Ducks open football season on ESPN

EUGENE, Ore. - The University of Oregon will open the 2012 football season with a 7:30 p.m. ESPN appearance vs. Arkansas State in Autzen Stadium as part of the early-season television schedule unveiled Thursday by the Pac-12 Conference.

Two of the Ducks’ first three football games of the year will be televised as part of the newly formed Pac-12 Network, according to Pac-12 Enterprises President Gary Stevenson.

The formation of the Pac-12 Network, along with new television contracts that go into effect this year with ESPN and FOX, will allow for the telecast of every football game for all Pac-12 Conference schools, with the Pac-12 Network to air 15 games in the first three weeks of the 2012 season.

Oregon will make its Pac-12 Network debut Sept. 8 when it hosts Fresno State at 3:30 p.m. PDT, followed by its second Pac-12 Network appearance Sept. 15 game vs. Tennessee Tech at noon PDT.

The Ducks’ Sept. 22 conference opener at home against Arizona has been selected to be televised on one of three ESPN affiliates (ABC, ESPN or ESPN2). However the network and start time will not be announced until 12 or six days prior to the game.

The majority of the remainder of the Pac-12 Conference’s TV schedule and game times will not be determined until 12 or six days in advance of games. However it was previously announced that Oregon’s Oct. 18 Thursday night game at Arizona State would be televised on ESPN beginning at 6 p.m. PDT.

The Pac-12 Networks will kick-off its 35-game football schedule with six games during the opening week (August 30-September 1), including two on Thursday, one on Friday and three more on Saturday.

Arizona, Cal, Oregon and Stanford each have two Pac-12 Network appearances during the first three weeks of the season, while ASU, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington and Washington State have one. USC makes its debut on the networks the following week.

The Pac-12 Networks launch August 15 and will consist of one national and six regional networks devoted solely to the Pac-12. In addition to the hundreds of live televised Pac-12 sporting events, Pac-12 Networks subscribers will have access to their carrier’s TV Everywhere platform, providing access to all Pac-12 Networks programming on any device through their broadband service.

Pac-12 Network programming will appear nationally on Comcast, with negotiations ongoing for satellite providers (DIRECTV and Dish Network) to air the programming.

2012 Oregon Football Schedule

Sept. 1  Arkansas State 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Sept. 8  Fresno State 3:30 p.m. Pac-12 Networks
Sept. 15 Tennessee Tech 12 noon Pac-12 Networks
Sept. 22 Arizona TBA ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC
Sept. 29 Washington State (in Seattle) TBA
Oct. 6   Washington TBA
Oct. 18  @ Arizona State 6 p.m. ESPN
Oct. 27  Colorado TBA
Nov. 3   @ USC TBA
Nov. 10  @ California TBA
Nov. 17  Stanford TBA
Nov. 24  @ Oregon State TBA