Hi. I get a few questions from time to time about the same topics, so I wanted to put together a small page to answer those frequent questions.
When will the coverage map be available?
ESPN generally publishes their ABC coverage details around Wednesday or Thursday. Once it becomes available to the public, I'll generally update the site. It is an ABC/ESPN generated map. I do not create the map or have any control over its contents.
When does the site get updated?
Generally, in the early mornings or after 5:30pm EST. This is because this site is not my day job and my current employer does not allow for the modification of personal websites. A previous employer was not as strict about this, but my current one does and its how I pay the bills, so I need to keep working.
So if I answer an email from you during the workday, don't assume the site is going to be updated immediately. Also, while I appreciate those who send out an email notifying me of a game, there's a good chance I'll get to it when I get home from work. Not saying that you don't have to send the email, just saying that I might already have changes in place, I just can't make them public.
What is this Reverse Mirror stuff?
Credit for this goes to Nick Olson, who expanded and clarified my original explanation. Thanks Nick.
When the Big Ten signed their new TV deal with ABC/ESPN that started with the 2007 season, they successfully negotiated for all Big Ten games airing on ABC at either 12:00 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time to be shown on ESPN or ESPN2 in all markets where the game is not on ABC. In markets where the Big Ten game is on ABC, an alternate game will be shown on ESPN or ESPN2. So when you look at an ABC coverage map, find the game that is on ABC in your area. If it’s a Big Ten game, another game will be available to you on ESPN or ESPN2, and will be marked with ESPN or ESPN2 in the Coverage Notes section of my schedule. If the Big Ten game is not scheduled to be shown on ABC in your area, it will be available on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Important Note 1: These afternoon Big Ten games are NOT part of ESPN GamePlan, since the “Reverse Mirror” makes them nationally available (but see Important Note 2, below).
Important Note 2: There is no "Reverse Mirror" situation for the ABC Saturday Night Football games. As a result, if the Big Ten night game is not on ABC in your area, it will be available on ESPN GamePlan.
Important Note 3: The “Reverse Mirror” only applies to games played at Big Ten stadiums (Big Ten “home” games). Any neutral site games or games in which a Big Ten team is the “road” team are not guaranteed to be “Reverse Mirrored.” They might be, but they are not required to be under the Big Ten’s contract with ABC/ESPN.
What games are typically available to ESPN Game Plan PPV package?
The following games from the conferences listed below are available to ESPN Game Plan:
All MWC games and the C-USA games not airing on FOX Sports are owned by CBS College Sports and are not available for ESPN Game Plan. Also, there is a limit of six games that ESPN Game Plan can air at one time.
At this time, it is unknown as to whether Game Plan will have telecasts in HD.
Last but not least, if a game is to air exclusively on ESPN3.com, it is not available to be aired on the Game Plan package.
When do many of the TV announcements come out?
Before the season starts, the typical timeline of announcements works like this:
Once the season starts, game times and television assigments are typically announced twelve days in advance. TV partners may have the ability to wait as little as six days a set number of times per season.
For the conference specific schedules, why isn't a particular game listed?
Check the conference page of the home team. The home team owns the TV rights to this game and it falls under that conference's TV rights. Those pages, as noted on each one, are for the represntation of each conference's TV contract.
Do you have a particular team that you root for?
I've been a Syracuse Orangemen (yes, I refuse to call the the Syracuse Orange) since I was a small kid. I'm not a graduate of SU, I'm a graduate of Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
Where do you get all this information from?
Media guides, school and conference websites, TV networks, the people who come to the site and point out stuff and media relations personnel from various college & universities. This isn't possible without a lot of help from a lot of other folks.