# Source investigation — September 10, 2026

This prototype uses factual schedule snapshots, not a live feed. Retrieved/checked dates are distinct from source publication dates. A successful web extraction alone neither proves current accuracy nor grants a redistribution license. The app performs no ongoing automated collection.

## NFL: real season data from nflverse-data

- [Schedule release](https://github.com/nflverse/nflverse-data/releases/tag/schedules)
- [Downloaded CSV release asset](https://github.com/nflverse/nflverse-data/releases/download/schedules/games.csv)
- [Repository CC BY 4.0 license](https://github.com/nflverse/nflverse-data/blob/main/LICENSE.md)
- [Data dictionary](https://nflreadr.nflverse.com/articles/dictionary_schedules.html)
- [Update cadence documentation](https://nflreadr.nflverse.com/articles/nflverse_data_schedule.html)
- [Upstream nfldata](https://github.com/nflverse/nfldata)

The actual downloaded CSV contains exactly **272 2026 REG rows**, 17 for every one of the 32 teams. It has dates, Eastern kickoff time, home/away/neutral-site information, stadium, and provider identifiers. It does **not** contain TV networks or streaming availability. Extra score/betting/player columns are not used by this product; only the factual schedule subset and completion evidence were retained.

The nflverse-data repository carries an explicit CC BY 4.0 license and its schedule release points to Lee Sharpe's nfldata as the maintainer/upstream. That is a concrete reuse grant to evaluate, stronger than assuming the nflreadr package's software license covers data. Attribution and the license are retained in the repository, coverage UI, and each relevant calendar event. Changes are disclosed: column selection, identifier normalization, ET-to-UTC conversion, and suppression of unresolved times. The application does not claim nflverse/NFL endorsement. The mirror's upstream rights chain and third-party rights are not independently resolved; that remains an issue to check before commercial redistribution, not a reason to discard this locally reviewable prototype.

The availability documentation describes a five-minute upstream schedule update cycle. **This app does not poll that source.** It uses the September 10 downloaded snapshot. No claim of five-minute phone updates is made.

### Why direct NFL bulk collection was not used

[NFL terms](https://www.nfl.com/legal/terms/) section 1.3 limits permitted use and specifically prohibits systematic retrieval to compile a database absent consent. Public accessibility is not permission for a production harvesting process. We did not bulk-import NFL.com or rely on an undocumented NFL endpoint. Individual official scheduling notes were inspected for validation of ambiguous supplier fields; factual season data came from the explicitly licensed nflverse-data release.

### Placeholder times are not confirmed kickoffs

The CSV fills unresolved dates/times with Sunday and `13:00`. Official [Week 16 notes](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/reg-16), [Week 17 notes](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-17), and [Week 18 notes](https://www.nfl.com/schedules/2026/by-week/week-18) identify late selections. We suppress those specific fallback rows:

- Week 16: Tampa Bay–Atlanta, Cincinnati–Indianapolis, Washington–Minnesota, Carolina–Pittsburgh. Window December 24–28, kickoff null.
- Week 17: Washington–Jacksonville, Kansas City–LA Chargers, Denver–New England, LA Rams–Tampa Bay. Window December 31–January 4, kickoff null.
- All 16 Week 18 matchups: January 9–10, kickoff null.

All 24 remain in the calendar with transparent date windows, labeled day/kickoff TBD. Other announced starts are retained, subject to later flex scheduling. Venue names are reported by nflverse and have not all been independently checked for naming changes. There are no NFL postseason/preseason fixtures in the imported 2026 subset.

The [NFL viewing guide](https://www.nfl.com/ways-to-watch) is linked for location/provider lookup. It is a generic guide, not proof of any particular game's service or subscription entitlement.

## SEC: full season, original grid plus broadcast table

- [2026 schedule grid page](https://www.secsports.com/2026-football-schedule-grid)
- [Original grid PDF](https://storage.googleapis.com/secsports-prod/upload/2026/07/06/52813331-d250-456e-906a-c57b3b1ddcda.pdf), marked **as of July 3, 2026**
- [Full 2026 broadcast table](https://www.secsports.com/2026-sec-football-broadcast-schedule), publication/update timestamp not established

The grid covers all 16 SEC teams, 12 regular-season games per team. Shared conference matchups are deduplicated: **120 unique regular-season games** and one announced December 5 conference championship slot. Cities and neutral locations are preserved; a home city is not silently turned into an assumed stadium. The championship stadium is explicitly identified by the grid.

The first AI PDF extraction had serious errors: September 5 became September 7, Arkansas's Georgia game became a duplicate Tulsa game, and Oklahoma's late opponents were corrupted. It was rejected. The original PDF was downloaded, rendered, visually checked, and extracted using its actual table geometry. The reviewed factual cells are in `data/research/sec-grid.json`; reciprocal conference rows must agree. Duplicated UTSA lettering in the PDF text layer was corrected against the visible original. “Kent,” “Citadel,” and “McNeese State” were normalized to their matched broadcast names.

