EASTERN CONFERENCE

#1 Washington Capital vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

Thursday, April 15th - Game One, Montreal at Washington (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
Saturday, April 17th - Game Two, Montreal at Washington (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
Monday, April 19th - Game Three, Washington at Montreal (TSN, 7pm)
Wednesday, April 21st - Game Four, Washington at Montreal (TSN, 7pm)
*Friday, April 23rd - Game Five, Montreal at Washington (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
*Monday, April 26th - Game Six, Washington at Montreal (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
*Wednesday, April 28th - Game Game Seven, Montreal at Washington (TSN, TBD)

#2 New Jersey Devils vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers
Wednesday, April 14th - Game One, Philadelphia at New Jersey (TSN, 7:30pm)
Friday, April 16th - Game Two, Philadelphia at New Jersey (TSN, 7:30pm)
Sunday, April 18th - Game Three, New Jersey at Philadelphia (TSN, 6pm)
Tuesday, April 20th - Game Four, New Jersey at Philadelphia (TSN2, 7:30pm)
*Thursday, April 22nd - Game Five, Philadelphia at New Jersey (TSN, 7pm)
*Sunday, April 25th - Game Six, New Jersey at Philadelphia (TSN, TBD)
*Tuesday, April 27th - Game Seven, Philadelphia at New Jersey (TSN, 7:30pm)

#3 Buffalo Sabres vs. #6 Boston Bruins

Thursday, April 15th - Game One, Boston at Buffalo (CBC, 7pm)
Saturday, April 17th - Game Two, Boston at Buffalo (NBC/CBC, 1pm)
Monday, April 19th - Game Three, Buffalo at Boston (VERSUS/CBC, 7pm)
Wednesday, April 21st - Game Four, Buffalo at Boston (VERSUS/CBC, 7pm)
*Friday, April 23rd - Game Five, Boston at Buffalo (CBC, 7pm)
*Monday, April 26th - Game Six, Buffalo at Boston (CBC, 7pm)
*Wednesday, April 28th - Game Seven, Boston at Buffalo (CBC, 7pm)

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Ottawa Senators

Wednesday, April 14th - Game One, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC, 7pm)
Friday, April 16th - Game Two, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC, 7pm)
Sunday, April 18th - Game Three, Pittsburgh at Ottawa (CBC/VERSUS, 6:30pm)
Tuesday, April 20th - Game Four, Pittsburgh at Ottawa (CBC/VERSUS, 7pm)
*Thursday, April 22nd - Game Five, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC, 7pm)
*Saturday, April 24th - Game Six, Pittsburgh at Ottawa (CBC/VERSUS, 7pm)
*Tuesday, April 27th - Game Seven, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (CBC, 7pm)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Colorado Avalanche

Wednesday, April 14th - Game One, Colorado at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC, 10:30pm)
Friday, April 16th - Game Two, Colorado at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC, 10:30pm)
Sunday, April 18th - Game Three, San Jose at Colorado (VERSUS/CBC, 9:30pm)
Tuesday, April 20th - Game Four, San Jose at Colorado (VERSUS/CBC, 10pm)
*Thursday, April 22nd - Game Five, Colorado at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC, 10:30pm)
*Saturday, April 24th - Game Six, San Jose at Colorado (CBC, TBD)
*Monday, April 26th - Game Seven, Colorado at San Jose (CBC, TBD)

#2 Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7 Nashville Predators

Friday, April 16th - Game One, Nashville at Chicago (VERSUS/TSN2, 8:30pm)
Sunday, April 18th - Game Two, Nashville at Chicago (VERSUS/TSN, 8:30pm)
Tuesday, April 20th - Game Three, Chicago at Nashville (VERSUS/TSN, 9pm)
Thursday, April 22nd - Game Four, Chicago at Nashville (VERSUS/TSN2, 8:30pm)
*Saturday, April 24th - Game Five, Nashville at Chicago (NBC/TSN, 3pm)
*Monday, April 26th - Game Six, Chicago at Nashville (TSN, TBD)
*Wednesday, April 28th - Game Seven, Nashville at Chicago (TSN, TBD)

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 Los Angeles Kings

Thursday, April 15th - Game One, Los Angeles at Vancouver (CBC/VERSUS, 10pm)
Saturday, April 17th - Game Two, Los Angeles at Vancouver (CBC/VERSUS, 10pm)
Monday, April 19th - Game Three, Vancouver at Los Angeles (CBC/VERSUS, 10pm)
Wednesday, April 21st - Game Four, Vancouver at Los Angeles (CBC/VERSUS, 10pm)
*Friday, April 23rd - Game Five, Los Angeles at Vancouver (CBC, 10pm)
*Sunday, April 25th - Game Six, Vancouver at Los Angeles (CBC/VERSUS, TBD)
*Tuesday, April 27th - Game Seven, Los Angeles at Vancouver (CBC, TBD)

#4 Phoenix Coyotes vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings

Wednesday, April 14th - Game One, Detroit at Phoenix (VERSUS/TSN, 10pm)
Friday, April 16th - Game Two, Detroit at Phoenix (VERSUS/TSN, 10pm)
Sunday, April 18th - Game Three, Phoenix at Detroit (NBC/TSN, 3pm)
Tuesday, April 20th - Game Four, Phoenix at Detroit (TSN, 6:30pm)
*Friday, April 23rd - Game Five, Detroit at Phoenix (VERSUS/TSN, 10pm)
*Sunday, April 25th - Game Six, Phoenix at Detroit (NBC/TSN, 2pm)
*Tuesday, April 27th - Game Seven, Detroit at Phoenix (TSN, TBD)

Sad news for Hockey fans, that have DirecTV as their cable provider. Versus is available in about 75 million homes, but DirecTV is considering dropping the channel within the week, which could drop that number by almost one-third. From Multichannel via TSB....

