June 1 has traditionally been the deadline for the major television networks to hash out the schedules for the non-conference portion of the college football season.
But like many things, that won’t be the case this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though CBS, ABC/ESPN and FOX have contracts with their respective leagues, the way those contracts are divided means that the networks have to pick and choose between which games they want for which time slots and on which of their networks the games will appear.
On Tuesday, those three networks released a joint statement along with the 10 FBS conferences, saying that they need time beyond June 1 to consider all the schedule possibilities that the pandemic is presenting.
“Collectively, the conferences and television networks have agreed to an extension for determining college football’s early season game times beyond the standard June 1 deadline. These kickoff times and network designations will be announced at a later date as we all continue to prepare for the college football season.”
The similar process for conference games generally runs about weeks before the games are played.
Pitt has just one marquee non-conference matchup scheduled for this season, an Oct. 17 home date against Notre Dame. Pitt will also host Miami University (Ohio) on Sept. 5, Marshall on Sept. 12 and Richmond on Sept. 19. C
