ESPN announced 14 of its BIG EAST Conference college football selections for the 2011 season, including three Thursday and four Friday night telecasts, two non-conference Saturday showdowns, two Championship Saturday matchups, two games on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and a Wednesday prime-time contest. Additional games will be announced in the coming months. Highlights:

• Every conference team will be featured in at least one of the 14 games, highlighted by five Pittsburgh appearances, four of West Virginia, and three each of defending BIG EAST champion Connecticut, Louisville and West Virginia.
• Two Saturday non-conference telecasts on ESPN, ABC or ESPN2 will feature BIG EAST teams against teams ranked in an ESPN.com early pre-season poll for 2011: West Virginia against No. 4 LSU from the SEC and Pittsburgh against No. 14 Notre Dame.
• ESPN’s popular Thursday night ESPN College Football Primetime series will include three telecasts involving BIG EAST teams, all at 8 p.m. ET, highlighted by South Florida twice: at Pittsburgh on Sept. 29 and against West Virginia on Dec. 1.
• ESPN will showcase Connecticut at Pittsburgh Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. Connecticut defeated Pittsburgh 30-28 last year.
• Two BIG EAST games will be featured the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25 including Pittsburgh at West Virginia in the 104th Backyard Brawl and Louisville at South Florida.
• ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to televise four Friday BIG EAST showdowns in prime time, including Connecticut against Big 12 conference member Iowa State (Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2) and South Florida at Syracuse (Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. on ESPN2).

2011 BIG EAST Schedule as of Feb. 25 (additional selections will be announced):

 * Previously announced

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