"In our contract discussions, Comcast has demanded a deal for Versus that is not comparable to other providers and is pushing for a significant rate hike that does not reflect current market terms or the value of its programming," DirecTV said in a prepared statement. "We will continue to try and negotiate a fair deal, but we intend to hold the line on our programming costs and protect our customers against these unfair demands that are both discriminatory and wholly unrealistic given current market rates. If we do not reach an agreement, the network will come down on Sept. 1 following the expiration of our contract with Versus."

The dispute comes weeks before the college football season is expected to kick-off - Versus is scheduled to air its first game (Texas vs. Wyoming) on Sept. 12. Versus also airs its first NHL contest on Oct. 1.

In a statement, Versus said that it is negotiating in good faith with DirecTV and hopes a deal can be reached soon.

"Since our last deal with DirecTV, Versus has added many marquee properties and has become the fastest growing sports cable network in the country," the network said in a statement. "Despite this tremendous momentum, we are offering DirecTV the ability to carry Versus the same way it does today at the market price for the network. We continue to talk and are hopeful that we will reach an agreement."

Well that's not good news at all. Versus has made a ton of strides with their programming, and with Hockey back in the National spotlight, it seems like they have more to offer than ever. Hopefully they can come to an agreement soon.

DirecTV, Versus Could Split By Next Week (The Sporting Blog)
DirecTV Could Drop Versus (Multichannel)

Outside of some random discussions on CNBC, CNN and MSNBC, Sports Business rarely comes up in today's news. Well Versus is planning on changing that with a new show called "The $ports Take", which will debut at the end of August. Via Sports Business Daily ($)....

Versus is launching a weekly sports business show called "The $ports Take," hosted by sports consultant Rick Horrow. Career Sports & Entertainment (CS&E), Atlanta, is producing the show, which debuts August 25 at 6:30pm ET. The show will run on Tuesday nights. The first episode features an interview with Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and a tour of his new stadium. Future shows will include interviews with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA Commissioner David Stern, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France and PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka. CS&E President of Media & Marketing Mark Lazarus said, "We're excited to bring sports junkies a new perspective on the sports they already love."

I'm sure a lot of people won't find this line of programming interesting, but for there is a small sect of diehard Sports' fans, that love anything involving the business of Sports. Hearing about television deals, free agency and collective bargaining agreements, has always been something I've been drawn to, so I'm definitely going to give the show a chance.

I don't know how many of you are actually going to check out the United Football League this October, but in case you are, here is the league's full schedule for their innagural season. Oh, and get this, you can see every single game on either Versus or HDNet!

October 8 - S.F.-Las Vegas (Versus, 9pm)
October 10 - N.Y.-Florida (HDNet, 7pm)
October 14 - Florida-Las Vegas (Versus, 9pm)
October 17 - N.Y.-S.F. (HDNet, 9pm)
October 22 - S.F.-Florida (Versus, 7pm)
October 29 - S.F.-N.Y. (Versus, 7pm)
October 30 - Las Vegas-Florida (HDNet, 7pm)
November 4 - Las Vegas-N.Y. (Versus, 7pm)
November 12 - Las Vegas-S.F. (Versus, 9pm)
November 14 - Florida-N.Y. (HDNet, 7pm)
November 19 - Florida-S.F. (Versus, 9pm)
November 20 - N.Y.-Las Vegas (HDNet, 9pm)
November 27 - Championship (Versus, 3pm)

Much talk has been made about the NHL going back to ESPN soon, and while it's still a possibility, Gary Bettman (on CSN Chicago's "Monsters in the Morning") said that the "Leader" wasn't the place for the league following the strike. The NHL Commish even explained that network television isn't all it's cracked up to be when it comes to Hockey. Via Sports Business Daily....

"There tends to be some criticism of them, probably initiated by some of their competitors. We felt coming out of the work stoppage and the year off, doing the traditional mode, going back to ESPN, where they have everything, wasn’t going to help us bring the game back as strong."

"With the use of digital technology, we can really give our fans as close a connection to the game as they want in a whole variety of ways. We think having come back as strong as we have from the work stoppage, four years of record attendance and record revenues; our ratings are up just about everywhere on television. We’re probably as strong as we’ve ever been."

I guess that's a strong point in theory (when you consider Hockey ratings are never THAT good), but if you are trying to get people to see a Sport, wouldn't you go to where the most eyes were/are? Seems like it's only a matter of time before ESPN picks Hockey back up, and thank goodness, because Versus is just about the hardest channel to find on cable.

NHL Commissioner Discusses League's TV Presence (Sports Business Daily)

The last ten seconds or so of the Red Wings-Ducks game last night was some of the most exciting Hockey I've ever seen, but they saved the real fireworks for after the game. Let's just set the table for a Game Seven with a full five on five brawl!

Now that's an ending to a game! With that win, the Ducks have setup the third game seven airing in the next three days, and I personally can't wait.

