ESPN Platforms Present an Industry-Leading College Football Schedule
ESPN Platforms present an industry-leading college football schedule with star-studded showdowns, top rivalries, Conference Championship clashes and premiere postseason programming. College football on ESPN platforms returns in 2023 with an unparalleled portfolio of marquee rivalries, non-conference showcases, conference championship contests and comprehensive postseason coverage. ESPN will present approximately 1,000 regular season games across all platforms, readying for the return of a 40-game Bowl Season schedule that includes the exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Rose Bowl Game and the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and concludes with the CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T on Monday, Jan. 8, at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Twenty of ESPN.com's Way-Too-Early Top 25 teams will be in action during ESPN's early season slate and special date games, with teams from all 10 FBS conferences booked for matchups across ESPN's industry-leading college football portfolio. Games are set for every ESPN platform, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+, Longhorn Network, ESPN+, SEC Network+ (SECN+) and ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
Kickoff Week: Nearly 60 games are slated to kick off throughout Week 1, beginning Thursday, Aug. 31 and running through Labor Day Monday. As previously announced, ABC's Labor Day Weekend coverage is highlighted by the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando, as LSU and Florida State battle on Labor Day Sunday (Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. on ABC). In their 11th meeting all-time, the Tigers look to avenge last year's season-opening loss to the Noles (24-23) on a blocked LSU extra point in the closing seconds of the 2022 Allstate Louisiana Kickoff in New Orleans.
Thursday of Kickoff Week welcomes the second half of a home-and-home series between Florida and Utah. The Gators, who came away with the upset victory in Gainesville a year ago, travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utes at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Friday features a neutral site showcase between ACC programs Georgia Tech and Louisville on ESPN. The Yellow Jackets and the Cardinals ― both under the leadership of new head coaches ― face off at 7:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Another all-ACC matchup falls in ESPN's traditional Labor Day primetime college football window as the reigning conference champion Clemson Tigers face the Duke Blue Devils on campus in Durham (8 p.m.) on "Capital One Monday Night Kickoff."
Starting things off on ABC Saturday is the neutral site noon showdown between Virginia and Tennessee at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The Vols, who capped a historic 2022 season with a win in the Capital One Orange Bowl, open the 2023 campaign against the Cavaliers, who return to the field for the first time after the tragic death of three UVA football players led to the cancellation of the team's final two games in 2022. At 3:30 p.m., Boise State takes on Washington at Husky Stadium before "ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One" brings on the Battle of the Carolinas in primetime. North Carolina and South Carolina are set to duke it out at the Duke's Mayo Classic in Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium.
Weeks 2 and 3: As previously announced, Week 2 welcomes a renewed rivalry between Texas and Alabama, as the future Southeastern Conference foes face off in Tuscaloosa on ESPN in primetime on Saturday, Sept. 9. The Longhorns lead the overall series, 7-2-1, but the Crimson Tide eked out a last-second victory on the Forty Acres last fall, courtesy of a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining to defeat UT, 20-19.
A pair of huge afternoon ABC games in Week 2 are set for high-octane action, as NC State hosts Notre Dame at noon and Miami and Texas A&M face off at Hard Rock Stadium at 3:30 p.m. "ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One" will feature the new-look Wisconsin Badgers traveling to Pullman to take on Washington State.
On "ABC Saturday Night Football Presented by Capital One" in Week 3, the Backyard Brawl takes center stage as West Virginia plays host to Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m. In the afternoon on ABC, Florida State battles with Boston College at noon from Alumni Stadium. Alabama travels to Tampa to face off against South Florida at 3:30 p.m., with the matchup marking the third straight week the Crimson Tide will be featured on ESPN platforms.
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, has unveiled the schedule for its 2023 college football events. The lineup features 17 bowl games across ESPN and ABC, as well as four kickoff games to start the season, announced in full here.
