USC Kicks Off in Giants Stadium; KCOP Airs Action

While Tennessee and Colorado receive the honor of opening the 1990 college football season, USC will be playing in the second game, facing Syracuse in Friday’s Kickoff Classic at 5 p.m. on KCOP. Phil Stone and Dave Rowe will call the game.

NBC sportscaster Don Criqui has been a member of the Kickoff Classic’s committee since its inception in 1983.

“A team’s season turns on that first big game,” Criqui said. “Teams that have come out of the Kickoff Classic with a win have usually gone on to have terrific years. But the good team who loses tends to start off on a real down note. Either Tennessee or Colorado will be off to a pretty big start in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic and the same is true with USC or Syracuse in the Kickoff Classic.”

The game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., is USC’s first appearance in the greater New York City area since a 28-6 win over Army in 1951.

The Trojans will be getting nearly as much air time as Bart Simpson this season, with 11 of their 12 games set for live television. ABC will televise games against Penn State (Sept. 15), Ohio State (Sept. 29), Stanford (Oct. 13), Arizona State (Oct. 27), UCLA (Nov. 17) and Notre Dame (Nov. 24). Prime Ticket will carry games against Washington (Sept. 22), Arizona (Oct. 20) and Cal (Nov. 3.) ESPN will broadcast the Oct. 6 Washington State game. Only the Nov. 10 game against Oregon State is not scheduled for a live broadcast.

What about UCLA? The Bruins will have at least seven of their 11 games on live television, beginning with their Sept. 8 opener against Oklahoma. ABC will provide coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. ABC also will carry the Sept. 22 Michigan game and Nov. 17 USC game. Prime Ticket has scheduled UCLA’s games against Stanford (Sept. 15), San Diego State (Oct. 13) and Oregon State (Oct. 27), while ESPN will broadcast the Washington State game Sept. 29.

Other games could be added depending on their importance.

Prime Ticket will air tapes of all USC and UCLA games.

Cal State Fullerton’s lone television appearance will come on Sept. 29 when SportsChannel carries the Titans Big West Conference game at Fresno State.