Utah-USC game will be on Versus
by JazzyUte on Jun 1, 2011 4:20 PM MDT
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USC has announced that their game against Utah, the first ever Pac-12 game, will start at 5:30 Salt Lake time and air nationally on Versus.
I was hoping for ABC or at least ESPN, but it's obvious the network isn't convinced of Utah's prowess just yet - they're likely to have zero games on the World Wide Leader In Sports this upcoming season.
Of course, we're all very familiar with Versus, as the Mountain West Conference often aired its games on there since they struck a deal with the cable network back in 2006.
Utah's season opener last year against Pitt aired on Versus.
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Colorado Game Also Announced
It’ll be at 1:30 p.m. Mountain time on FSN.
Really makes the change to a Friday boggling. Why do it if it isn’t going to be on national tv, unless it was just to keep Colorado’s Black Friday streak alive.
I didn't get that change either
If they are moving the game from Sat to Fri, you’d think they’d do it so they could get a big national audience.
Yeah, the Utah-CU game will always be on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I'm guessing...
Maybe not ESPN this year – but next year and beyond, who knows.
But FSN is okay…if we’re not forced to the regional part of the network.
It may still be national
It depends on what other rivalry games are going on at the same time. We’ve been relegated to midday Saturday games for Big Game on FSN some years and it still came out as a national game.
If anything, the move from Saturday to Friday means you all will probably have less competition to go against as opposed to Friday night or any point Saturday.
I'm disappointed it wasn't picked up by FX
Or at least the national Fox timeslot, but at least it was a priority pick and technically it’s a national game. Not much satisfaction but it’s something. Had it fallen to the 12 day pick, more than likely it’s a local Fox broadcast picked up by 3-4 regions at best.
FX Showing games is independent of TV Deal
FX will begin broadcasting a minimum of 13 games during the upcoming football season from both Big 12, Pac-12 games, and Conference USA Games.
Just look at the release Pac-12 schedule so far: http://www.pac-10.org/News/tabid/863/Article/226324/Additional-Pac-12-2011-Football-Telecast-Windows-Announced.aspx?bg=/Portals/7/DigArticle/226324/WASH_Polk_Chris_2010-web.jpg
And you will see Nevada/Oregon is on FX, USC/Syracuse may be on FX, and that FX has quite a few spots already set aside.
Isn't
the BYU game on the evil 4 letter? Or did you mean conference games?
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Sorry, I meant conference games...
I’m guessing the Utah-Pitt game is on ESPN too (as in as well, not a misspelling of two…haha, though I guess it could be on ESPN 2 too).
Definitely Versus
As a home game under the MWC tv contract, it had to be on the Mtn, Versus, or CBS Sports. ESPN was not an option. That one was on Versus:
http://utahutes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/utah-m-footbl-sched.html
Disappointed
Hugely disappointed the Utah-SC game isn’t on ABC. For the past six months, I thought that was a lock.
However, it may have nothing to do with Utah’s newbie status. ABC is not showing ANY game on Sept. 10. It might be that ABC didn’t offer up that date due to other programming.
The reason this rationale works is because MINNESOTA @ USC is on ABC the week before. I have a hard time believing that ABC saw the Gophers as more of an appeal than Utah.
I thought it would be on ABC… not because we’re playing USC… but rather because it’s the first official Pac-12 game, matching the conference’s past (USC) with its present (Utah).
So much more interesting than Minnesota.
The difference is USC vs Utah has regional appeal
The USC vs Minnesota has more national appeal. Remember the networks make the picks not the conference and there are a whole lot of midwest views who want to watch one game. the other not so much. Oh and if USC is the Pac12 past, I highly doubt they would have been picked up for 11 of 12 games already.
by ev on Jun 2, 2011 9:14 AM MDT up reply actions
Glad to see you guys in the PAC...
but make no mistake about it, in the PAC 8/10/12, USC always has been, and always will be the predominant team & market that the rest of the nation wants to see. A couple of down years, meaning 8 – 9 wins per year, won’t change that.
I think Utah will do well and I am glad that you are great supporters of your team, but to say that USC is the “past” and you are its “present”, is a little questionable when you haven’t played a snap in conference play yet.
... the Fighting Wesleyans
Context
I am pretty sure the meaning of this was that USC represented the heritage of the previous PAC2/10/12 and Utah represented the new PAC 12. Sort of a known brand meeting the new kid on the block. Not an intended slight implying that USC’s glory days are gone now that Utah is here.
That's exactly what I meant.
Old PAC versus new PAC. No slight intended. And I still have a hard time believing that the networks saw more appeal in Minnesota. That is a team that barely gets exposure in their own conference.
I still believe the reason to be the fact that ABC is not televising any college football games on Sept. 10.
