This season's ACC Friday Night Lineup

[Sean Miller Fan]

September 18: Florida State @ Boston College
September 25: Boise State @ Virginia
October 9: North Carolina State @ Virginia Tech
October 30: Louisville @ Wake Forest

- I believe the ACC/ESPN contract called for 4. Additionally, Syracuse opens up its season on a Friday against Rhode Island on ESPN3 but I'm sure that's not part of the contract. Also, the day after Thanksgiving Pitt/Miami game probably isn't part of it.

- A coup by ESPN to get FSU to play a Friday game. That may produce the network's highest rated Friday night game.

- Why does UVa play such difficult schedules? Their non-con this year is UCLA, ND, Boise, (and William & Mary).

- Non-Friday related. The Thursday, Oct 29 UNC @ Pitt game on ESPN goes head to head with WVU @ TCU on FS1. It'll be very interesting to see the TV ratings from those 2 games.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

In an attempt to shed a little light on how the ACC football schedule comes about, theacc.com posted a Q&A with Senior Associate Commissioner of Football Operations Michael Strickland. There's a lot of interesting nuggets in there, so well worth the read, but the one that stood out to me revolved around the ACC's Friday night deal with ESPN.

If you love Friday night ACC football, boy, are you in for a treat!


Q. There have been a handful of Friday night games in recent years involving ACC teams, and a couple more have been added this season. Is that something we can expect to continue moving forward?

In this and future seasons, we will play five Friday games, an increase from three in previous seasons. Playing in a limited inventory of specialty games on Monday, Thursday and Friday affords our programs an exclusive platform before a guaranteed primetime national audience to showcase their football and athletic programs, as well as the broader institution. They are highly valuable for a number of reasons, and certainly among them is the financial value those games create for the ACC and its member institutions to continue to meet the needs of our student-athletes.

When the ACC re-upped with ESPN back in 2012, the conference agreed to host three ACC games a year on Fridays and got a standing commitment from Boston College and Syracuse to host two of those three games. The third game would fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

In 2013, the first year of the deal, Boston College hosted Wake Forest, Pittsburgh hosted Miami and Syracuse, well, didn't. For whatever reason, SU got out of the whole Friday night deal and the ACC only staged two Friday games in 2013.

In 2014, Boston College hosted Pittsburgh, Syracuse hosted Louisville and Virginia Tech hosted Virginia on Black Friday. Syracuse also faced FCS Villanova in the season opener on Friday night, so perhaps this was a make-up for a 2013 schedule with no Friday dates (though the original agreement clearly stated Friday night ACC games).

That requirement has now increased to five games moving forward and starting in 2015:


Florida State at Boston College (Sep. 18)
Boise State at Virginia (Sep. 25)
N.C. State at Virginia Tech (Oct. 9)
Louisville at Wake Forest (Oct. 30)
Miami at Pittsburgh (Nov. 27)

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

In an attempt to shed a little light on how the ACC football schedule comes about, theacc.com posted a Q&A with Senior Associate Commissioner of Football Operations Michael Strickland. There's a lot of interesting nuggets in there, so well worth the read, but the one that stood out to me revolved around the ACC's Friday night deal with ESPN.

If you love Friday night ACC football, boy, are you in for a treat!


Q. There have been a handful of Friday night games in recent years involving ACC teams, and a couple more have been added this season. Is that something we can expect to continue moving forward?

In this and future seasons, we will play five Friday games, an increase from three in previous seasons. Playing in a limited inventory of specialty games on Monday, Thursday and Friday affords our programs an exclusive platform before a guaranteed primetime national audience to showcase their football and athletic programs, as well as the broader institution. They are highly valuable for a number of reasons, and certainly among them is the financial value those games create for the ACC and its member institutions to continue to meet the needs of our student-athletes.

When the ACC re-upped with ESPN back in 2012, the conference agreed to host three ACC games a year on Fridays and got a standing commitment from Boston College and Syracuse to host two of those three games. The third game would fall on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

In 2013, the first year of the deal, Boston College hosted Wake Forest, Pittsburgh hosted Miami and Syracuse, well, didn't. For whatever reason, SU got out of the whole Friday night deal and the ACC only staged two Friday games in 2013.

In 2014, Boston College hosted Pittsburgh, Syracuse hosted Louisville and Virginia Tech hosted Virginia on Black Friday. Syracuse also faced FCS Villanova in the season opener on Friday night, so perhaps this was a make-up for a 2013 schedule with no Friday dates (though the original agreement clearly stated Friday night ACC games).

That requirement has now increased to five games moving forward and starting in 2015:


Florida State at Boston College (Sep. 18)
Boise State at Virginia (Sep. 25)
N.C. State at Virginia Tech (Oct. 9)
Louisville at Wake Forest (Oct. 30)
Miami at Pittsburgh (Nov. 27)

Good find. So, it was 3, now its 5. I'm OK with that. I can't believe ESPN hasn't gotten more major conference games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Even a Vanderbilt-Miss St game on a Tuesday night would get massive ratings on ESPN or SECN, can you imagine? I think that day will come. Like it or not.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

I don't recall seeing that Q&A before. There's some good scheduling info.

