Public service announcement

Here’s a useful TV schedule of football games this month and next. I notice that there are only four games televised by a broadcast network, and none of those four are big important games. The playoffs (Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl and the College Championship) are all on ESPN, which is cable. That means that some 16 percent of Americans will have to go to a friend’s house or a sports bar to watch them. It appears that none of the networks wanted to outbid ESPN’s 7.3 billion dollars for the rights for twelve years (from 2012 forward, perpetuating a deal made when the Bowl Championship Series was still in effect).

2014-15 College Football Bowl And Playoff Schedule (All times Eastern)

Bowl Location Date/Time Network
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
New Orleans
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Dec. 20
11 a.m.
ESPN
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Utah State vs. UTEP
Albuquerque, N.M.
University Stadium
Dec. 20
2:20 p.m.
ESPN
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Colorado State
Las Vegas
Sam Boyd Stadium
Dec. 20
3:30 p.m.
ABC
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Western Michigan vs. Air Force
Boise, Idaho
Albertsons Stadium
Dec. 20
5:45 p.m.
ESPN
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
South Alabama vs. Bowling Green
Montgomery, Ala.
Cramton Bowl
Dec. 20
9:15 p.m.
ESPN
Miami Beach Bowl
BYU vs. Memphis
Miami
Marlins Park
Dec. 22
2 p.m.
ESPN
Boca Raton Bowl
Marshall vs. Northern Illinois
Boca Raton, Fla.
FAU Stadium
Dec. 23
6 p.m.
ESPN
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Navy vs. San Diego State
San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium
Dec. 23
9:30 p.m.
ESPN
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky
Nassau, Bahamas
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium
Dec. 24
Noon
ESPN
Hawai’i Bowl
Fresno State vs. Rice
Honolulu
Aloha Stadium
Dec. 24
8 p.m.
ESPN
Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl
Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
Dallas
Cotton Bowl
Dec. 26
1 p.m.
ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl
Rutgers vs. North Carolina
Detroit
Ford Field
Dec. 26
4:30 p.m.
ESPN
Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
NC State vs. UCF
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tropicana Field
Dec. 26
8 p.m.
ESPN
Military Bowl presented By Northrop Grumman
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Annapolis, Md.
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Dec. 27
1 p.m.
ESPN
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs. Duke
El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl
Dec. 27
2 p.m.
CBS
Duck Commander Independence Bowl
Miami vs. South Carolina
Shreveport, La.
Independence Stadium
Dec. 27
3:30 p.m.
ABC
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Boston College vs. Penn State
Bronx, N.Y.
Yankee Stadium
Dec. 27
4:30 p.m.
ESPN
National University Holiday Bowl
Nebraska vs. USC
San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium
Dec. 27
8 p.m.
ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Texas A&M vs. West Virginia
Memphis, Tenn.
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Dec. 29
2 p.m.
ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl
Oklahoma vs. Clemson
Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl
Dec. 29
5:30 p.m.
ESPN
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
Arkansas vs. Texas
Houston
NRG Stadium
Dec. 29
9 p.m.
ESPN
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Notre Dame vs. LSU
Nashville, Tenn.
LP Field
Dec. 30
3 p.m.
ESPN
Belk Bowl
Georgia vs. Louisville
Charlotte, N.C.
Bank of America Stadium
Dec. 30
6:30 p.m.
ESPN
Foster Farms Bowl
Maryland vs. Stanford
Santa Clara, Calif.
Levi’s Stadium
Dec. 30
10 p.m.
ESPN
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 6 TCU
Atlanta
Georgia Dome
Dec. 31
12:30 p.m.
ESPN
VIZIO Fiesta Bowl
No. 20 Boise State vs. No. 10 Arizona
Glendale, Ariz.
University of Phoenix Stadium
Dec. 31
4 p.m.
ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 7 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech
Miami Gardens, Fla.
Sun Life Stadium
Dec. 31
8 p.m.
ESPN
Outback Bowl
Auburn vs. Wisconsin
Tampa, Fla.
Raymond James Stadium
Jan. 1
Noon
ESPN2
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 5 Baylor
Arlington, Texas
AT&T Stadium
Jan. 1
12:30 p.m.
ESPN
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
Missouri vs. Minnesota
Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl
Jan. 1
1 p.m.
ABC
Rose Bowl Game Presented By Northwestern Mutual
College Football Playoff Semifinal

No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State
Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1
5 p.m.
ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl
College Football Playoff Semifinal

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State
New Orleans
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Jan. 1
8:30 p.m.
ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Houston vs. Pittsburgh
Fort Worth, Texas
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Jan. 2
Noon
ESPN
TaxSlayer Bowl
Iowa vs. Tennessee
Jacksonville, Fla.
EverBank Field
Jan. 2
3:20 p.m.
ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl
Kansas State vs. UCLA
San Antonio
Alamodome
Jan. 2
6:45 p.m.
ESPN
TicketCity Cactus Bowl
Washington vs. Oklahoma State
Tempe, Ariz.
Sun Devil Stadium
Jan. 2
10:15 p.m.
ESPN
Birmingham Bowl
East Carolina vs. Florida
Birmingham, Ala.
Legion Field
Jan. 3
Noon
ESPN
GoDaddy Bowl
Toledo vs. Arkansas State
Mobile, Ala.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Jan. 4
9 p.m.
ESPN
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T
TBD vs. TBD
Arlington, Texas
AT&T Stadium
Jan. 12
8:30 p.m.
ESPN

Data copied from ESPN.