Versus has been doing some great things as of late, and I've enjoyed their Hockey coverage during the Playoffs, but their latest idea has fail written all over it. Former ESPN "Dream Job" runner-up, Zach Selwyn, will host a show called "Fanarchy" which features seven fans talking Sports, via webcam. At the end of each show, Selwyn will kick two off, and the next week two new "panelists" will be in their place. Via Sports Business Journal....

“It’s like nothing that’s out there,” said Versus President Jamie Davis. “We said early on that Versus’ original shows were not going to be made up of guys sitting at a desk with a plasma screen behind them giving news and data.”

The show debuts June 7 at 11 p.m. ET, just after a WEC mixed martial arts event, which typically draw some of Versus’ highest ratings.

Eventually, it will settle into the Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET slot, following Versus’ other original program, “Sports Soup.”

“These shows are true and unique to the Versus brand: to super-serve sports fans,” Davis said. “We never wanted to be a network that preached to you. Now, we are developing a community.”

Thanks to “Fanarchy,” part of that community will be developed online, Davis said. Versus is devoting part of its Web site to the series (versus.com/fanarchy). That’s where would-be contestants can upload their audition videos. The site’s visitors then will vote on the contestants that should be considered to appear on the show.

While Sports Soup, the other original program on the network, has succeeded after some early bumps....this has trainwreck written all over it. However, if the panelists are half as insane as those on Sky Sports' Fancast, then it might be worth a viewing.

Like A Good Argument? (Sports Business Journal)

NBC and Versus are readying themselves for the Playoffs and today you'll start seeing commercials for the NHL postseason on various channels across your cable dial. The Versus one is called "Look Up", and features the tagline "378,000 seconds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Don’t miss a single one.", while the NBC spot is titled "The Cup Changes Everything." Here's they are together back to back in this Youtube clip....

Pretty good. I know I'm ready for some Playoff Hockey!

I hope all of you have Versus if you want to watch any of the First round of the NHL Playoffs this year. Here is the TV schedule via Puck Daddy, and there's even a bonus for you folks north of the border!

2009 EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER-FINALS

No. 1 Boston Bruins vs. No. 8 Montreal Canadiens

Thursday, April 16- Montreal at Boston (CBC/RDS, 7pm)
Saturday, April 18- Montreal at Boston (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 8pm)
Monday, April 20- Boston at Montreal (CBC/RDS, 7pm)
Wednesday, April 22- Boston at Montreal (CBC/RDS, 7pm)
*Saturday, April 25- Montreal at Boston (CBC/RDS, 7pm)
*Monday, April 27- Boston at Montreal (CBC/RDS, TBD)
*Wednesday, April 29- Montreal at Boston (CBC/RDS, TBD)

No. 2 Washington Capitals vs. No. 7 New York Rangers

Wednesday, April 15- NY Rangers at Washington (TSN, 7pm)
Saturday, April 18- NY Rangers at Washington (NBC/TSN, 1pm)
Monday, April 20- Washington at NY Rangers (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
Wednesday, April 22- Washington at NY Rangers (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
*Friday, April 24- NY Rangers at Washington (VERSUS/TSN/RDS, 7pm)
*Sunday, April 26- Washington at NY Rangers (NBC/TSN/RDS, 2pm)
*Tuesday, April 28- NY Rangers at Washington (VERSUS/TSN/RDS, TBD)

No. 3 New Jersey Devils vs. No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes

Wednesday, April 15- Carolina at New Jersey (TSN/RIS, 7:30pm)
Friday, April 17- Carolina at New Jersey (TSN/RIS, 7:30pm)
Sunday, April 19- New Jersey at Carolina (TSN/RIS, 7:30pm)
Tuesday, April 21- New Jersey at Carolina (TSN/RIS, 7:30pm)
*Thursday, April 23- Carolina at New Jersey (TSN/RIS, 7:30pm)
*Sunday, April 26- New Jersey at Carolina (TSN/VERSUS, TBD)
*Tuesday, April 28- Carolina at New Jersey (TSN, 7:30pm)

No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers

Wednesday, April 15- Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 7pm)
Friday, April 17- Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 7pm)
Sunday, April 19- Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (NBC/CBC/RDS, 3pm)
Tuesday, April 21- Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 7pm)
*Thursday, April 23- Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 7pm)
*Saturday, April 25- Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (NBC/CBC, 3pm)
*Monday, April 27- Philadelphia at Pittsburgh (VERSUS/CBC, TBD)

2009 WESTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER-FINALS

No. 1 San Jose Sharks vs. No. 8 Anaheim Ducks

Thursday, April 16- Anaheim at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 10:30pm)
Sunday, April 19- Anaheim at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 10pm)
Tuesday, April 21- San Jose at Anaheim (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 10:30pm)
Thursday, April 23- San Jose at Anaheim (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 10:30pm)
*Saturday, April 25- Anaheim at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, 10pm)
*Monday, April 27- San Jose at Anaheim (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, TBD)
*Wednesday, April 29- Anaheim at San Jose (VERSUS/CBC/RDS, TBD)

No. 2 Detroit Red Wings vs. No. 7 Columbus Blue Jackets

Thursday, April 16- Columbus at Detroit (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
Saturday, April 18- Columbus at Detroit (TSN, 6pm)
Tuesday, April 21- Detroit at Columbus (TSN, 7pm)
Thursday, April 23- Detroit at Columbus (TSN, 7pm)
*Saturday, April 25- Columbus at Detroit (VERSUS/TSN, 7pm)
*Monday, April 27- Detroit at Columbus (TSN, TBD)
*Wednesday, April 29- Columbus at Detroit (VERSUS/TSN, TBD)

