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Must-see TV for 2001

Gridiron action makes for great reality television

By Travis Richmond, CNNSI.com

Television networks are tripping all over themselves trying to ride the wave of reality programming. But sports fans have known for years that the best drama in television comes in watching real people's lives exposed.

Every Saturday (and on some Thursday and a few Friday nights), the best teams and players in college football take center stage and deliver edge-of-your seat excitement on a consistent basis.

Take Survivor, Big Brother, Fear Factor, Spy TV, and The Real World, roll them into one, and you get an idea of the roller-coaster ride that is the college football season.

For 19 weeks, live broadcasts are beamed to home viewers throughout the country. If you are so inclined, you can join the action as part of a live studio audience by attending games.

But if you're planning on being part of the thrilling season finale on Jan. 3 in Pasadena, Calif., site of the Rose Bowl and this year's national championship game, good luck. Most of the game's tickets are distributed by the participating teams and conferences, with only about 1,000 on public sale in December.

A more solid bet: Grab the best seat in the house -- your house -- and settle in for what is sure to be one of the more unpredictable seasons in quite a while.

Here is a programming guide to ensure that you don't miss any of the exciting plot developments, daunting challenges or surprise departures by the show's leading characters.

ALL TIMES EASTERN | 2001 TV schedule

Aug. 25-26: Big 12 powers show their stuff It is fitting that the last team standing a year ago is among the first teams to begin play in the 2001 season. No one predicted it, but the Oklahoma Sooners captured the national title in coach Bob Stoops' second year in Norman. What to do for an encore? Well, how about back-to-back perfect seasons? For the Sooners to accomplish such a feat, they will have to win 14 games this season, beginning with the Hispanic Fund Classic against North Carolina (Saturday, 7:45 p.m., ESPN). Before settling in for the evening to see who replaces last season's hero, Josh Heupel, as Oklahoma quarterback, check out one of the best QBs in the country that afternoon. In the Pigskin Classic (Saturday, 1 p.m., ABC), Nebraska and Heisman candidate Eric Crouch host TCU, which begins life without coach Dennis Franchione. And with NFL kickoff two weeks away, satisfy your Sunday football fix with the Kickoff Classic (Sunday, 2 p.m., ABC), featuring QB George Godsey and Georgia Tech against Syracuse.

Sept. 1-2: Memories of 2000 ... erased or embraced? As most teams begin their 2001 slate, some will try to recapture and build on the success they had a year ago, while others will be anxious to put 2000 behind them. Two teams hoping for even more success this season are Oregon and Oregon State, which each burst onto the national scene a year ago. Now the Pac-10 rivals each have aspirations of bringing home a national championship. Oregon begins its run for the roses by hosting Wisconsin (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC), while Oregon State hits the road to play Fresno State (Sunday, 9:30 p.m., ESPN). Also this weekend, Miami breaks in new head coach Larry Coker with a trip to Happy Valley to battle Penn State (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC). The Nittany Lions will be trying to get coach Joe Paterno career win No. 323 -- which would tie him with Bear Bryant for most career Division I-A victories -- after winning only five games in 2000, a season they would like to forget. The same can be said for Alabama, which began last season as the No. 3 team in the country. However, that was only accurate as a prediction of how many games they would win, as the Crimson Tide soon tumbled out of the rankings and coach Mike DuBose lost his job. Dennis Franchione starts his coaching career in Tuscaloosa with a home game against UCLA (Saturday, 7:45 p.m., ESPN). Finally, in 2000 Colorado and coach Gary Barnett got off to an 0-4 start on their way to a 3-8 season. The Buffs try to start 2001 on the right foot against rival Colorado State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC).