The Bowl Season will begin Saturday, Dec. 16, with the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl (11 a.m., ESPN) and the Cricket Celebration Bowl (noon, ABC). The following Saturday, Dec. 23, will be the busiest day of the ESPN Events bowl schedule, with six games across ESPN and ABC.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, ESPN Events' FCS Kickoff in Montgomery, Alabama, at 3:30 p.m. will be ESPN's first college football telecast of the 2023 season. The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff ― South Carolina State vs. Jackson State ― in Atlanta will air in primetime on ABC (7:30 p.m.) for the first time in the event's 18 years. The event celebrates the tradition, legacy and values of HBCUs. ESPN's longstanding commitment to HBCUs will be on display all season long, including the Boeing Red Tails Classic (Sept. 3) on ESPNU as part of ESPN's signature early season slate. In addition, ESPNU will regularly feature live HBCU action on select Thursdays and Fridays, as well as several Saturdays throughout the fall.
SEC Network kicks off the season in Nashville on Saturday, Aug. 26, with Vanderbilt hosting Hawai'i at 7:30 p.m. SECN welcomes in Week 1 with a Thursday tussle between South Dakota and Missouri at 8 p.m. SECN is then set for a trio of tripleheaders to kick off 2023, including an "SEC Saturday Night" matchup featuring Allstate Sugar Bowl champion Alabama in Week 1 (Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m.) and two-time CFP national champion Georgia opening Week 2 on SEC Network (Sept. 9 at noon). Overall, the network boasts a comprehensive slate each week of the season, with more details here.
ACC Network opens its fifth season with three straight days of games beginning with Elon at Wake Forest on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. Boston College hosting Northern Illinois kicks off a Saturday tripleheader on the network at noon on Sept. 2, ending with Old Dominion and Virginia Tech facing off for this season's first installment of "ACC Network Primetime Football" at 8 p.m. A quadruple header beginning at 11 a.m., featuring three teams ranked in ESPN.com's Way Too Early Top 25, including No. 3 Florida State, No. 9 Clemson and No. 21 North Carolina highlight Week 2, while Week 3 features a doubleheader ― Northwestern at Duke at 3:30 p.m. and Florida Atlantic at No. 9 Clemson at 8 p.m. ― for "ACC Network Primetime Football." More information on the opening weeks of football on ACCN can be found here.
Big 12 Now on ESPN+: Another record schedule of Big 12 games on ESPN+ is slated for this fall, with 15 contests featuring a dozen different Big 12 teams scheduled across the first four weeks. Defending Big 12 champion Kansas State welcomes Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, while College Football Playoff runner-up TCU hosts Nicholls on Saturday, Sept. 9. New Big 12 members BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF will each appear on the platform in the first four weeks, with the Bearcats making a pair of appearances on the platform in September.
ESPN+: More than 150 FBS games are slated for ESPN+ during the 2023 season, the most expansive lineup in the history of the platform.
All 14 Southeastern Conference schools will appear on ESPN+ once this fall, including two-time defending national champion Georgia opening their season on Sept. 2. These ESPN+ matchups will also be simulcast on SEC Network+, with both streams accessible in the ESPN App via connected devices.
A quartet of ACC contests is set for ESPN+ in September, with Syracuse, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Duke featured in home games on the platform. These ESPN+ matchups will also be simulcast on ACCNX, with both streams accessible in the ESPN App via connected devices.
SoonerVision on ESPN+ features SMU at Oklahoma in Week 2, with the Mustangs taking on the Sooners on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m.
The American returns for its fourth season on ESPN+ with approximately 40 total games planned throughout the season, and ESPN+ will also feature games from Conference USA, MAC, Sun Belt and more.
Longhorn Network will exclusively televise Texas' Week 3 showdown against Wyoming at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16.
