff berths'; it's 'maybe they'd accept it if we just gave out more of them.' Rather than 'Jeez, people aren't as fired up about play-in games as I thought they'd be,' it's 'OK then, what if we just did more of them?' Whatever his motives, it's clear Petitti views college football not as a fixer-upper but a full-on teardown project. Where most of us see a wonderfully unique and charming home with room for improvement, Petitti sees an archaic structure in desperate need of a refresh. The same guy who put the final nail in the Pac-12's coffin would apparently be fine doing the same to the 120-plus-year tradition of bowl games. Bye-bye, college football. Hello, NFL Junior. To be clear, he's not on a total island. There are pockets of ADs and coaches around the country, including in the SEC, that quietly love the idea of their 8-4/7-5-type programs becoming annual CFP contenders. They likely assume there's a golden pot of TV revenue waiting for them as well. (In reality, TV doesn't want this, either.) Fortunately, there are far more people in important positions who don't want any part of this tomfoolery. Because they happen to think college football is pretty great as it is. Will you refund my subscription money? The Athletic CFB coverage is becoming an outrage click farm. Ironic that you are lambasting Michigan about lacking integrity. Surely it isn't lost on you. — Ian S. @Ian S.: Because the trending questions are all Michigan-related. Michigan has a huge fan base because it's a great school *and* the all-time winningest program, so anything Michigan-related gets eyeballs and anti-UM outrage provokes engagement. Stew's strategy is Internet Trolling 101. —Steve S. Stew's strategy is to write about the topics readers care about most. And the readers have universally told me, 'It's not the sloppy espionage and the cover-ups that interest me about this Michigan story; it's their academic reputation and all their wins from 1902.' In the last 40 years, no coach has gone more than six years between two national titles (Barry Switzer is the last coach to do so, winning his third title in 1985 after winning his second a decade earlier). Dabo Swinney last won a title in 2018. Has his window closed? — Brian I think so. But many, many people disagree. Advertisement It feels like the entire narrative around Clemson's program has shifted over the past eight months, starting with, strangely, a two-touchdown loss to Texas in the CFP first round. The Tigers head into this season with the sixth-best odds to win the national championship, and they got the second-most votes in The Athletic's staff survey predictions behind only Texas. While that wasn't my vote (I cast one of the three Penn State ballots), I did have Clemson No. 3 in my post-spring Top 25. That was because Dabo has more high-level players returning than at any time since the last Trevor Lawrence-Travis Etienne team in 2020. Quarterback Cade Klubnik, receiver Antonio Williams, defensive linemen T.J. Parker and Peter Woods and cornerback Avieon Terrell are all projected first-round picks. And new defensive coordinator Tom Allen should be a big upgrade from Wes Goodwin. But once it came time to make 'official' picks, I backed off a little. I picked the Tigers to win the ACC, but with an 11-2 record, including a home loss to LSU in the opener. Which would put them more like the low top 10. The main reason: What evidence has Clemson given us recently to suggest it can still compete at the highest level? Clemson got drilled by Georgia 34-3 to open last season. The Tigers went on to lose to two more SEC foes, South Carolina (17-14) and Texas (38-24). To their credit, the Tigers beat CFP team SMU in the ACC title game, but no one thought SMU could win the national championship. Over the past four seasons, Clemson has had one 'big' non-conference win: at home against Notre Dame in 2023. And as those struggles mounted, many others and I criticized Dabo for stubbornly steering clear of the transfer portal. He relented a little this offseason, landing a couple of possible key contributors, but his lineup will still be comprised almost entirely of homegrown guys
New York Times
15 hours ago
- New York Times
2025 college football broadcast info, streaming guide for Power conferences
It's back — the pageantry, the spectacle, all the way from Tightwad Hill down to Death Valley(s). College football begins its march through 2025 with Iowa State versus Kansas State in … Dublin? Rest assured, this year's TV schedule is vast, loaded and full of exceptions. The first three weeks are already set with broadcasters, as are a handful of headliner matchups later this fall. Week 4 (Sept. 20) is when networks can start toggling TV windows based on College Football Playoff gravity and in-season developments, with six- and 12-day windows to flex into before kickoff. It puts the most interesting, or consequential, games in front of the largest viewership. It also adds confusion to a process that's already quite confusing. Advertisement Here, we break down the 2025 broadcast rotation for each major conference. We'll worry about bowls and the Playoff once we get there. As it stands, the streaming situation is dissected as ever, and college