Time Change Rumors Are Flying

Yes, that's a flying clock. Quite a metaphor, eh?

Anyway, there are tons of rumors making the rounds that next week's pivotal ASU/Oregon match-up will move from it's scheduled 3:45 PM Fox Sports Net kickoff window to the 12:30 PM ABC kickoff window.

First of all, that would suck, because while FSN's broadcast team's and quality are inferior to those of the ESPN family of networks, at least Fox's afternoon games are in High Definition. I don't think there's been an ABC afternoon game in HD all year.

Anyway, as a member of the media who has legitimate access to information from Arizona State, I'm here to tell you that...there has been NO official word from ASU or Oregon about switching game times.

When we do get official word of any time or network change, we at Pitchfork Nation will tell you immediately. Or, you know, as fast as we can.

And now, some FAQ:
Q: Why is ESPN already mentioning that the game will be on the "family of networks?"
A: The game is, and has been all year, scheduled to be on ESPN Game Plan, as per the ESPN tie-in agreement with the Oregon Sports Network. It was not originally scheduled to be a national broadcast before the season started.

Q: Doesn't ESPN have to be showing a game they're at for College GameDay on their network?
A: Hell no. This season, Chris, Lee and Kirk have been at several games that were telecast by CBS and one that was broadcast by Fox Sports Net. It's not a requirement, but obviously, it helps.

Q: What's scheduled for the ABC west coast 12:30 game now?
A: It's a regional TV window, and our game would most likely be UCLA at Arizona. FSN and ABC could technically work out a trade for the broadcast rights, however.

Q: Has the game time for UCLA been set?
A: No, but the options are limited. The game will not be at 7:15 as Washington/Oregon State has already been picked by FSN for that time slot. USC/Cal is currently the Saturday Night Football game, scheduled for 5:00 on ABC, but there's always a possibility that they would stick ASU/UCLA in that slot instead as a sexier match-up. That leaves 12:30 PM on ABC as the most logical slot for the Devils/Bruins game. We should know later this week for sure.