I kept hearing this question on Saturday: Why in the world was a matchup of 1-6 BYU and 1-6 East Carolina on national television?
The easy answer is — it was in the contract. The American Athletic Conference has a deal with the CBS Sports Network, and the game (which ECU won 33-17) was scheduled long ago.
The bigger issue is that there are so many college football games on TV that they can’t all be good, particularly this late in the season. This weekend, there are 38 games scheduled on “national” television outlets ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU, ABC, CBS, CBSSN, Fox, FS1, NBC, BTN, SECN, ACCN, P12N — and some of them are of zero interest to anyone who isn’t a huge fan of one of the schools involved.
You know, like Akron-Buffalo and UConn-Missouri.
There aren’t many dogs as howlingly bad as BYU-ECU, but this is what happens when there is such a huge appetite for college football among TV outlets.
BYU on BYUtv
The San Jose State-at-BYU game on Saturday is arguably a worse matchup than BYU-ECU; both teams are 1-7, and neither has a win over an FBS team this season. Before the loss to East Carolina, ESPN had already passed on the game, although it will stream it on ESPN3.
By telecasting home games against Portland State, Utah, Wisconsin and Boise State, ESPN had already fulfilled the terms of its contract with BYU for this season. It could have picked up the SJS game, but declined. And who could criticize that decision?)
So BYU-SJS isn’t on national TV … or is it? CBSSN is available in 61 million homes nationally; BYUtv is available in 60 million. Plus, you can stream the BYU-SJS game for free on byutv.org and all sorts of devices and apps.
So you could argue that, in terms of distribution, BYU-San Jose State is more of a “national” telecast than BYU-ECU on CBSSN.
In terms of who will actually watch the Cougars and the Spartans, um, maybe the players’ parents?
Pac-12 Network booster
By the way, I was was being supportive of the Pac-12 and its TV outlet when I included it among the “national” TV outlets.
P12N is in about 20 million American homes. It’s not in about 100 million homes.
All Texas soccer teams look alike
Here’s one more reason the Columbus Crew should not abandon Ohio and move to Austin, Texas — it would be tough on KUTV sportscaster/Real Salt Lake play-by-play announcer David James.
During Sunday’s game against Kansas City, James repeatedly referred to how Houston’s game would affect RSL’s playoffs hopes, and that game meant nothing one way or the other. The outcome of Dallas’ game is what mattered.
Imagine how confused James would be if there were THREE teams in Texas.
Giant screen
I was at the RSL-Kansas City game on Sunday and got distracted by the giant screen at the south end. I was watching a replay and forgot to look back at the field for 30, maybe 45 seconds — the 4,200-square-foot screen is that good.
As for the old screen in the north end, it’s unwatchable. Might as well turn it off.
God speaks through Fox Sports?
In an interview with NFL.com, former NFL QB/convicted dog-fighting felon Michael Vick has this to say about being hired by Fox Sports as an NFL analyst:“I always felt God would send that person who says, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ I just felt that in my heart. I’m thankful the people at Fox believe in me.”
As an obsessed dog owner, it’s hard not to condemn Vick. But he served 21 months in prison, so you could argue that he’s paid his debt to society.
What’s impossible to believe is that God worked through Fox Sports …