 

[7Fielder]

That Q A was not accurate. Syracuse hosted Pitt on Friday night in 2013.

 

[rc79]

Pitt played at Syracuse two years in a row. The Friday game was in 2012.

 

[HailtoPitt]

- A coup by ESPN to get FSU to play a Friday game. That may produce the network's highest rated Friday night game.

Was it a coup, or did ESPN just say "FSU you are playing on Friday"?

 

[7Fielder]

Good call...

 

[Pitt is #1]

I'm not sure I'm crazy about Friday night games. It puts you against High School Football. I'd much rather see Thursday night's.

 

[TFloss]

I have no problem with Friday games on the road. They can't happen in

Good find. So, it was 3, now its 5. I'm OK with that. I can't believe ESPN hasn't gotten more major conference games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Even a Vanderbilt-Miss St game on a Tuesday night would get massive ratings on ESPN or SECN, can you imagine? I think that day will come. Like it or not.

Could you ever see the MAC scheduling Saturday morning games?

I know ESPN has Gameday, but could you imagine if they started MAC games at 8-9 o'clock on one of the sister stations? Mornings with the MAC. Brunch with the Belt. As a Pitt fan would you rather play on a Tuesday at 8PM or a Saturday at 8AM? This is basically your dilemma if you are a MAC fan. I think both are interesting.

Wednesday is going to start getting more games since the NFL moved to Thursday.

 

[7Fielder]

Friday night games are terrible in a football hotbed but I have no problem with BC or Syracuse hosting a few... gives me something to watch on a Friday night. Especially now that I have a toddler and have no life.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

I agree and alot of people also agree with you as the Fri tv ratings keep going up.

 

[pitt-girl]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend always has televised football games during the day, right? Plus all high school regular season football has wrapped up by that time. My point is that the Pitt game on Friday night this year is in a pretty good slot.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend always has televised football games during the day, right? Plus all high school regular season football has wrapped up by that time. My point is that the Pitt game on Friday night this year is in a pretty good slot.

Yes, for most, that is a prime tv spot.
Not as much for fans attending I guess with the holiday and students are home.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I have no problem with Friday games on the road. They can't happen in


Could you ever see the MAC scheduling Saturday morning games?

I know ESPN has Gameday, but could you imagine if they started MAC games at 8-9 o'clock on one of the sister stations? Mornings with the MAC. Brunch with the Belt. As a Pitt fan would you rather play on a Tuesday at 8PM or a Saturday at 8AM? This is basically your dilemma if you are a MAC fan. I think both are interesting.

Wednesday is going to start getting more games since the NFL moved to Thursday.

College football is just such profitable television that I cant believe its taking so long for ESPN2 or ESPNU to come out with a Saturday morning, 9AM package for G5 schools. To be honest, those would be some of the games I watch the most since I'm up at that time with the kids anyway and it wouldnt conflict with Pitt's schedule. So I'd be more likely to watch Toledo/Central Michigan at 9AM than Alabama/LSU at 9PM, that's just me though.

I think the expansion of time slots for G5 and Power 5 conferences is inevitable. The ACC is the only league that doesn't play 11AM local time games. I think that'll eventually change, especially if we get a network. I could see P5 schools playing as early as 10AM to fit more games in.

And I do think you'll see more Wednesday and Friday night P5 games. HS football is nice but not as many people go to those games as its made seem. We may not like to host VT on a Wednesday night but a game like that would get such high ratings, that I think eventually the leagues are going to cave to ESPN and do it..........not until the next contracts though.

 

[7Fielder]

College football is just such profitable television that I cant believe its taking so long for ESPN2 or ESPNU to come out with a Saturday morning, 9AM package for G5 schools. To be honest, those would be some of the games I watch the most since I'm up at that time with the kids anyway and it wouldnt conflict with Pitt's schedule. So I'd be more likely to watch Toledo/Central Michigan at 9AM than Alabama/LSU at 9PM, that's just me though.

I think the expansion of time slots for G5 and Power 5 conferences is inevitable. The ACC is the only league that doesn't play 11AM local time games. I think that'll eventually change, especially if we get a network. I could see P5 schools playing as early as 10AM to fit more games in.

And I do think you'll see more Wednesday and Friday night P5 games. HS football is nice but not as many people go to those games as its made seem. We may not like to host VT on a Wednesday night but a game like that would get such high ratings, that I think eventually the leagues are going to cave to ESPN and do it..........not until the next contracts though.

They do in Texas though... they build Roman Coleseums down there for HS football.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

They do in Texas though... they build Roman Coleseums down there for HS football.

Yea, but even then, I think Houston/SMU would outdraw an Allen/Permian game and the national TV ratings for Houston/SMU would trounce Allen/Permian.