One real source conflict remains documented: the broadcast table lists UTEP–Oklahoma on September 5, while the July 3 grid and the SEC page's September 4 final listing agree on September 4. The grid date wins; no kickoff was invented. The Southern Miss–Auburn table offers 7:30 PM or 7:45 PM; that remains a time window rather than an arbitrary choice. “Early,” “Afternoon,” “Night,” and “Flex” are descriptive slots, not precise times.

Streaming is recorded only where explicitly listed as SECN+ or ESPN+. ESPN/ABC/ESPN2 do not automatically imply ESPN+. Eleven game-specific ESPN Watch links were visibly exposed by the official SEC page. They are labeled as official viewing pages, not guaranteed live/free access. Provider authentication, subscription tier, live versus replay state, and territory remain unverified.

No production collection/redistribution license was established from the SEC pages. A guessed terms URL returned 404 and no usable grant was found; this is **not** interpreted as unrestricted reuse. The data is a local research snapshot. No ongoing collector is enabled.

## Big Ten: full grid with honest week-level dates

- [January 27 season announcement, updated January 28](https://bigten.org/fb/article/59266/)
- [Official season grid image](https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/26FB_Schedule_1920x1080_v2.jpg)
- [May 27 dated kickoff/TV release](https://bigten.org/fb/article/60083/)
- [2026 media guide](https://img.boostsport.ai/boost-cms/2026_B1G_FB_MG_0728.pdf), inspected as a source candidate

The public schedule page did not expose its game rows through the research extraction. No undocumented endpoint was substituted. The official image was visually transcribed, including its home/away/neutral coding and byes. It gives a **week number**, not a date for every game. The grid maps weeks to transparent Monday–Sunday planning windows, anchored to the dated opening-week release; these are explicitly *inferred windows*, not claimed exact game dates. The May release resolves 81 dated fixtures, and three games overlap with SEC data. Week zero's initially TBA USC opponent is resolved to San Jose State by the May release.

All 18 Big Ten teams have 12 regular-season fixtures, **135 unique regular-season games**, plus one championship slot. **54 games retain only a week window** and require up-to-date school/conference schedules before a reliable full-season personal calendar is ready. Reciprocal conference opponents, weeks, and home/away designations are cross-checked programmatically. January/May sources may be stale, even though accessed in September.

Peacock is only recorded for fixtures explicitly assigned to it. Remaining TV choices follow a six-/twelve-day selection process described by the conference. The source does not establish user-specific provider/tier or territory access. No public redistribution or continuing collection permission was verified; local research only.

## Precise NCAA limits

Full season grids cover **34 FBS teams**:

- SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt.
- Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin.

Other FBS and FCS schools appear only as opponents of these teams and are labeled **partial** in individual-team search. Selecting one gives only its loaded appearances. No comprehensive ACC, Big 12, American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, Sun Belt, independent, FCS, Division II, or Division III calendar has been built. Conference membership outside SEC/Big Ten is not guessed. The 2026 postseason's bowl/CFP slots are not imported; SEC and Big Ten championship slots are loaded. No claim of “all NCAA football” is made.

## Other candidates, not purchased or integrated

- [NCAA rolling football TV listings](https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-tv-schedule-game-times-preview): future broadcast enrichment candidate; a rolling page alone does not establish season completeness or reuse rights.
- [SportsDataIO feeds](https://sportsdata.io/developers/available-data-feeds) and [licensing FAQ](https://sportsdata.io/help/data-rights-and-licensing-questions): prior coordinator investigation says channels are available but standalone feed resale is restricted; explicit calendar-delivery scope would need clarification. No vendor contacted or purchased.
- [Gracenote On Sports](https://gracenote.com/products/on-sports/): viewing-availability candidate; pricing, calendar rights, and completeness unverified.
- [TheSportsDB documentation](https://www.thesportsdb.com/documentation): coordinator lead only; free-tier access, 2026 coverage, and calendar redistribution not evaluated.
- [Open Sports Cal](https://github.com/vinnyab28/open-sports-cal): not imported; code availability is not assumed to license its source data.

## Next data work

1. Establish permitted continuing sources and practical refresh cadence; imports are currently manual, reviewed files.
2. Verify the remaining Big Ten game days from current official school schedules, maintaining original permanent event IDs.
3. Obtain explicit NFL broadcast/streaming evidence; retain territory/tier/provider requirements separately from channels.
4. Expand other FBS conferences with a coverage ledger and per-team season-count checks, then other divisions if desired.
5. Import announced postseason slots and resolve participants in place; do not guess bracket outcomes.