football has packaged its many iconographies off to a long list of broadcast suitors. Consider this a refresher on the week's flow, or a review of the subscriptions you need. Make sure you're also following college football on The Athletic. Our Until Saturday newsletter is a banger all throughout the season, and our columnists are Heisman short-listers with the pen. All times listed below are ET and games are on Saturdays unless noted otherwise. We begin our voyage (voyage? voyage!) by selecting a base TV provider. Here are the most popular options that include conference networks, with pricing as of August 2025: CBS fell behind ABC when its competitor landed NCAA exclusivity in 1966. It wanted a way to break into college football, and the network found a groove as the SEC's television partner, which lasted until last season's conference shift to … ABC (and ESPN). That Longhorns fan muttering about Nietzsche was right after all. The SEC is ESPN's Saturday centerpiece now. 'ABC Saturday Night Football' is the conference marquee with a weekly 7:30 p.m. start. It's usually with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call, as Holly Rowe reports along the sideline. A typical SEC/ABC Saturday is blocked out as such: If there are multiple top-line matchups after sundown, well, one of them can just slide over to ESPN in the 6-8 p.m. range. All the other games go to ESPN's many tributaries (ESPN2, ESPNU, etc.) or the SEC Network because ESPN is its parent company, naturally. Some of the lower-tier offerings will be digital exclusives to ESPN+ and SEC Network+ (Illinois State vs. Oklahoma, and Long Island vs. Florida are Week 1 examples). Ardent fans will need to 'plus' up for the entire slate. Advertisement That coincides with ESPN's direct-to-consumer (DTC) service, which launches Aug. 21. The unlimited DTC plan includes all of ESPN's linear networks and its digital streamers. That means both SEC Network and SEC Network+ are covered. Without the new service, you can still stream SEC Network or SEC Network+ on the ESPN app … but you need a TV plan login, rather than an ESPN+ one. Here's the 'SEC on ABC' lineup so far. The later weeks will fill out in time. Week 1 (Aug. 30) Syracuse vs. Tennessee, noon (neutral site) Alabama @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m. LSU @ Clemson, 7:30 p.m. Week 2 (Sept. 6) San Jose State @ Texas, noon (ABC or ESPN) Ole Miss @ Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. Michigan @ Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. Week 3 (Sept. 13) Wisconsin @ Alabama, noon (ABC or ESPN) Georgia @ Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. Florida @ LSU, 7:30 p.m. Week 5 (Sept. 27) Notre Dame @ Arkansas, noon Alabama @ Georgia, 7:30 p.m. Week 6 (Oct. 4) Kentucky @ Georgia, noon (ABC or ESPN) Week 7 (Oct. 11) Alabama @ Missouri, noon (ABC or ESPN) Oklahoma vs. Texas, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site, ABC or ESPN) Week 10 (Nov. 1) Vanderbilt @ Texas, noon (ABC or ESPN) Georgia vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site) Week 11 (Nov. 8) Georgia @ Mississippi State, noon (ABC or ESPN) Week 13 (Nov. 22) Missouri @ Oklahoma, noon (ABC or ESPN) Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Black Friday: Ole Miss @ Mississippi State, noon (ABC or ESPN) Black Friday: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. (neutral site) Black Friday: Texas A&M @ Texas, 7:30 p.m. Clemson @ South Carolina, noon (ABC or ESPN) What you'll need to watch: Fox, CBS, NBC, Big Ten Network So, CBS' friendship ended with the SEC. The Big Ten is now their best friend. Well, they share their best friend with two other competitors, and secure times to hang out through an eight-hour, in-person draft. According to the current contract, which runs through 2029, Fox gets to claim the first three games off the Big Ten schedule (that's where Michigan-Ohio State keeps falling). CBS and NBC are both guaranteed three of the top 11 picks, and those two alternate on the fourth pick each year. Needlessly complicated? Wonky pastime? Who is to say. Advertisement Seven of the conference's 18 opening games are on Big Ten Network (BTN). By comparison, there are six on the Fox networks (two on Fox and four on FS1), two on the NBC networks (the main channel and Peacock) and one on CBS … plus two on ESPN networks, because Nebraska is opening against Cincinnati (Big 12) and Northwestern is at Tulane (American). Things settle down a bit once conference play starts, but still, what a headache. In general, think: The CBS lead broadcast team puts Brad Nessler on the call, Gary Danielson on color and Jenny Dell on sideline. Danielson is set to retire after 2025 and will be replaced by Charles Davis. Fox has the Big Ten championship game this year, as well as the annual Buckeyes-Wolverines melee. The inimitable Gus Johnson does Fox's 'Big Noon Saturday' game with Colorado lifer Joel Klatt; Jason Benetti, Tim Brando and several others round out the play-by-play rotation. Fox's new all-in-one subscription, called Fox One, also launches Aug. 21. That unlimited plan has Fox, FS1, FS2 and the Big Ten Network. When NBC has the evening game, expect to hear Noah Eagle (son of Ian). Also expect to