Sept. 8: Hey, Coach, good to see ya Things just haven't been the same for North Carolina since December 1997. That's when Mack Brown left the Tar Heels to become coach at Texas, even though the Tar Heels had just won 10 games for the second consecutive year. UNC would go 17-18 under Carl Torbush over the next three years, before Torbush was replaced by John Bunting this offseason. North Carolina finally gets a shot at its old coach when the Heels visit Texas (noon, ABC). The last time a team from North Carolina made its way to Austin, in 1999, N.C. State upset the 'Horns 23-20. Notre Dame will also have revenge on its mind when the Irish invade Lincoln to battle Nebraska (8 p.m., ABC). A year ago, the Cornhuskers left South Bend with a 27-24 overtime victory. Finally, Michigan heads west to battle Rose Bowl champ Washington (3:30 p.m., ABC).

Sept. 15: Florida flavor If you can't make it to the Sunshine State this weekend, put on some shades and settle in for a trio of games with national repercussions. SEC East titans Tennessee and Florida meet in Gainesville (3:30 p.m., CBS), while at the same time Washington battles Miami (3:30 p.m., ABC). Each game will have to be special to top last year's thrillers. In 2000, the Gators escaped Knoxville with a controversial 27-23 win after a questionable last-second touchdown, while the Huskies' 34-29 win over the 'Canes prevented Miami from playing for the national title. Not wanting to be left out, Florida State hosts Georgia Tech (7:45 p.m., ESPN) in a game that could decide the ACC title.

Sept. 20-22: Thursday-night thunder The college football weekend starts early as SEC foes South Carolina and Mississippi State lock up in a Thursday-night battle (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) that likely will feature two Top 25 teams. Lou Holtz and Jackie Sherrill match wits in a faceoff of two veteran coaches who just keep winning. The weekend is a little light after last week's showcase, with the best games to watch being Michigan State at Notre Dame (Saturday, 2:30, NBC) and Ohio State at UCLA (Saturday, 3:30, ABC).

Sept. 29: Conference battles continue With October almost here, the season shifts into second gear. Take your pick of great conference contests this weekend. If you want ACC flavor, check out Clemson at Georgia Tech (TBA) and see if Tigers quarterback Woody Dantzler can solve the Yellow Jackets defense. In the Big 12, Oklahoma and Kansas State meet in Norman (TBA) in a rematch of last year's Big 12 title game. Further west, UCLA heads to Oregon State (TBA). And then there's the Irish again, who head to Aggieland to take on Texas A&M (TBA) in a homecoming for coach Bob Davie, who coached at College Station for 10 years.

Oct. 6: Texas-sized showdowns There's nothing like beating a hated rival by 49 points to supercharge your confidence while making your opponent question everything about itself. That was the case last year when Oklahoma walloped Texas 63-14, kick-starting OU's national-title run. A year later, the two meet once again at the Texas State Fair in Dallas (TBA). UT fans have waited 12 months for the rematch, which will be a measuring stick for the Longhorns program. Other rivalry games that could become springboards for their winners are Florida at LSU (TBA), Georgia at Tennessee (TBA), Michigan at Penn State (TBA), and Oregon at Arizona (10:15 p.m., Fox Sports Net).

Oct 13: Tallahassee throwdown Clear the afternoon. Strap yourself in. All eyes (and television sets) should be on Tallahassee, where Florida State takes on Miami (noon, ABC). This always-important matchup was so huge last year it ushered in changes in the BCS: Miami beat FSU but was denied a spot in the national championship game by the 'Noles, although both had only one loss. Here's hoping for enough controversy this year to get rid of the BCS completely. Meanwhile, other thrilling games to check out include Florida at Auburn (TBA), Wisconsin at Ohio State (3:30 p.m., ABC), Washington at UCLA (TBA), and Arizona at Oregon State (10:15, FOX SPORTS NET).

Oct 20: Calm before the storm At the season's midway point, this weekend allows time to sit back and reflect: No landscape-altering games are scheduled, so relax with one eye tuned to the remaining weeks of must-see games. If your routine of spending Saturday's glued to the tube is too comfortable to resist, check out Tennessee at Alabama (TBA), USC at Notre Dame (TBA) and Penn State at Northwestern (TBA).

