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Here is one more SEC TV update before the 2008 season kicks off. This is done as a last-minute refresher and in honor of the new 15 year contract announced by the SEC and CBS on Aug. 14 that takes effect in 2009.

I think most know that - under the current contracts - CBS typically picks first, ESPN second (for one SEC game), then Raycom If ESPN wants additional games (say, a game on ESPN and a game on ESPN2), things are worked out between ESPN & Raycom. Selections for the first 3-4 weeks are usually announced in late summer, if not earlier. After that, selections are typically made 12 days in advance. CBS has 2 6-day options and can request more from the SEC if deemed necessary.

Corporate mergers, spinoffs and the like mean more alphabet soup for everyone. You might have noticed during hoops season that Lincoln Financial - the artist previously known as Jefferson Pilot - is now Raycom. Actually, that is reverting back to an old name, as LF unloaded its outside enterprises (such as regional sports TV that had been part of JP), perhaps to avoid going the way of Bear Stearns and various subprime mortgage entities.

Under the current contract, ESPN gets up to three priority picks (a/k/a wild cards) in advance. Usually these are for specific games but occasionally can be for first pick in a given week. These wild cards will no longer exist after 2008 as the new SEC-CBS agreement gives CBS all weekly first picks. Announcements on new contracts regarding SEC prime time games (currently held by ESPN) and early afternoon games (currently held by Raycom) are still pending and scheduled to be announced in the next few weeks. Given deals for replay rights and minor sports coverage recently inked by Florida and South Carolina, formation of an SEC Network is not expected – but cannot yet be ruled out.

This information is useful as a guide to how schedules might unfold, and especially for adjusting in the event of crazy seasons such as last year. You know it was a crazy year when … four different SEC East teams spent time in the Top 10 in 2007 and NONE of those teams played for the SEC Championship.

Notable: the US Open tennis tournament is Aug. 25-Sept. 7.

With the latest info available, here goes. All times are ET. Games in bold have been confirmed.

Aug. 28 (Thurs.):

Vanderbilt at Miami, Ohio – 7:30 ESPNU
N.C. State at South Carolina – 8:00 ESPN

Aug. 30:

Hawaii at Florida – 12:30 Raycom
Appalachian St. at LSU – 5:00 ESPN
Miss. St. at La. Tech – 6:45 ESPN2
Alabama vs. Clemson (Atlanta) – 8:00 ABC

Aug. 31:

Kentucky at Louisville – 3:30 ESPN

Sept. 1:

Tennessee at UCLA – 8:00 ESPN

Sept. 4 (Thurs.):

South Carolina at Vandy – 8:30 ESPN

Sept. 6:

Ole Miss at Wake Forest – 3:30 ABC
Central Mich. at Georgia – 3:30 FSN South
Miami, Fla. at Florida – 8:00 ESPN

Sept. 13:

UAB at Tennessee – 12:30 Raycom
Georgia at South Carolina – 3:30 CBS
Arkansas at Texas – 3:30 ABC
Auburn at Miss. St. – 7:00 ESPN2

Sept. 20:
Florida at Tennessee – 3:30 CBS
Georgia at Arizona St. – 8:00 ABC

LSU at Auburn – 7:45 ESPN (wild card)
Alabama at Arkansas – 12:30 Raycom
Miss. St. at Ga. Tech – 7:00 ESPN2

I guess ESPN had a choice of one game on this date or one game on Oct. 11. The LSU-Auburn game has set the tone in the west just about every year this decade. I think LSU-Auburn is officially announced for ESPN but the exact kickoff time (7:45 or 8:00) is not yet set.