No. 3 Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 6 St. Louis Blues

Wed., April 15- St. Louis at Vancouver (CBC/VERSUS/RDS, 10pm)
Friday, April 17- St. Louis at Vancouver (CBC/VERSUS/RDS, 10pm)
Sunday, April 19- Vancouver at St. Louis (CBC/VERSUS, 7pm)
Tuesday, April 21- Vancouver at St. Louis (CBC/VERSUS, 8pm)
*Friday, April 24- St. Louis at Vancouver (CBC/VERSUS/RDS, 10pm)
*Sunday, April 26- Vancouver at St. Louis (CBC/VERSUS/RDS, 8pm)
*Tuesday, April 28- St. Louis at Vancouver (CBC/VERSUS/RDS, TBD)

No. 4 Chicago Blackhawks vs. No. 5 Calgary Flames

Thursday, April 16- Calgary at Chicago (TSN/VERSUS, 8:30pm)
Saturday, April 18- Calgary at Chicago (TSN, TBD)
Monday, April 20- Chicago at Calgary (TSN/VERSUS, 9:30pm)
Wednesday, April 22- Chicago at Calgary (TSN/VERSUS, TBD)
*Saturday, April 25- Calgary at Chicago (TSN/RIS, 10pm)
*Monday, April 27- Chicago at Calgary (TSN, TBD)
*Wednesday, April 29- Calgary at Chicago (TSN, TBD)

(*- If Necessary)

The United Football League is trying it's best to get the word out. They've got a handful of recognizable coaches (Jim Fassell, Jim Haslett), have teams in large markets (San Fran, NY, Las Vegas), and now have a TV deal. Versus will air a weekly game for the four-team league, and the first contest will air on October 8th. Via UFL PR....

The United Football League announced that VERSUS, a national sports network in more than 75 million homes, will air the League’s “Premiere” season beginning in October 2009. VERSUS will air live weekly games beginning on Thursday, October 8, and continuing through the Championship Game scheduled to air Thanksgiving weekend. Each live telecast will be approximately three hours and all games will be produced and available in HD. The complete schedule will be announced this summer.

In its “Premiere” year, the UFL will host teams in Las Vegas, New York, Orlando and San Francisco. There are also plans to play additional games in Hartford and Los Angeles. The season will conclude with a Championship Game tentatively scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend in Las Vegas. On Wednesday, the UFL will announce its four coaches at a press conference in San Francisco. League officials are in final negotiations with various stadiums and these agreements will be announced as they are completed.

“We are excited to be the television home of the UFL in its “Premiere” season,” said Marc Fein, Executive Vice President of Programming, Production and Business Operations for VERSUS. “The UFL has put together a great management team and sound plan and we are looking forward to the opportunity to expose these games to a national audience each week.”

I still don't quite understand how a league of just four teams plans to succeed, especially when games are played at the same time as the NFL and NCAA, but I guess anything is possible.

Versus' President, Jamie Davis, talked with the Washington Times recently, and had some interesting things to say about the direction of the network. Among the highlights were discussions about the NHL, and rights that they're trying to acquire, but the most interesting part was the comparison to ESPN. Not only does Davis not agree with the comparison, but he flat out said that Versus isn't interested in copying the "Leader's" model....

A lot of people look at Versus and compare it to ESPN. That may not necessarily be fair, but I'm wondering what the biggest challenges have been so far in getting the viewership and distribution up to that level.

First, I want to be clear that we're not trying to become ESPN. They do a great job, but that's not what we want to become. We are trying to serve a fan base that we believe has been underserved in the past, which is to take certain sports and jump thigh-deep into them and really serve them. We're in over 75 million households; we were in 60 million households when we were the Outdoor Life Network. So the migration has rapidly allowed us to extend our reach. Versus is available to everyone across the country...we weren't like that before, and I think it's because now we've extended our offering. It's become a more broad offering to sports fans and therefore more sports fans have expressed a desire to get Versus. We also launched in December our 24/7 HD channel. Versus HD is in 16 million households already and is continuing to grow.

Obviously there are pros and cons when it comes to competing with ESPN, the main one being that you're starting a race about 100 laps down, but it's about time that someone took a stab at it. Part of the problem with ESPN in recent years was their sheer lack of accountability due to the fact that they're a monopoly. People don't have any other options, so they know they're not going anywhere. Obviously that has changed for the better over the past few years, but another player on their level would make the landscape even better. Competition breeds quality and responsibility.

The article is a good piece about a growing network, and you should check it out if you have the time.

Versus' Jamie Davis (Washington Times)

I really think that the NHL should just get rid of the three, defensive laxed periods, and just go with a gigantic trick shot competition, but I'm not a genius like Gary Betnam. The most recent game however, ended in an 11-11 tie, and for the second time since its inception, the game would be decided by a shootout.

Here it is in its entirety because I know you weren't watching....

Now that was just plain fun. I, like others, have poked fun at Hockey in the past, but I have to say that outside of the NFL and College Basketball, it's now sitting in my three hole. Of course a lot of that has to do with the bandwagon in DC that is the Caps, and having Alex Ovechkin ending the tie with a shootout winner, is always a plus.

Versus, like any company these days, is trying everything they can do to get press and notierity on the cheap. They've recently started a marketing campaign for the network that has people sending in photos with their best use of the letter "V" for their logo. Basically various folks flashing the peace sign.