ESPN Special Date and Mid-Season Saturday Games Set for Spotlight
In addition to the first three weeks, ESPN has teed up an expansive schedule of marquee matchups for viewers to mark on their calendars, including ESPN's signature slate of mid-week games. Courtesy of ESPN's new rights agreement with Conference USA, mid-week C-USA clashes will be showcased on ESPN2 and ESPNU in October, leading into ESPN's traditional MACtion mid-week coverage in November. Highlights include:
Week 4
NC State at Virginia (Friday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Week 5
Louisville at NC State (Friday, Sept 29, at 7 p.m., ESPN)
Cincinnati at BYU (Friday, Sept. 29, at 10:15 p.m., ESPN)
Mid-week C-USA clashes kick off on ESPN platforms
Week 6
Kansas State at Oklahoma State (Friday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Red River Showdown: Oklahoma vs. Texas (Saturday, Oct. 7, at time TBD, ABC)
Arizona at USC (Saturday, Oct. 7, platform and time TBD)
Week 7
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State (Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Tulane at Memphis (Friday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m., ESPN)
Stanford at Colorado (Friday, Oct. 13, at 10 p.m., ESPN)
Week 9
Liberty at Western Kentucky (Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m., ESPNU)
Week 10
Return of the MAC: mid-week MACtion begins on Tuesday, Oct. 31
Wagon Wheel Rivalry: Kent State at Akron (Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7 or 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU)
Wake Forest at Duke (Thursday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Notre Dame at Clemson (Saturday, Nov. 4, at time TBD, ABC)
Week 11
Virginia at Louisville (Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Week 12
Harvard at Yale (Saturday, Nov. 18, at noon, platform TBD)
Rivalry Week (Week 13)
Ole Miss at Mississippi State (Thursday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Texas Tech at Texas (Friday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m., ABC)
California at UCLA (Saturday, Nov. 25, platform and time TBD)
Comprehensive Conference Championship Slate Set for ESPN Platforms: ESPN will present the ACC, American, Big 12, MAC, Pac-12, Sun Belt and SWAC Championship Games the first weekend of December as ESPN platforms conclude their signature coverage of conference action. The Pac-12 gets the ABC action started from Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. The Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship kicks off Championship Saturday action from Arlington at noon, with the ACC Championship closing out the day at 8 p.m. from Charlotte.
ESPN platforms will also showcase Saturday's championship play from the MAC (noon, ESPN), American (4 p.m., ABC or ESPN), Sun Belt (4 p.m., ABC or ESPN) and the SWAC (4 p.m., ESPN2).
Bowl Season is Back: ESPN's unparalleled commitment to the college football postseason is on full display this winter with a wide-ranging slate in December and January, including 17 ESPN Events owned and operated bowl games and the entirety of the New Year's Six. The postseason begins with the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 11 a.m. on ESPN, and ABC's first bowl game is the Cricket Celebration Bowl at noon on that Saturday.
ESPN platforms are the home of the postseason, with 40 college football bowl games live on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Bowl Season runs from mid-December to mid-January, with non-New Year's six bowls concluding with the ReliaQuest Bowl on ESPN2 and the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on ABC on New Year's Day.
The New Year's Six kicks off on Friday, Dec. 29, with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at 8 p.m. on ESPN, followed by a pair of NY6 bowls on Saturday, Dec. 30. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl starts things off at noon with the Capital One Orange Bowl at 4 p.m., both on ESPN. New Year's Day action on ESPN begins with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 1.
The College Football Playoff returns for Year 10, with the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game set for 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 1, followed by the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. The College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T is also set for ESPN on Monday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. More details regarding ESPN's multiplatform presentation of the college football postseason and CFP will be announced later this year.
Schedules are subject to change. Please continue to check @ESPNPR and ESPN Press Room for more information. Additional scheduling details, including talent assignments for each matchup, will be announced later this summer.
^ Two of the listed matchups will be on Fri, Nov 24. The others will move to Sat, Nov 25.
ABC is the place to be for college football. The rich tradition of athletic competition established by ABC Sports continues with the best games each and every weekend. Check back here each week for the schedule of games headed your way including the Saturday Night Game of the Week. Catch college football at its best all season long on ABC. Watch on the ABC app from your smartphone and tablet (iOS and Android), computer on ABC.com and connected devices (Roku, AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV). Check out the lineup for the first few weeks of the 2023 college football season below!
Sunday, September 3
LSU @ Florida State 7:30 ET/4:30 PT
Saturday, October 7
Saturday, November 4
