The Dark Ages

When the college football season starts (can I hibernate through the summer?) I will be attempting to post some sort of “TV Guide” telling you where and when to find the best games of each weekend. To think that only a few decades ago, there were hardly any college football games on TV makes me understand why plenty of old men can be classified as “crotchety.” Forget the internet. Forget ESPN Gameplan. Forget cable TV, as well. Try living with 1 or 2 games on TV… per year?! Unthinkable.

For some background on how college football went from “big games and bowl games only” to “every game and the BCS,” check out this article. If you’re really interested in this stuff, read the book mentioned: The Fifty Year Seduction, by Keith Dunnavant.

Considering that Michigan is the most televised program in college football history, and has had its last 131 games televised, I can’t begin to imagine what it felt like to be an “out of town fan” back before the Wolverines started racking up the TV appearances. So this October, when you’re mildly upset that the “currently undefeated mid-major team du jour” isn’t on TV, count your blessings. Then log on to ESPN.com’s game tracker.