So what's wrong with that you ask? Well just the fact that they are calling it "Show Me Your V". Puck Daddy has some of the more interesting reactions...

Puck Daddy reader Tim: "In case you missed it, they have a new promotion that calls for its viewers to send in 'extreme' pictures of themselves. The promotion is called 'Show Me Your V'. The idea is for the people to be showing acts of vengeance, versatility... whatever ... while flashing the hippie-gang-sign. With the roughnecks that watch that station, there will be some interesting and literal interpretations of 'Show Me Your V'. Honestly, that's the most hilariously flawed promotional name I've come across. Leave it to the national broadcaster of the NHL."

Puck Daddy reader James: "Ripe for abuse, begging to be eaten up....... wow my head is spinning."

Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad ... is it?

On the one hand ... "Show Me Your V?" Maybe our minds are so far in the gutter that we've got rats scurrying across them, but even Roger Moore's James Bond would believe this double entendre is a tad too telegraphed.

That's not a bad assessment, but "Show Me Your V" is almost so bad and obvious, that it's even more funny. I mean the pictures are completely lame, and no aspiring model has taken it to the next level as of yet, so maybe they're trying to be serious with this whole thing.

Show Me Your "V" (Versus)
Versus asks to see your 'V', doesn't offer to buy dinner first (Puck Daddy)

Tuesday, November 25th

Western Michigan @ 15 Ball State (ESPN2, 7pm)- Todd Harris, Ray Bentley
Navy @ Northern Illinois (ESPN Classic, 7pm)- Eric Collins, Shaun King

Thursday, November 27th

Texas A&M @ 2 Texas (ESPN, 8pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Friday, November 28th

West Virginia @ 25 Pittsburgh (ABC, Noon)- Dave Lamont, Brock Huard
Ohio @ Miami-OH (ESPNU, 12:30pm)- Dave Ryan, Jay Taylor
Mississippi State @ Mississippi (Raycom, 12:30pm)- Dave Neal, David Archer, Dave Baker
Texas El-Paso @ East Carolina (CBS College Sports, 1pm)- Tom Hart, Brian Jones
Kent State @ Buffalo (Time Warner-NY, 2pm)- Howard Simon, Brian Koziol (Will Air on FS Ohio)
Louisiana State @ Arkansas (CBS, 2:3opm)- Don Criqui, Dan Fouts
Colorado @ Nebraska (ABC, 3:30pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute
Bowling Green @ Toledo (ESPN Classic, 3:30pm)- Todd Harris, Shaun King
Fresno State @ 9 Boise State (ESPN2, 6:30pm)- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore
UCLA @ Arizona State (ESPN2, 9:30pm)- Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Rob Stone

Saturday, November 29th

22 Georgia Tech @ 11 Georgia (CBS, Noon)- Craig Bolerjack, Trev Alberts
Virginia @ Virginia Tech (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware, Todd Harris
South Carolina @ Clemson (ESPN2, Noon)- Eric Collins, David Norrie
Syracuse @ 16 Cincinnati (Big East Network, Noon)- Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Quint Kessenich (Will Air on SNY, MASN, Altitude)
Miami @ North Carolina State (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood
13 Missouri v. Kansas (FSN, 12:30pm)- Bill Land, Dave Lapham, Jim Knox
Nevada @ Louisiana Tech (ESPN Plus, 2:30pm)- Trey Bender, Rene Nadeau
New Mexico State @ Utah State (Aggie Vision, 3pm)- Jeff Siembieda, Danny Knee (Will Air on FS Arizona)
Auburn @ 1 Alabama (CBS, 3:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
Baylor @ 7 Texas Tech (Versus, 3:30pm)- Ron Thulin, Kelly Stouffer, Lewis Johnson
4 Florida @ 20 Florida State (ABC, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales
Maryland @ 21 Boston College (ABC, 3:30pm)- Pam Ward, Ray Bentley
Houston @ Rice (CBS College Sports, 3:30pm)- Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor
Tulane @ Memphis (CSS, 3:30pm)- Bob Neal, Chuck Oliver, Sandra Golden
North Carolina @ Duke (ESPNU, 3:30pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle
Kentucky @ Tennessee (ESPN2, 6:30pm)- Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Erin Andrews
23 Oregon @ 17 Oregon State (Versus, 7pm)- Tim Neverett, Glenn Parker, Anne Marie Anderson
Vanderbilt @ Wake Forest (ESPNU, 7:30pm)- Clay Matvick, David Diaz-Infante
Notre Dame @ 5 USC (ESPN, 8pm)- Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
3 Oklahoma @ 12 Oklahoma State (ABC, 8pm)- Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters
Washington State @ Hawaii (Oceanic, 11pm)- Jim Leahey, Russell Yamanoha

We're just about ready to close out the regular season, but we have one more full week before we get to the Championship games. Gameday will obviously be in Oklahoma for the #2 vs. #5 matchup, but there are a ton of other good games this week. Let's get to the schedule....