hear national champion-turned-analyst Todd Blackledge, reporter (and Rutgers alum) Kathryn Tappen … and this late-career Fall Out Boy song commissioned for 'Big Ten Saturday Night.' Like the SEC, the Big Ten has a few digital exclusives. Peacock has listed four of those so far, including Western Illinois at Illinois in Week 1. Here's what the Big Ten network schedule looks like so far: Week 1 (Aug. 28-30) Thursday: Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site; designated home team is Big 12) Texas @ Ohio State, noon on Fox Nevada @ Penn State, 3:30 p.m. on CBS New Mexico @ Michigan, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Utah @ UCLA, 11 p.m. on Fox Week 2 (Sept. 6) Iowa @ Iowa State, noon on Fox Illinois @ Duke, noon on ABC or ESPN (home team is ACC) Oklahoma State @ Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS Boston College @ Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Michigan @ Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC (home team is SEC) Advertisement Week 3 (Sept. 13) Oregon @ Northwestern, noon on Fox Wisconsin @ Alabama, noon on ABC or ESPN (home team is SEC) USC @ Purdue, 3:30 p.m. on CBS Minnesota @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN (home team is ACC) Week 4 (Sept. 19-20) Friday: Iowa @ Rutgers, 8 p.m. on Fox Purdue @ Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. on NBC Michigan @ Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. on CBS Washington @ Washington State, 7:30 p.m. on CBS Week 5 (Sept. 27) Oregon @ Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Week 8 (Oct. 17-18) Friday: Nebraska @ Minnesota, 8 p.m. on Fox USC @ Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Week 11 (Nov. 7-8) Friday: Northwestern @ USC, 9 p.m. on Fox Week 12 (Nov. 14-15) Friday: Minnesota @ Oregon, 9 p.m. on Fox Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Black Friday: Iowa @ Nebraska, noon on CBS Black Friday: Indiana @ Purdue, 7:30 p.m. on NBC Ohio State @ Michigan, noon on Fox What you'll need to watch: ABC, ACC Network, ESPN, The CW The ACC's television setup is similar to the SEC's — four giant red letters stamped atop it. ABC-ESPN for the prime-time games, ACC Network for the others. Yes, ESPN is the parent company here. This year's ACC schedule includes its annual Labor Day Monday (TCU at North Carolina) and 12 Friday games, the most of any conference. Wes Durham does play-by-play for both ACCN and ESPN, anchoring the latter's 'ACC Primetime Football' block. He used to call Georgia Tech games on the radio, and his father Woody was the 'Voice of the Tar Heels.' Durham is flanked by Tom Luginbill and Dana Boyle. ACC Network overflow goes to ACC Network Extra, the digital-only alternate channel. Again, because it's a jumble: You can watch ACC Network/ACCNX with ESPN DTC, or on ESPN's app by using cable/streaming provider credentials. And then there's The CW. Against all odds, yeah … that The CW. The Saturday ACC call over there is Thom Brennaman. Against all odds, yup … that Thom Brennaman. Will Blackmon, Boston College alum, joins for analysis. Advertisement Here's the ACC's schedule for national TV and ESPN: 'Week 0' (Aug. 23) Stanford @ Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. on CBS (home team is Mountain West) Week 1 (Aug. 29-Sept. 1) Friday: Georgia Tech @ Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN Syracuse vs. Tennessee, noon on ABC (neutral site) Alabama @ Florida State, 3:30 p.m. on ABC LSU @ Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ABC California @ Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Sunday: Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina, 3 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site) Sunday: Notre Dame @ Miami, 7:30 p.m. on ABC Monday (Labor Day): TCU @ North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 2 (Sept. 6) Illinois @ Duke, noon on ABC or ESPN Baylor at SMU, noon on The CW Boston College @ Michigan State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC (home team is Big Ten) Stanford @ BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN Week 3 (Sept. 11-13) Thursday: NC State @ Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Clemson @ Georgia Tech, noon on ABC or ESPN Pitt @ West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN South Florida @ Miami, 4:30 p.m. on The CW Minnesota @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 5 (Sept. 26-27) Friday: Florida State @ Virginia, 7 p.m. on ESPN Week 7 (Oct. 11) Wake Forest @ Oregon State, 3:30 p.m. on The CW Week 8 (Oct. 17-18) Friday: Louisville @ Miami, 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2 Friday: North Carolina @ California, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Washington State @ Virginia, 6:30 p.m. on The CW Florida State @ Stanford, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 9 (Oct. 24-25) Friday: California @ Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 10 (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) Friday (Halloween): North Carolina @ Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Week 12 (Nov. 14-15) Friday: Clemson @ Louisville, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 13 (Nov. 21-22) Friday: Florida