ESPN Reaches Two-Year Agreement to Televise Big 12 Regular-Season College Football

ESPN to Televise West Virginia at Colorado and Texas A&M at Texas on Thursday Nights

February 25, 2008 - ESPN will continue to televise regular-season Big 12 Conference college football games through a new two-year agreement with Fox Sports Net. Through an agreement last year, ESPN televised regular-season Big 12 home games for the first time. As part of the new pact, seven Big 12-controlled contests will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2 each year, with games being played on a Thursday or Saturday.

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Two selections for the 2008 season have been finalized: West Virginia, coming off a 48-28 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma, at Colorado Thursday, Sept. 18 and the 115th meeting between Texas and Texas A&M Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 27. ESPN televised the in-state rivalry from 1984 to 1989 (including on Thanksgiving from 1985-88) and on Thanksgiving from 1991 to 1993. Additional selections will be determined throughout the season.

With the addition of Big 12 home contests last season, ESPN became the first network to televise home games from 10 Division I conferences and was the only network to offer coverage of all six BCS conferences.

“Big 12 football was a great addition to our schedule last year and we look forward to continuing our coverage,” said Dave Brown, ESPN vice president, programming and acquisitions. “The addition of games to our Thursday primetime schedule will make a big impact to the popular series. With the cooperation of FSN and the Big 12, fans will be able to see even more action from this premier conference for two more years.”

Source: ESPN