Wednesday, November 19th

17 Ball State @ Central Michigan (ESPN2, 7pm)- Todd Harris, Ray Bentley

Thurdsay, November 20th

23 Miami @ Georgia Tech (ESPN, 7:30pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Friday, November 21st

Fresno State @ San Jose State (ESPN2, 9:30pm)- Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Rob Stone

Saturday, November 22nd

Michigan @ 10 Ohio State (ABC, Noon)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales
West Virginia @ Louisville (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware
Indiana @ Purdue (ESPN2, Noon)- Pam Ward, Ray Bentley
Army @ Rutgers (Big East Network, Noon)- Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Quint Kessenich
North Carolina State @ 22 North Carolina (Raycom, Noon)- TBD
Clemson @ Virginia (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood
Tennessee @ Vanderbilt (Raycom, Noon)- Dave Neal, David Archer, Dave Baker
The Citadel @ 4 Florida (SUN PPV, 1pm)- Larry Vettel, Nat Moore, Steve Babik
Colorado State @ Wyoming (MTN, 2pm)- James Bates, Todd Christensen, Natalie Vickers, Andrea Lloyd
Syracuse @ Notre Dame (NBC, 2:30pm)- Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Alex Flanagan
Washington @ Washington State (FSN, 3pm)- Barry Tompkins, Petros Papadakis, Jim Watson
Florida Atlantic @ Arkansas State (ESPN Plus, 3pm)- Sam Smith, Doug Graber
Mississippi @ 18 Louisiana State (CBS, 3pm)- Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
15 Michigan State @ 8 Penn State (ABC, 3:30pm)- Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
Boston College @ Wake Forest (ABC, 3:30pm)- Terry Gannon, David Norrie
Stanford @ California (ABC, 3:30pm)- Rob Stone, Chris Spielman, Jessica Mendoza
Air Force @ 16 Texas Christian (Versus, 3:30pm)- Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, Tim Neverett
Marshall @ Rice (CBS College Sports, 3:30pm)- Tom Hart, Trev Alberts
Cal-Poly @ Wisconsin (BTN, 3:30pm)- Mark Neely, Glen Mason, Ashley Russell
Illinois @ Northwestern (BTN, 3:30pm)- Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Charissa Thompson
Iowa State @ Kansas State (FCS Central, 3:30pm)- Kevin Eschenfelder, Richard Baldinger
Louisiana Tech @ New Mexico State (ESPN Plus, 4pm)- Trey Bender, Jay Taylor
9 Boise State @ Nevada (KTVB, 4pm)- Mark Johnson, Tom Scott, David Augusto
Duke @ Virginia Tech (ESPNU, 5pm)- Dave Armstrong, Larry Coker
14 Brigham Young @ 7 Utah (MTN, 6pm)- Rich Cellini, Jon Berger, Blaine Fowler, Sammy Linebaugh, Toby Christensen
20 Pittsburgh @ 19 Cincinnati (ESPN2, 7pm)- Mark Jones, Bob Davie
21 Oregon State @ Arizona (Versus, 7pm)- Ron Thulini, Kelly Stouffer, Lewis Johnson
Iowa @ Minnesota (BTN, 7pm)- Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin, Anthony Herron
East Carolina @ Alabama-Birmingham (CSS, 7pm)- Bob Neal, Chuck Oliver, Allison Williams
Florida State @ 25 Maryland (ESPN, 7:45pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute
2 Texas Tech @ 5 Oklahoma (ABC, 8pm)- Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters
Nevada-Las Vegas @ San Diego State (CBS College Sports, 8pm)- Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor
Idaho @ Hawaii (Idaho2/Oceanic, 11pm)- Bob Akamian, Mike Lamb/Jim Leahey, Russell Yamanoha

Sunday November 23rd

Connecticut @ South Florida (ESPN, 8pm)- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

Ahh, hockey. Where else would you find a clip of Def Leppard playing a concert on Versus, having members of the Red Wings bring the Stanley Cup on stage, and the lead singer subsequently placing the thing on a podium upside down?

Rock! The years of drugs have probably destroyed Joe Elliot's brain cells, but seriously....who would ever think that a trophy would go little side down? Hell, the thing has names written all over it. You'd think that would have been a clue.

Def Leppard Singer's Upside-Down Stanley Cup (Going Five Hole)

Versus' first attempt at a late night Sports talk show was an unsuccessful "Sports Unfiltered With Dennis Miller", but this time the network thinks they have it figured out. The Comcast owns both Versus and E! and the cable company plans on using E!'s extremely successful Talk Soup as a template for creating a similar show involving Sports. Via John Ourand at Sports Business Journal....

Comedian Matt Iseman will host the 30-minute show, to debut at 10 p.m. ET Oct. 14. The network plans new episodes Tuesday and Thursdays.

"We learned some lessons out of our experience with Dennis' show," said Marc Fein, senior vice president of programming and production. "This is an area we definitely want to be in. Obviously, you¹re going to have your hits and misses in it."

"Sports Soup" will be 30 minutes, rather than the hour that was devoted to Miller's show. The show will use clips from games and studio shows from other networks to lampoon sports personalities.

The show will be called "After Further Review" (as seen above), and as it said in the blockquote, will debut on October 14th. And while the format is not THAT bad of an idea, Sports shows along these lines rarely work out in the long run. I think in the end, people just don't want comedy mixed in with their Sports and forced comedy like this is definitely not welcome.

Also, I consider myself pretty knowledgable about stand-up comedians, and I can't say that I've ever heard of Matt Iseman before. But if this promo video is any insight into his humor then the show is going to be....ummm....how do I say this? God awful???

Here's your Week Three College Football Announcing Schedule and were finally starting get some better matchups. The weekend is obviously highlighted by OSU-USC, but we also get Kansas-S.Florida, Wisconsin-Fresno State, Nevada-Missouri and the return of Lundquist and last year's Pammy Champ, Gary Danielson! Thanks to the collective efforts of The 506 and SS, here's your schedule for the week....

