Buffs Open With First Two Games On Network TV For First Time In CU History

Buffs Open With First Two Games On Network TV For First Time In CU History

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TV, Times Announced For Four More CU Football Games

Buffs Open With First Two Games On Network TV For First Time In CU History

SAN FRANCISCO—The Pac-12 Conference on Wednesday released the times and television selections for the first three weeks and all “special date” games for the 2023 college football season including all previously announced Friday matchups.  

For the Colorado Buffaloes, that means TV selections and times for four additional games, bringing the total to five, for the inaugural season of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, including three of the six games slated for the 100th season of Folsom Field.  

“We are extremely honored to be chosen to appear on multiple networks to start this epic season,” Coach Prime said. “The exposure this provides to our student-athletes is one reason they came to the University of Colorado. ‘We Coming.’ “

Previously announced as part of Upfront earlier in May was the CU season opener at TCU, which will air on FOX in its Big Noon Saturday spot at 10 a.m. MT (11 a.m. local), and CU’s home opener against Nebraska will also air in the same spot, one of the flagship broadcast windows of college football, meaning CU’s first two games of the Coach Prime era will air on network television, the first time that has happened in CU history.  

Also announced was CU’s week three matchup against Colorado State in Boulder, which will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. MT.   Additionally, CU’s two Friday games were announced, at home against Stanford on Oct. 13 for Family Weekend, which will air at 8 p.m. on ESPN, and CU’s road game at Washington State on Nov. 17, which will air at 8:30 p.m. MT on FS1.  

After the second week of the season, CU will have appeared on the FOX Big Noon Saturday window three times, also doing so against Utah in the 2020 season. 

On top of being the first time in CU history the first two games of the season will be on network television, with the Colorado State game on ESPN, this will be just the second time in CU history that the first three games are either on network television or the main ESPN channel.  The other time it happened was CU’s National Championship season in 1990 when the Buffs opened in a neutral site game against Tennessee (NBC), then hosted Stanford (ESPN) before traveling to Illinois (ABC). 

With five games already selected for network television, ESPN, ESPN2 or FS1, this season is already one of the most readily available seasons for Buffs fans since joining the Pac-12.  The most games on those networks in a season since joining the Pac-12 was seven in 2016 while both the 2018 and ’19 seasons had six games each and the 2023 season is already tied with four other seasons with five such games.  

The two games on FOX to open the season will be the 11th and 12th games shown on that network in CU history, and with the additional game on FS-1, that gives the Buffs 29 games shown nationally by Fox Sports.  With the two games slated for ESPN, they will be the 50th and 51st games on the main ESPN channel for the Buffs and the 76th on ESPN platforms including nine on ABC since ABC sports was merged into ESPN in 2006. 

Season tickets for the 2023 season are sold out.  Single game tickets are available now.  

The 34th Annual Colorado Football Boulder Chamber Kickoff Luncheon will take place on Friday, August 25, and tickets are now available to purchase.  Hosted by Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson with special guests including Coach Prime, Athletic Director Rick George and Boulder Chamber President John Tayer, the entire CU football staff and team will be in attendance.  Doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the program starts at 1 p.m. at CU’s Indoor Practice Facility. 

Curtis C. Snyder | Interim Associate Athletic Director/Athletic Communications (Football, Skiing, Tennis)

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics | University of Colorado Boulder | UCB 357, Boulder, CO 80309