2013 CFL Schedule on NBC Sports Network
Date | Game | Time (ET) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
June 27 | Montréal at Winnipeg | 9 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
July 30 | B.C. at Toronto | 7:30 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 2 | Hamilton at Edmonton | 9 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 5 | Winnipeg at B.C. | 7 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 9 | Saskatchewan at Calgary | 9 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 22 | B.C. at Montréal | 7:30 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 2 | Edmonton at Calgary | 5 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 3 | Montréal at Toronto | 7:30 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 6 | Calgary at Edmonton | 9 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
September 27 | B.C. at Winnipeg | 10:30 pm* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
October 14 | Toronto at Hamilton | Midnight (October 16)* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
October 18 | Calgary at Edmonton | Midnight* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
October 24 | Winnipeg at Toronto | 7:30 pm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
November 1 | Montréal at Toronto | Midnight* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
* -- tape delayed. Feeds from TSN. |
The leaked information about the NBC Sports Network schedule proved to be accurate: 14 regular season games along with the division finals and the Grey Cup.
NBC Sports Network starts its CFL coverage Thursday, but takes a month off; the reported ESPN2 telecasts fit nicely in this slot.
The schedule above does not include the division finals, scheduled to be tape delayed on the U.S. channel. The East final is scheduled for 11 pm Eastern later on November 17, but the West final won't air until the next night at midnight, barely into November 19 on the East Coast. The Grey Cup airs live on the NBC Sports Network.
All but one of the games from late September to the end of the season will air tape delayed.
As for the breakdown of telecasts, the CFL likely spoke up to the U.S. channel and insisted that all the CFL teams be on the schedule. Saskatchewan barely made the schedule.
The defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts lead the way with 5 telecasts, 4 at Rogers Centre. B.C., Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal and Winnipeg each have 4. The Alouettes and Lions will have only 1 home game each while the Blue Bombers and Stampeders split their 4 appearances. Edmonton has 3 home games.
The Tiger-Cats only have 2 telecasts, one in Guelph. And the Roughriders get a lone appearance but on the road in Calgary. The atmosphere at Taylor Field deserves a shot on the U.S. channel, but once again, the U.S. audience is denied that. The first appearance for the stadium (other than possibly the West final) on the NBC Sports Network will be the Grey Cup.
The NBC Sports Network will carry the lone Labour Day telecast and the early Thanksgiving Day game (tape-delayed). The Battle of Alberta will be on Labour Day and the channel will show the revenge game on Friday night.
Canada's two largest cities will also be featured twice against each other: the day after Labour Day and the final telecast on November 1, both at Rogers Centre. They are the only 2 teams not covered in the bye weeks; NBC Sports Network will have the other 3 games in that 2-week stretch.
Whether ESPN2 will carry more games isn't clear nor have its schedule been confirmed. The NBC Sports Network will take most of September off. ESPN2 won't likely have the time to fill that gap.
Still, the schedule is a decent one, though hopefully ESPN2 will jump in and take the first round of the playoffs.
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