Thursday, September 11th

North Carolina @ Rutgers (ESPN, 7:30pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews

Friday, September 12th

11 Kansas @ 18 South Florida (ESPN2, 8pm)- Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Rob Stone

Saturday, September 13th

25 California @ Maryland (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware
Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State (ESPN2, Noon)- Pam Ward, Ray Bentley
Navy @ Duke (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Armstrong, Larry Coker
Louisiana-Lafayette @ Illinois (BTN, Noon)- Matt Devlin, Ian Allen
Iowa State @ Iowa (BTN, Noon)- Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Charissa Thompson
Montana State @ Minnesota (BTN, Noon)- Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin
Southern Illinois @ Northwestern (BTN, Noon)- Mark Neely, Glen Mason
Temple @ Buffalo (ESPN Plus, Noon)- Michael Reghi, Jim Donnan
North Carolina State @ 23 Clemson (Raycom, Noon)- Steve Martin, Rick Walker, Mike Hogewood
Washington State @ Baylor (FSN, 12:30pm)- Bill Land, Dave Lapham, Jim Knox
Alabama-Birmingham @ Tennessee (Raycom, 12:30pm)- Dave Neal, David Archer, Dave Baker
Nevada @ 6 Missouri (FSN PPV, 12:30pm)- Dan McLaughlin, D'Marco Farr, Jason Ray, Mark Claiborne
20 East Carolina @ Tulane (WITN, 3pm)- Drew Smith, Billy Weaver
Michigan @ Notre Dame (NBC, 3:30pm)- Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Alex Flanagan
2 Georgia @ South Carolina (CBS, 3:30pm)- Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson
Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Terry Gannon, David Norrie
14 Oregon @ Purdue (ABC/ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales
Arkansas @ 8 Texas (ABC, 3:30pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute
17 Penn State @ Syracuse (ABC, 3:30pm)- Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard
UCLA @ 15 Brigham Young (Versus, 3:30pm)- Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, Tim Neverett
Air Force @ Houston (CBS College Sports, 3:30pm)- Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor
Chattanooga @ Florida State (ESPNU, 3:45pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle
Hawaii @ Oregon State (FSN Regional, 4pm)- Todd Mansfield, Steve Preece, Cathy Marshall
9 Auburn @ Mississippi State (ESPN2, 7pm)- Mark Jones, Bob Davie
Southern Methodist @ 12 Texas Tech (FSN Regional , 7pm)- Joel Meyers, Gary Reasons, Emily Jones
Memphis @ Marshall (CSS, 7pm)- Bob Neal, Chuck Oliver, Allison Williams
Missouri State @ Oklahoma State (FCS Central, 7pm)- Kevin Eschenfelder, Richard Baldinger
Western Kentucky @ 16 Alabama (CTSN, 7pm)- Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts
Middle Tennessee @ Kentucky (Big Blue Sports PPV, 7pm)- Rob Bromley, Tim Couch, Drew Deener
New Mexico State @ Nebraska (FSN PPV, 7pm)- Ron Thulin, Matt Davison
Virginia @ Connecticut (ESPNU, 7:30pm)- Clay Matvick, David Diaz-Infante
3 Oklahoma @ Washington (ESPNU, 7:45pm)- Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
5 Ohio State @ 1 USC (ABC, 8pm)- Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters, Erin Andrews
Arizona @ New Mexico (CBS College Sports, 8pm)- Tom Hart, Trev Alberts
Stanford @ Texas Christian (MTN, 8pm)- James Bates, Todd Christensen
Bowling Green @ Boise State (KTVB, 8pm)- Mark Johnson, Tom Scott, David Augusto
22 Utah @ Utah State (KJZZ, 8pm)- Steve Brown, Mike Norseth
North Texas @ 7 Louisiana State (ESPN+ PPV, 8pm)- Doug Greengard, Rene Nadeau
Nevada-Las Vegas @ 13 Arizona State (FSN Regional, 10pm)- Trey Bender, Juan Roque, Jody Jackson
10 Wisconsin @ 21 Fresno State (ESPN2, 10:30pm)- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

(Photo via SI's Cheerleader Of The Week Index)

Two Days? Really??? Just two days until College Football starts?! That's the best news I've heard all Summer long, even if that means that Summer is almost over. I'm still hammering out some of the details regarding the "Chronicles" for this season (post should be coming tomorrow or Thursday), but I'll once again be filling your Saturdays with beautiful and quotes every weekend from here until the BCS Championship Game. It's going to be a blast once again and I encourage you to participate as well, if not better, than last year.

With that said, I gave you a look at ESPN's announcing schedule last week, but I've finally gathered up all of the teams for every single game (Thanks for the help, Mookie). Here is your full Week One announcing schedule and I hope you're just as happy as I am that College Football is just around the corner!

