Many TVs will be tuned into various networks and streamers’ coverage of the 2024 U.S. presidential election Tuesday night, but there are still sports options for those who would prefer to focus there or to flip back and forth. The NBA is taking the night off, but there are two college football games, 11 NHL games, and lots of men’s and women’s college basketball games. Plus, there’s the unveiling of the first College Football Playoff rankings.
Here’s a look at how to watch some of the live sports and the CFP rankings show, and a noted thing from each category, with a H/T to AA’s Ken Fang and his daily Viewing Picks. All times are Eastern. (And local network coverage is only available locally; otherwise, an out-of-market package is needed.)
College football:
College Football Playoff Selection Show: ESPN, 7 p.m.
Bowling Green at Central Michigan — ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.
Miami (OH) at Ball State — ESPN, 8 p.m.
The first midweek #MACtion slate of the year has two decent matchups, but the Miami-Ball State one looks particularly interesting. The visiting RedHawks (4-4) are on a three-game winning streak, and are 12.5-point favorites, but the host Cardinals (3-5) are coming off a notable win of their own over Northern Illinois.
NHL:
Boston at Toronto — NESN/TSN4, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Montréal — Sportsnet West/TSN2/RDS, 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Buffalo — TSN5/RDS2/MSG Western New York, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Carolina — Sportsnet (East/Ontario/Pacific)/NBC Sports Philadelphia/FanDuel Sports Network South, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at New York Islanders — SportsNet Pittsburgh/MSG SportsNet, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles at Minnesota — FanDuel Sports Network West/FanDuel Sports Network North, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at St. Louis — FanDuel Sports Network Sun/FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, 8 p.m.
Utah at Winnipeg — KUPX/TSN3, 8 p.m.
Seattle at Colorado — Sportsnet One/Kraken Hockey Network (KONG)/Altitude, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Anaheim — Sportsnet Pacific/Victory+/KCOP, 10 p.m.
Columbus at San José — FanDuel Sports Network Ohio/NBC Sports California, 10:30 p.m.
The Boston-Toronto clash here is interesting; those Original Six rivals always have lots on the line, but they’re also at almost-equally not-so-great spots this year, entering at 6-6-1 and 6-5-2. The road Bruins have won two in a row (and beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 26), while the Leafs have lost two in a row.
Women’s college basketball:
San José State at Xavier — FloSports, 5 p.m.
Canisius at Pittsburgh — ACC Network Extra, 6 p.m.
Cleveland State at Ohio State — B1G+, 6 p.m.
Oakland at Michigan State — B1G+, 6:30 p.m.
Evansville at IU Indianapolis — ESPN+, 6:30 p.m.
Samford at Tennessee — SEC Network Plus, 6:30 p.m.
East Tennessee State at North Carolina State — ACC Network Extra, 7 p.m.
Niagara at Syracuse — ACC Network Extra, 7 p.m.
Florida Gulf Coast at Davidson — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Iona at Central Florida — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Southeast Missouri State at Dayton — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Towson at West Virginia — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Wright State at Wisconsin — B1G+, 7:30 p.m.
Champion Christian at Northwestern State — ESPN+, 7:30 p.m.
Houston Christian at TCU — ESPN+, 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati at Illinois-Chicago — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
Culver-Stockton at Western Illinois — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
Texas-Rio Grande Valley at Houston — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
Montana at Gonzaga — ESPN+, 9 p.m.
The No. 14 Buckeyes are one of the most notable teams in action Tuesday night. And while Horizon League opponent Cleveland State isn’t the most formidable, this still presents a chance for Ohio State (which made it to the Elite Eight last year) to show how they look this season.
Men’s college basketball:
Florida International at Rice — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
SUNY Canton at Colgate — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Toccoa Falls at Kennesaw State — ESPN+, 7 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at Texas Tech — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
Evansville at North Texas — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
New Orleans at Kansas State — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
Paul Quinn at Lamar — ESPN+, 8 p.m.
Central Arkansas at BYU — ESPN+, 9 p.m.
Idaho State at Arizona State — ESPN+, 9 p.m.
Cal-Davis at Washington — Big Ten Network, 10 p.m.
Cal-Maritime at Sacramento State — ESPN+, 10 p.m.
Cal Poly at San Francisco — ESPN+, 10 p.m.
BYU made the NCAA tournament last year as a No. 6 seed, but lost to Duquesne in the first round. And head coach Mark Pope then moved on to Kentucky. Their new head coach is Kevin Young, most notably the associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns for the past three years. We’ll see how the Cougars are looking under him.