State @ NC State, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Black Friday: Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. on ABC (neutral site) Clemson @ South Carolina, noon on ABC or ESPN What you'll need to watch ABC, ESPN, Fox, TNT Like the Big Ten, the Big 12 splits its games across three national TV partners. ESPN is omnipresent at this point, and Fox has been a broadcast partner since its 2012 media rights agreement. Of note here is TNT, which picks up 13 of the conference's best games. The network even has two first-round CFP games this winter (sublicensed from ESPN, why not?). Bring back 'Super Football Saturday Night' presentation next. Advertisement J.B. Long and Mike Golic Jr. are TNT's official Big 12 pairing, after working together last year on Mountain West football. Long has also been with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams since 2016; Golic is a Notre Dame guy. 'Week 0,' which still very much sounds like a failed sci-fi pilot, has the Big 12 exporting to Ireland. The Cyclones and Jayhawks open the 'Aer Lingus College Football Classic' on ESPN. This is what we know about the Big 12's opening weeks on national TV, ESPN and TNT. Most other games are on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, FS1 or FS2. 'Week 0' (Aug. 23) Iowa State vs. Kansas State, noon on ESPN (neutral site) Fresno State @ Kansas, 6:30 p.m. on Fox Week 1 (Aug. 28-Sept. 1) Thursday: Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m. on ESPN (neutral site) Friday: Georgia Tech @ Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN Friday: Auburn @ Baylor, 8 p.m. on Fox South Dakota @ Iowa State at 3:30 p.m on Fox Hawaii @ Arizona, 10:30 p.m. on TNT Utah @ UCLA, 11 p.m. on Fox Monday: TCU @ North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN Week 2 (Sept. 6) Kent State @ Texas Tech, noon on TNT Baylor @ SMU, noon on The CW (home team is ACC) Iowa @ Iowa State, noon on Fox Oklahoma State @ Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on CBS (home team is Big Ten) Delaware @ Colorado, 3:30 p.m. on Fox Army @ Kansas State, 7 p.m. on ESPN Stanford @ BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN Week 3 (Sept. 12-13) Friday: Colorado @ Houston, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Friday: Kansas State @ Arizona, 9 p.m. on Fox Oregon State @ Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m. on Fox Pitt @ West Virginia, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN Texas State @ Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. on TNT Week 4 (Sept. 19-20) Friday: Tulsa @ Oklahoma State, 7 p.m. on ESPN Week 5 (Sept. 26-27) Friday: TCU @ Arizona State, 9 p.m. on Fox Friday: Houston @ Oregon State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN BYU @ Colorado, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN Week 6 (Oct. 3-4) Friday: West Virginia @ BYU, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN Advertisement Week 14 (Nov. 28-29) Friday: Utah @ Kansas, noon on ABC or ESPN Friday: Arizona @ Arizona State, TBD on Fox Of particular note to Big 12ers, ESPN DTC and Fox One can be bundled together as of Oct. 2 for $39.99/month. What you'll need to watch The American Athletic Conference (AAC) has a TV rights deal with ESPN/ABC. Extra games fall to ESPNU, ESPN+. etc. The Sun Belt Conference also has an ESPN/ABC deal. Mid-American Conference (MAC) football is under that umbrella, too. The annual Army-Navy game is locked in at CBS Sports. That exclusivity runs through the 2038 season. Conference USA is split between CBS Sports ('tier one selection status' since 2022) and ESPN/ABC. The Mountain West Conference has its main deal split between CBS and Fox. The Fox Sports networks get 22 broadcasts this fall, CBSSN has 28 and CBS proper has three. The Pac-12 is back. It is indestructible. It is the 'Conference of Champions.' It … has two teams right now. Oregon State and Washington State are to be showcased across CBS Sports, The CW and ESPN this fall. There are 10 Pac-12 CW kickoffs scheduled so far. Notre Dame has its own situation set up at NBC. It's been that way since 1991. The latest extension to the media rights agreement keeps Fighting Irish home games there through 2029. Road games are determined by the host's conference. Freaks List 2025: Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith tops a list of 101 — Bruce Feldman Preseason Coaches Poll: Who's overranked and underrated in the top 25? — Scott Dochterman Who are the most important transfer portal additions for every Power 4 team? — Manny Navarro College football 2025 quarterback tiers: Ranking the FBS' projected starters from 1 to 136 — Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales What we learned from Netflix's SEC football documentary, 'Any Given Saturday' — Seth Emerson Advertisement College Football Playoff sleepers: 11 unranked dark-horse teams to watch — The Athletic College Football Staff Heisman Trophy Fantasy Draft: LaNorris Sellers, Jeremiyah Love and 30 more picks for NYC — The Athletic College Football Staff Streaming and odds/betting links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Jeremiah Smith: Alex Slitz / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