College Gameday: Live from Atlanta, GA for the Alabama-Clemson game

Thursday, August 28th

Vanderbilt @ Miami- OH (ESPNU, 7:30pm)- Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Melissa Knowles
Troy @ Middle Tennessee (ESPN Plus, 7:30pm)- Sam Smith, Doug Graber
Hofstra @ Connecticut (ESPN Plus, 7:30pm)- Bob Picozzi, Jim Donnan
North Carolina State @ South Carolina (ESPN, 8pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews
Wake Forest @ Baylor (FSN, 8pm)- Bill Land, Gary Reasons, Emily Jones
South Dakota State @ Iowa State (FCS Central, 8pm)- Dan McLaughlin, Richard Baldinger
Oregon State @ Stanford (ESPN2, 9pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute

Friday, August 29th

Temple @ Army (ESPN Classic, 7pm)- Eric Collins, Shaun King
Southern Methodist @ Rice (ESPN, 8pm)- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

Saturday, August 30th

Virginia Tech @ East Carolina (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware
Syracuse @ Northwestern (ESPN2, Noon)- Pam Ward, Ray Bentley
Bowling Green @ Pittsburgh (ESPNU, Noon)- Dave Armstrong, Larry Coker
Western Kentucky @ Indiana (BTN, Noon)- Tom Werme, Tony McGee
Maine @ Iowa (BTN, Noon)- Mike Crispino, Anthony Herron, J.B. Long
Youngstown State @ Ohio State (BTN, Noon)- Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Charissa Thompson
Coastal Carolina @ Penn State (BTN, Noon)- Mark Neely, Glen Mason, Kenny Jackson
Akron @ Wisconsin (BTN, Noon)- Matt Devlin, Ian Allen, Jay Wilson
Hawaii @ Florida (Raycom, 12:30pm)- Dave Neal, David Archer, Dave Baker
Georgia Southern @ Georgia (CCS PPV, 12:30pm)- Matt Stewart, Buck Belue
Ohio @ Wyoming (MTN, 2pm)- James Bates, Todd Christensen
USC @ Virginia (ABC, 3:30pm)- Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire, Stacey Dales
Utah @ Michigan (ABC, 3:30pm)- Terry Gannon, David Norrie, Jeannine Edwards
Oklahoma State v. Washington State (FSN, 3:30pm)- Brian Davis, Tony Boselli, Dain Blanton
Towson @ Navy (CBS College Sports, 3:30pm)- Tom Hart, Trev Alberts
Villanova @ West Virginia (ESPN Plus, 3:30pm)- John Sanders, Renee Nadeau
Delaware @ Maryland (ESPNU, 3:45pm)- Doug Bell, Charles Arbuckle
Appalachian State @ Louisiana State (ESPN, 5pm)- Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Rob Stone
Texas Christian @ New Mexico (Versus, 6pm)- Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, Tim Neverett
Northern Iowa @ Brigham Young (MTN, 6pm)- Rich Cellini, Jon Berger
Mississippi State @ Louisiana Tech (ESPN2, 6:45pm)- Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard
Northern Illinois @ Minnesota (BTN, 7pm)- Wayne Larrivee, Chris Martin, Ron Johnson
Western Michigan @ Nebraska (FSN PPV, 7pm)- Ron Thulin, Richard Baldinger, Stacey Paetz
Chattanooga @ Oklahoma (FSN PPV, 7pm)- Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Paul Thompson, Emily Jones
Florida Atlantic @ Texas (FSN PPV, 7pm)- Bill Land, Gary Reasons, Ahmad Brooks
Boston College v. Kent State (ESPNU, 7pm)- Clay Matvick, David Diaz-Infante
Louisiana-Monroe @ Auburn (CCS PPV, 7pm)- Andy Burcham, Cole Cubelic
UT-Martin @ South Florida (ESPN Plus, 7:30pm)- Dave Weekley, Doug Graber
Michigan State @ California (ABC, 8pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Heather Cox
Alabama v. Clemson (ABC, 8pm)- Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters, Erin Andrews
Idaho State @ Boise State (KTVB, 8pm)- David Augusto, Tom Scott, Larry Gerbert
Illinois v. Missouri (ESPN, 8:30pm)- Mark Jones, Bob Davie, Todd Harris
Cal-Poly @ San Diego State (SD4, 9:30pm)- Steve Quis, Lon Sheriff
Washington @ Oregon (FSN, 10pm)- Barry Tompkins, Petros Papadakis, Bill MacDonald
Northern Arizona @ Arizona State (FSN Arizona, 10pm)- Trey Bender, Juan Roque, Jody Jackson

Sunday, August 31st

Kentucky @ Louisville (ESPN2, 3:30pm)- Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore
Colorado State v. Colorado (FSN, 7:30pm)- Joel Meyers, Dave Lapham, Jim Knox

Monday, September 1st

Fresno State @ Rutgers (ESPN, 4pm)- Dave Pasch, Andre Ware, Rob Stone
Tennessee @ UCLA (ESPN, 8pm)- Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

(Photo via SI's Cheerleader of the Week collection)

It's not that often that a programming schedule this awesome comes out. To fill its void between Hockey and Bull Riding the network Versus has decided to occupy by the space with the best movie ever.

That's right folks.....Karate Kid Series. Take a look.....

1/21/2008- 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm THE KARATE KID

1/21/2008- 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm THE KARATE KID: PART II

1/21/2008- 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm THE KARATE KID III

1/21/2008- 10:30 pm - 12:00 am THE KARATE KID

1/22/2008- 12:00 am - 1:00 am THE KARATE KID

1/22/2008- 1:00 am - 3:00 am THE KARATE KID: PART II

1/28/2008- 9:00 pm - 11:30 pm THE KARATE KID

1/28/2008- 11:30 pm - 12:00 am THE KARATE KID

1/29/2008- 12:00 am - 2:00 am THE KARATE KID

1/29/2008- 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm THE KARATE KID III

2/9/2008- 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm THE KARATE KID III

While these programming choices are awesome in its own right, there has to be space in there for the Next Karate Kid somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear from Hilary Swank on this one.


Show Schedule (Versus.com)