Spring Seasoning: ESPN Carries 21 College Football Spring Games throughout April

Derek Volner

March 28, 2017

College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers on April 8
Seven ESPN.com Ranked Teams, Including No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Florida State
Tom Herman’s Texas Debut on Longhorn Network, Return of UAB Program on ESPN3; South Carolina Spring Game Sandwiches Final Four Hoopla
1 Alabama and No. 2 Florida State Open the Season against each other on ESPN/ABC

ESPN provides a preview of the 2017 college football season when it covers 21 spring games throughout the month of April as teams take the first step towards the College Football Playoff on ESPN (January 1, 2018). The four-week slate includes multiple games nearly every weekend and showcases ESPN.com’s top-ranked teams and key storylines heading into the new season.

Clemson Prepares to Defend Title, Ranked Sixth; No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Florida State, No. 9 LSU, and No. 11 Auburn Showcased
Clemson, last season’s College Football Playoff National Champion, plays their spring game Saturday, April 8, on ACC Network Extra (2:30 p.m.). The sixth-ranked Tigers are one of seven ESPN.com’s ranked teams to be showcased throughout the spring schedule, including No. 1 Alabama Saturday, April 22, on ESPN (3 p.m.).

ESPN.com’s No. 2-ranked Florida State, No. 9 LSU and No. 11 Auburn spring games are among the highest ranked teams which will be featured, with Auburn (2 p.m.) and the Seminoles (3 p.m.) playing April 8 on SEC Network and ESPN, respectively. LSU plays April 22 (8 p.m.), also on SEC Network.

Alabama and Florida State on a Collision Course
The 2017 regular season will open with one of the most-anticipated matchups of the season: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Florida State. ESPN.com’s top two ranked teams will meet in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on September 2 (Time TBD), with the matchup set to air on ESPN/ABC.

Texas’ Tom Herman Makes Spring Football Debut and Alabama-Birmingham Holds First Intra-squad Game in Three Seasons Among Additional Storylines Covered

New Texas head coach Tom Herman makes his spring game debut when the No. 23-ranked Longhorns play their annual game Saturday, April 15, on Longhorn Network (2 p.m.). The network will have programming surrounding the game with more details announced soon.
UAB plays its spring game Saturday, April 1, on ESPN3 (2 p.m.), another significant mark in the return of the program which did not participate in the 2015 or 2016 season.
SEC Network begins its month-long spring football coverage also on Saturday, April 1, live from Columbia, S.C. South Carolina’s spring game (noon) sandwiches Final Four appearances by the school’s men and women’s basketball teams. The women’s squad plays Stanford the night before (Friday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2) and the men’s team later on Saturday night. If the women are victorious on Friday, they play for the national championship on Sunday, April 2, on ESPN (6 p.m.).
ESPN.com will cover more than 15 spring games in addition to its daily coverage of the sport.

Please note: All team rankings are per ESPN.com “way too early Top 25” (Feb. 2)

ESPN Networks’ Spring Football Programming Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Spring Game	Network
Sat, April 1	Noon	South Carolina: Garnett-Black Spring Game	SEC Network
		North Carolina State: Kay Yow Spring Game	ACC Network Extra
	2 p.m.	UAB Spring Game	ESPN3
Fri, April 7	7:30 p.m.	Florida: Orange & Blue Debut	SEC Network
Sat, April 8	Noon	Ole Miss: Grove Bowl	SEC Network
	2 p.m.	Texas A&M Spring Game	ESPNU
		Auburn Spring Game: A-Day	SEC Network
	2:30 p.m.	Clemson: Orange and White Spring Game	ACC Network Extra
	3 p.m.	Florida State Spring Game	ESPN
		North Carolina Spring Game	ACC Network Extra
	4 p.m.	Mississippi State: Maroon-White Game	SEC Network
Fri, April 14	7:30 p.m.	Kentucky: Kentucky Blue-White Game	SEC Network
Sat, April 15	Noon	Texas: Orange and White Spring Game	Longhorn Network
	2 p.m.	Missouri: Black & Gold Game	SEC Network
Fri, April 21	7 p.m.	Georgia Tech Spring Game	ACC Network Extra
Sat, April 22	10 a.m.	Syracuse: Football Spring Showcase	ACC Network Extra
	2 p.m.	Georgia: G-Day	SEC Network
	3 p.m.	Alabama: A-Day	ESPN
	4 p.m.	Tennessee: Orange & White Game	SEC Network
	8 p.m.	LSU: National L-Club Day	SEC Network
Sat, April 29	1 p.m.	Arkansas: Red-White Spring Game	SEC Network