Honestly I can't remember the last time
A USC OOC game with a big 6 opponent wasn’t picked up nationally. FX/Fox picked the Syracuse game, and they are an even smaller draw than Minnesota.
by ev on Jun 4, 2011 10:01 AM MDT up reply actions
it appears that Utah is being asked to....
earn our stripes. If we are successful this year, we will be on TV more in the future.
And I think that is fair. Let’s take advantage of these opportunities and use them.
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Oregon only got picked up for 5 games
Not sure your analysis is completely correct.
by ev on Jun 2, 2011 9:15 AM MDT up reply actions
ok...........
so, you are of the opinion that this is always how it will be?
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by BigBenSportsGuy on Jun 2, 2011 12:01 PM MDT up reply actions
No but it has been that way for the last two contracts
So we are talking about most of the last two decades. I just think it has more to do with TV markets and national/regional appeal than earning stripes. Oregon has won the Pac10 the last two years and is picked only one more time than Arizona, Colorado or UCLA.
by ev on Jun 2, 2011 12:40 PM MDT up reply actions
and Utah was picked the fewest....
so my theory is still correct. If they win more, they will move up more, even if it is only marginally so.
Affectionately known on Over the Monster as "Pete"
Follow me on twitter: @BigBenSportsGuy
by BigBenSportsGuy on Jun 2, 2011 1:39 PM MDT up reply actions
True, I'm sure it will play a factor.
However the lowest number of picks belongs to WSU at zero. They were followed by UW (2) and Utah/ASU/Cal (3). Keep in mind there are still a lot of picks, ABC/ESPN has 5 more and Fox has 18 left.
by ev on Jun 2, 2011 2:36 PM MDT up reply actions
The true analysis will come
after the season. Not before. National games will be handed out as the season goes on, to adjust for game importance. By season’s end, we may very well have a handful of nationally televised games.
Yes and no
ABC only has 5 spots left to hand out, and most of those will be regional games. While Fox still has most of their spots, they only have one national time slot other than the FX channel (and those games are being split between three conferences). The preseason picks are always a better indicator of national draw for a program, they really haven’t changed much over the years. That said, I can see how they don’t know what to do with Utah just yet. Might take a couple of seasons to it to adjust.
by ev on Jun 4, 2011 10:08 AM MDT up reply actions
Welp, gotta start humble, I guess.
USC is one of the 3 losses that I predicted for Utah this year, too bad it’s one that will be televised. Then again, as the pounding that the Utes gave Alabama shows, the Utes sometimes do well when classified as the scoffed-at underdogs. Here’s hoping that the boys in red wow the audience with an explosion of a PAC-12 opener.
Interesting.
I actually chalk the USC game up as a win. My view:
Montana State – win (1-0)
@USC – win (2-0)
@BYU – win (3-0)
Wash – win (4-0)
ASU – loss (4-1)
@Pitt – loss (4-2)
@Cal – win (5-2)
OSU – win (6-2)
@Arizona – loss (6-3)
UCLA – win (7-3)
@WSU – win (8-3)
Colorado – win (9-3)
I see Arizona and ASU as probable losses… while I believe Utah will lose one other game in the Pitt/Cal/OSU stretch, and in this case I’m giving it to Pitt.
It's not going to be called "Versus" anymore.
Versus is re-branding as the NBC Sports Channel. This channel is going to be bigger than FSN/Fox Sports on FX and the CBS Sports Network. NBCUniversal is going to build it up to be ESPN’s major competitor. The NBC Sports Group is basically going to be CBS Sports combined with Fox Sports. They will have their national sports channel in NBC Sports (like the CBS Sports Network) COMBINED with having regional sports networks (like FSN) in Comcast Sportsnet (also re-branding to reflect NBC) .
Lipstick
You can put lipstick on a pit bull, but it’s still a BYU co-ed.
by H2O_UTE on Jun 2, 2011 4:32 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
That statement doesn't apply here.
Once Comcast took over NBC Universal, the previous Versus channel seized operations and was incorporated into NBC Sports. It happened the same way that ABC Sports was incorporated into ESPN. NBC Sports has been operating Versus since January. They are one in the same, not separate entities. Even the versus.com URL now re-directs to nbcsports.com.
Gameday
Out of all the Ute games, which games have the potential to be selected for College GameDay. (Away or home)
by PhuckthePhillies on Jun 2, 2011 9:13 PM MDT reply actions
My guess, and I'd wager right now NONE is at the top, but...
SC and Arizona State are the two best options. SC because it’s the first Pac-12 game and ASU because it could be for the lead in the division.
I should point out the Michigan-ND game is the week Utah plays the Trojans and Florida/LSU & OU/Texas happen the week of the ASU game – so, again, none seems probable.
It depends.
Depending upon the records that Utah and their opponent has going into the game, there are a number of possibilities. A lot will also be determined by pre-season rankings.
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