Undefeated Teams Play Here: ESPN to Feature 10 Unbeaten Schools in Week 9; Notre Dame at Michigan for the First Time Since 2013 on ABC’s Saturday Night Football

• No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Penn State Among Undefeated Teams Showcased throughout Saturday; No. 16 SMU, No. 17 Minnesota and No. 21 Appalachian State also on ESPN’s Networks
  
• Brookings, S.D. Hosts College GameDay for “Dakota Marker” Game: Unbeaten FCS No. 1 North Dakota State at No. 3 South Dakota State on ESPN+

ESPN will be the home of undefeated teams in college football’s week 9, as No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Clemson, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Penn State headline ESPN TV networks’ slate which features seven of the nine unbeaten FBS teams in action and a renewal of the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry in the CFB150 Showcase Game. Saturday’s slate will feature two unbeaten teams in each of the noon, late afternoon and primetime windows, which follows a Thursday night presentation with undefeated and No. 16 SMU at Houston. Adding to the theme, ESPN+ and ESPNU will feature all three of the FCS undefeated teams, including No. 1 North Dakota State in the “Dakota Marker” game vs. No. 3 South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D., the site of College GameDay Built by The Home Depot.

ABC Begins Saturday with No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Penn State on the Road
ABC begins Saturday with Oklahoma at Kansas State (noon) followed by No. 6 Penn State at Michigan State (3:30 p.m.), as the Sooners and Nittany Lions both enter the week 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in their conference. The Wildcats are looking to beat the Sooners for the first time since 2014, while the Spartans will be looking to beat Penn State for the third straight season. Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Allison Williams will be in Manhattan, Kan., and Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe are in East Lansing, Mich.

Notre Dame at Michigan Renew Historic Rivalry on ABC’s Saturday Night Football
ABC will conclude Saturday with Notre Dame at Michigan on Saturday Night Football Presented by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s (7:30 p.m.), as the Fighting Irish return to Michigan Stadium for the first time since 2013. Overall, this season’s matchup is the 44th between the two blue bloods, which began in 1887. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Maria Taylor will be in Ann Arbor.

The showdown will also conclude Notre Dame’s own theme week for ESPN College Football 150 in which the Fighting Irish are the focus of The American Game special on Tuesday, October 22 (more information below).

Alabama Without Tua Tagovailoa, Minnesota Off to Best Start in Nearly 60 Years
ESPN will air Alabama (7-0) hosting Arkansas (7 p.m.), which immediately follows No. 17 Minnesota (7-0) welcoming in Maryland (3:30 p.m.) as the network airs back-to-back undefeated teams. The Crimson Tide will play without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, while the Gophers are off to their best start since 1960 and have earned their highest ranking since 2004. Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy and Tom Luginbill will be in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with Jason Benetti, Rod Gilmore and Quint Kessenich in Minneapolis.

Spotlight on No. 16 SMU: Mustangs Travel for ESPN’s Thursday Night Presentation
ESPN’s Thursday night telecast will feature No. 16 SMU at Houston (7:30 p.m.) on Thursday, Oct. 24, as the Mustangs are now the highest ranked Group of Five school and are 7-0 for the first time since 1982. Adam Amin, Matt Hasselbeck, Pat McAfee and Molly McGrath will be in Houston for the game.

ACC Network and ESPNU Also Air Undefeated FBS Teams
ACC Network airs No. 4 Clemson (7-0) hosting Boston College (7:30 p.m.) and ESPNU televises No. 21 Appalachian State (6-0) at South Alabama (noon).

Additional ESPN Network Highlights:

• 20 Iowa at Northwestern on ESPN2 (noon)
• 11 Oregon hosting Washington State on ESPN (10:30 p.m.)
• ESPN Radio will broadcast No. 9 Auburn at No. 2 LSU (3:30 p.m.), making the LSU Tigers the 11th undefeated teams on an ESPN network.

Remaining Three FCS Undefeated Teams Play on ESPNU and ESPN+

• 16 Dartmouth (5-0) welcomes in Columbia on Friday, Oct. 25 on ESPNU (6 p.m.)
• 13 Princeton (5-0) hosts Harvard on ESPN+ (1 p.m.)
• 1 North Dakota State (7-0) at No. 3 South Dakota State on ESPN+ (3:30 p.m.) following College GameDay (9 a.m. to noon)

All Games Saturday, October 26 Unless Noted

ESPN College Football 150 Weekly Theme: Notre Dame
The story of college football can’t be told without the story of one of its most legendary programs – Notre Dame. The Irish hold a unique place in college football history – its triumphs, superstars and icons, and its controversies and contradictions. The American Game: Notre Dame airs Tuesday, October 22, at 8 p.m.

With the Fighting Irish’s gold helmets among college football’s most iconic, The Greatest on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. on ESPN will examine the sport’s best uniforms.

^ – will air at 10:30 p.m. on ESPNU; Not all digital games are exclusive
FCS Rankings Used for North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Dartmouth and Princeton

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Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; [email protected] and @DerekVolner