Baylor officials announced today that the Bears' season-opening football game against TCU has been moved to Friday, Sept. 2 and will be an ESPN national telecast.
Kickoff time is set for 7 p.m. at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco.
The contest, originally was set for Sept. 3, marks the season opener for both schools. Baylor is coming off a 7-6 season marked by the Bears' first bowl berth in the Big 12 era. TCU finished 13-0 last season, winning the Rose Bowl and finishing second in the final college football rankings of both the Associated Press and the coaches polls.
In a statement released by school officials, Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw said the opportunity for a prime-time Friday telecast to open the 2011 season represents "a unique opportunity for our student-athletes and program to garner significant national exposure. Also, the fact that this game falls on Labor Day weekend when college games are typically spread throughout the weekend gave us more reason to support this exception to normal practice.”
The move gives TCU three Friday night football games on its 2011 schedule (at Baylor on Sept. 2; SMU on Sept. 30 in Fort Worth; Brigham Young on Oct. 28 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington). It also means Baylor will begin and end its regular-season slate with nationally-televised home games against in-state rivals.
The Bears' regular-season finale is Dec. 3 against Texas, on either ABC or ESPN.
In previous seasons, Big 12 teams have played televised games over the long Labor Day weekend on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. However, before agreeing to move the TCU game, Baylor officials communicated with area high school administrators and coaches as well as the Texas High School Coaches Association.
It is the second adjustment to the Bears’ 2011 football schedule , as it was previously announced that Baylor’s game vs. Texas had been moved from mid-October to Saturday, Dec. 3, to be televised on ABC at either 2:30 or 7 p.m. (CST).
Baylor officials also announced 6 p.m. kickoff times for non-conference home games against Stephen F. Austin (Sept. 17) and Rice (Sept. 24).
Below is a look at the Bears' updated 2011 football schedule:
2011 Baylor Football Schedule (as of April 26, 2011)
|
Sept. 2 |
TCU (ESPN) |
7 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
|
Sept. 17 |
Stephen F. Austin State |
6 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
|
Sept. 24 |
Rice (Parents’ Weekend) |
6 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
|
Oct. 1 |
at Kansas State |
TBA |
Manhattan, Kan. |
|
Oct. 8 |
Iowa State |
TBA |
Waco, Texas |
|
Oct. 15 |
at Texas A&M |
TBA |
College Station, Texas |
|
Oct. 29 |
at Oklahoma State |
TBA |
Stillwater, Okla. |
|
Nov. 5 |
Missouri (Homecoming) |
TBA |
Waco, Texas |
|
Nov. 12 |
at Kansas |
TBA |
Lawrence, Kan. |
|
Nov. 19 |
Oklahoma |
TBA |
Waco, Texas |
|
Nov. 26 |
Texas Tech |
TBA |
TBA |
|
Dec. 3 |
Texas (ABC) |
2:30 or 7 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
All times CDT.
-- Jimmy Burch
|
Sept. 2 |
TCU (ESPN) |
7 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
|
Sept. 17 |
Stephen F. Austin State |
6 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
|
Sept. 24 |
Rice (Parents’ Weekend) |
6 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
|
Oct. 1 |
at Kansas State |
TBA |
Manhattan, Kan. |
|
Oct. 8 |
Iowa State |
TBA |
Waco, Texas |
|
Oct. 15 |
at Texas A&M |
TBA |
College Station, Texas |
|
Oct. 29 |
at Oklahoma State |
TBA |
Stillwater, Okla. |
|
Nov. 5 |
Missouri (Homecoming) |
TBA |
Waco, Texas |
|
Nov. 12 |
at Kansas |
TBA |
Lawrence, Kan. |
|
Nov. 19 |
Oklahoma |
TBA |
Waco, Texas |
|
Nov. 26 |
Texas Tech |
TBA |
TBA |
|
Dec. 3 |
Texas (ABC) |
2:30 or 7 p.m. |
Waco, Texas |
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