Oct 27: Seeing red (and lots of it) Nebraska has eight home games in 2001, but none will be bigger than its battle for Big 12 supremacy with defending champion Oklahoma (TBA). Last season, the Sooners spotted the Huskers a 14-0 lead in Norman before scoring the next 31 points to claim victory. This time, OU must wade into the sea of red sure to engulf Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Though the winner of this game will likely be established as the class of the Big 12, it might have to beat its foe again in the Big 12 championship game in December to reach a BCS bowl. Other top contests include Ohio State at Penn State (TBA) and South Carolina at Tennessee (TBA).

Nov. 3: Family feud Bobby Bowden has ruled the ACC for years, but one of the coaches now trying to knock him off his pedestal is his son Tommy, Clemson's coach. This year's matchup, Bowden Bowl III, should be a good one, as Florida State travels to Clemson (TBA). The Seminoles have lost just two ACC games since joining the league in 1992, both road contests. Also this week, Tennessee heads to South Bend to play Notre Dame (1:30 p.m., NBC), Oregon State hits the road for a Pac-10 battle with USC (3:30 p.m., ABC) and Michigan is at Michigan State (TBA).

Nov. 10: Pac-10 and Big 12 offer great games Both the Pac-10 and Big 12 conferences will be at the center of attention this week, as most of the their teams dreaming of Pasadena get big-time tests. If December's Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State is going to have national-title implications, both schools must make it through the rest of their Pac-10 schedules unscathed. This week, the Ducks and Beavers each get severely tested, as Oregon travels to UCLA (TBA) while Oregon State hosts Washington (TBA), which handed Dennis Erickson's bunch its only loss of 2000. Meanwhile, in the Big 12, Kansas State plays at Nebraska (TBA) in a game that will probably decide the Big 12 North title, while Oklahoma hosts Texas A&M (TBA), which almost ended the Sooners' perfect run a year ago.

Nov. 17: Back to Florida Florida gets both Tennessee and Florida State at home this season. So if the Gators take care of business early, then a win in their game with the Seminoles (8 p.m., CBS) could secure the No. 1 ranking heading into the SEC title game. But FSU won't be easy, as they manhandled the Gators 30-7 last season in Tallahassee and would love nothing more than to put on a repeat performance in the Swamp. Other top rivalry games this week include Virginia Tech at Virginia (TBA), Michigan at Wisconsin (TBA), UCLA at USC (TBA), and Syracuse at Miami (TBA).

Nov. 22-24: Give thanks for football Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday the way it was intended -- in front of the television watching football. First up is the Mississippi-Mississippi State Egg Bowl (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) which will serve as a perfect dessert after Thanksgiving dinner. Then be sure to wake up early Friday to watch Texas at Texas A&M (noon, ABC), as the Aggies look to avenge last year's Chris Simms-led blowout to their hated rivals. Also on tap Friday is Arkansas at LSU (2:30 p.m., CBS), Arizona at Arizona State (3 p.m., FOX SPORTS NET), and Nebraska at Colorado (3:30 p.m., ABC). Once all these games are over, the traditional Saturday fare includes the always-intense Ohio State at Michigan (1 p.m., ABC), Penn State at Michigan State (TBA) and Georgia at Georgia Tech (8 p.m., ABC).

Nov. 30-Dec. 1: Championship weekend If there ever was a weekend to lock yourself in your living room, this is it. The family will understand. Hurry home after work Friday to check out the MAC championship game (6 p.m., ESPN), in which Marshall has appeared each of its four years in the conference. But this game is only an appetizer for the main feast, which comes on Saturday in five waves. First up is the Army-Navy game (noon, CBS), a must-see regardless of the schools' records. Next, flip over to catch Miami at Virginia Tech (1 p.m., ABC), which every year seems to be an unofficial Big East title game. The intensity is magnified when Oregon State battles Oregon (4:30 p.m., ABC) in the Civil War for state bragging rights and possibly the Pac-10 title. Finally, settle in for two high-octane conference title games that evening. The Big 12 North and South champs meet in Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas (8 p.m., ABC), while the SEC East and West kingpins square off in the Georgia Dome at Atlanta (7:30 p.m., CBS). The only problem is both games are on at virtually the same time, so unless you have picture-in-picture on your television, find a second set and put them side-by-side. You cannot afford to miss either game.