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Monday, December 1, 2014

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Four Conference Championships, No. 12 Kansas State at No. 7 Baylor and FCS Second Round Action
Note: Release includes College Football Playoff Rankings released on November 25
contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com

ESPN’s college football game schedule for this week will include multiple contests involving teams that are currently in the discussion for one of the four spots in the inaugural College Football Playoff, highlighted by four conference championship games and No. 12 Kansas State at No. 7 Baylor in prime time. ESPN3 will also carry all eight of the NCAA Division I Football Championship (FCS) second-round contests. Highlights:

  • The Saturday night lineup on December 6 will include two key matchups: undefeated No. 3 Florida State vs. ACC Coastal Division champion No. 16 Georgia Tech in the 2014 Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Radio, and two-loss No. 12 Kansas State at one-loss No. 7 Baylor on ESPN at 7:45 p.m. Also on Saturday, ESPN2 will televise Louisiana Tech at No. 24 Marshall in the Conference USA Championship Game at noon.
  • ESPN2 and ESPN Radio will each carry a conference championship on Friday, Dec. 5: Pac-12 South Division champion No. 11 Arizona vs. one-loss No. 2 Oregon, whose only loss of the season was to Arizona, in the 2014 Pac-12 Championship Game at 9 p.m. on ESPN Radio and Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green in the 2014 Marathon MAC Football Championship on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

ESPN’s extensive season-long coverage of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) – nearly 200 games involving more than 90 FCS programs – will continue on Saturday, Dec. 6, with all eight second-round NCAA Division I Football Championship matchups on ESPN3. Every second-round matchup will also be available on ESPN GamePlan. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 will combine to carry the quarterfinals (Dec. 12-13), semifinals (Dec. 19-20) and Championship from Frisco, Texas (January 10).

Full Schedule: https://es.pn/1pIfTv2

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ESPN’s College GameDay Heads to Baylor
contact: Rachel.M.Siegal@ESPN.com

ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot – college football’s longest running and most celebrated pregame show – will make its first stop in Waco, Texas for the Big 12 showdown between selection committee-ranked No. 12 Kansas State and No. 7 Baylor on Saturday, Dec. 6. The weekly three-hour Emmy Award-winning show (Saturday 9 a.m.- noon ET) will originate from the Baylor campus.

Hosted by Chris Fowler, the GameDay team consists of analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack with reporting by Samantha Ponder, Tom Rinaldi, Scott Van Pelt, George Whitfield and Gene Wojciechowski.

 College GameDay nuggets:

  • Corso has never picked Baylor; a Baylor pick would represent the 52nd different team Lee has picked in a headgear game.
  • In the only College GameDay road show involving Baylor, Corso correctly picked Oklahoma State to upset Baylor (8 ½ point favorite) last year in Stillwater.
  • Baylor is the 64th different school to host GameDay on its campus. The previous 63 are 39-24 in their GameDay debut home game. All three debut hosts this year won their games – Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Harvard.
  • GameDay has been to three Week 15 games. Corso is 0-3 in those headgear picks. Last year Ohio State was upset by Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, in 2008 Florida rallied to beat Alabama in the SEC Championship and in 2001 Florida was upset at home by Tennessee.

Full Release:   https://es.pn/1zJdRKY

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Home Stretch for First College Football Playoff Rankings and Selections  
contact: Keri.A.Potts@espn.com

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will put forth its final regular-season rankings on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN during the half-hour College Football Playoff Top 25 show. Hosted by Rece Davis with analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Danny Kanell and David Pollack, viewers will get a look at the latest rankings heading into conference championship weekend.

ESPN’s College Football Playoff Selection Show on Sunday, Dec. 7, airing 12:30 – 3 p.m. (originally scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m.) will feature the announcement of the teams participating in the two Playoff Semifinals – the 2015 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual and the Allstate Sugar Bowl – within the first 30 minutes as well as extensive analysis and discussion. Additionally, teams selected for the other four New Year’s Six bowls (Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl, VIZIO Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl) will be announced by 3 p.m.

ESPN reached an exclusive 12-year agreement through 2026 with the College Football Playoff to televise the national championship game and semifinals, as well as the four bowl games that will be part of the rotation to host the semifinals. All games will be featured across ESPN platforms including ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV and via WatchESPN on computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox LIVE. Additionally, ESPN can distribute the matchups on ESPN Deportes and around the world via ESPN International.

Full Release:   https://es.pn/1ywTT6Q

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ESPN Radio: Pac-12 and ACC Championships
contact: tara.c.chozet@espn.com

ESPN Radio will have two conference championship matchups beginning Friday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. with the Pac-12 Championship game between Arizona and Oregon.  Bill Rosinski and David Norrie will call the game with reporter Joe Schad.  On Saturday, Dec. 6, Florida State will take on Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship game with Dave Flemming and Brock Huard describing the action with reporter Shannon Spake.  Also Saturday, ESPN Radio’s College GameDay, will broadcast live noon- 7 p.m. Saturday with host Matt Barrie and analysts Brad Edwards and Trevor Matich.

Full Release: https://es.pn/12k6uPb

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