Oh what a wonderful week it is now that baseball is officially over -- enjoy it while it lasts though as we heard that spring training was going to start in December this year. Big college football game this weekend as two top ten teams meet in Alabama and we'll all get to see if Alabama deserves its number three spot. Also this week are a few NFL divisional games as the Ravens take on the Bengals and Dallas travels to Philly, both of which are playing really good right now.

CFB
# 9 LSU at #3 Alabama CBS 3:30 Sat
# 16 Ohio State at #11 Penn State ABC 3:30 PM Sat
#24 Oklahoma at Nebraska ABC 8:00 PM Sat

NFL
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM CBS Sun
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles 8:20 PM NBC Sun
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos 8:30 PM ESPN Mon

NHL
Los Angeles Kings at Chicago Blackhawks Vs 8:00 PM Mon
Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins Vs 7:00 PM Tues

NBA
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers TNT 8:00 PM Thurs
San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers ESPN 10:30 PM Fri

The best time of year for sports' fans continues as the World Series is in full swing, College Football is about to start off its last month, and the NFL bye weeks are here. The two biggest college football games this week are on the same time and the same channel, which means you'll have to click on the ABC link to see the coverage map to know which game you'll get to see -- we're going to get the Texas game, luckily. Also this week is the over hyped rematch between the Vikings and the Packers is also on this weekend, and since it's at 4pm, everyone should get to see it -- who wants to anyways.

NFL
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens CBS 1:00 PM Sun
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers Fox 4:15 PM Sun

CFB
No. 5 USC at No. 10 Oregon ABC 8:00 PM Sat
No. 3 Texas at No. 14 Oklahoma State ABC 8:00 PM Sat

MLB
World Series: Philadelphia Phillies at New York Yankees Fox 7:57 PM all week

NHL
Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings Versus 7:00 PM Tues

NBA
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers TNT 10:30 Thurs
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics ESPN 8:00 PM Fri

It is very fitting that on a week with not many great football matchups, that the NBA would be kicking off the regular season. It isn't that we're big basketball fans, it is just that we wanted to put up a baseball image and all the ones we could find were boring -- just like the sport itself. But we would like to recognize that for big sports fans, this is the very best time of the year. The time of year when all four of the big sports in the US are all on at the same time. Of course this only lasts for about two weeks because baseball season just can't ever end, but if you can't get enough HD sports, enjoy the following weeks while you can.

NFL

• Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers Fox 1:00 PM Sun
• New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins Fox 4:15 PM Sun
• Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants NBC 8:20 PM Sun

CFB

• #8 TCU at #16 BYU Versus 7:30 PM Sat
• #13 Penn State at Michigan ABC/ESPN 3:30 PM Sat

MLB

• ALCS: New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels 7:57 PM Thurs Fox Sat, maybe Sun
  
• World Series Philadelphia Phillies at AL winner tentatively starts October 28th

NHL

• Minnesota Wild at Chicago Blackhawks Versus 8:30 PM Mon
  
• Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals Versus 7:00 PM Tues

NBA

• Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers TNT 7:30 PM Tues
• Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets ESPN 10:30 PM Wed

Oh how we love it when there's a big College Football game on a Thursday night, it really is the best way to kick off the weekend -- albeit a day early. This Thursday's game in Tampa is versus two top ranked teams in the country who are both undefeated and in the same conference. But that still might not be the biggest game of the week as there are actually three other matchups against ranked opponents. The NFL season is more than under way with the bye weeks started and this week two of the remaining undefeated teams meet on Sunday when the second ranked offense in the NFL, New York Giants, meets the 3rd ranked offense in the way of the New Orleans Saints.

CFB

• No. 8 Cincinnati at No. 21 South Florida ESPN 7:30 PM Thu
• No. 20 Oklahoma at No. 3 Texas ABC 12:00 PM Sat
• No. 6 USC at No. 25 Notre Dame NBC 3:30 Sat
• No. 4 Virginia Tech at No.19 Georgia Tech ESPN 6:00 PM Sat
  

NFL

• Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings CBS 4:15 PM Sun
• New York Giants at New Orleans Saints FOX 1:00 PM Sun
• Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons NBC 8:20 PM Sun

MLB

• ALCS: Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees. Fox starting 10/16
• NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers TBS starting 10/15

NHL

• San Jose Sharks at NY Rangers Vs 7:00 PM Mon
  
• St. Louis Blues at Pittsburgh Penguins Vs 7:00 PM Tues
  

NFL

• New England Patriots at Denver Broncos CBS 4:15 PM Sun
  
• New York Jets at Miami Dolphins ESPN 8:30 PM Mon

CFB

• #21 Nebraska at #24Missouri ESPN 9:00 PM Thu
• #1 Florida at #4 LSU CBS 8:00 PM Sat

MLB

• ALDS: Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees
• ALDS: Boston Red Sox at Anaheim Angles
• NLDS: Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies
• NLDS: St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers

NHL

• Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks 8:00 PM Mon Vs
• Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres 7:00 PM Tues Vs

It should be no wonder Mark Cuban (got some Jerry Jones envy?) is promising the first NHL & NBA arena with 1080-line digital scoreboards. While 1080p has been well entrenched in scoreboards for the outdoor sports (like the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees) it appears the winter brethren has been slacking, but with the Mavericks and Stars not competing in tonight's finals action, plans to upgrade American Airlines Center ahead of the 2009-10 seasons are already underway, with four 18- by 30-foot video scoreboards coming to the center display and two 24- by 72-foot video walls at the north and south ends. If that's not enough, the sounds are getting a makeover too, with a "state-of-the-art concert quality sound system" bring a digital six speaker linear system to next years attendees, though we should all get a (3D?) look during the 2010 NBA All-Star Game next February.

[Via Dallas Observer & Mark Cuban]

AT&T may be raising its U-verse TV rates, but at least it's showing subscribers that all those dollars aren't going to waste (or a bigwig's pocket). Starting this week, both NHL Network and NHL Network HD are being added to the U-verse TV lineup, but you'll need either the U400 tier or The Sports Package in order to view 'em. Catch the action on the ice right now on slot 1638 (HD) / 638 (SD).

It may be a bit late for the start of the season, but Verizon's added the NHL Center Ice package, letting viewers subscribe to 40 out of market NHL games every week and early round playoff games, with "select" games in high definition. Beyond the $169 season bundle, FiOS also will soon be home to the NHL Network channel promising 75 HD games this season, along with 24 hours a day to talk cross-checking, zambonis and whatnot. We don't know if it can save hockey but we're glad Verizon is providing another option to the MLB, NBA and NFL action going on right now.

TSN2 just launched on two Canadian carriers last month, but apparently that's not enough for the channel. It's also announcing that beginning this weekend, the network's entire slate of in-house programming will be transitioned to HD. In just a few days, viewers will be able to see the CFL on TSN pre-game show in spectacular high-definition, and in the future, you'll be able to catch NHL on TSN, TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge, Raptors on TSN and In This Corner with Russ Anber -- all in HD. When this is complete, nearly 75% of everything the channel airs will be in high-def, though there's no telling when that final quarter will be seized.

We know, the major sports outlets aren't even playing it up, but the 2008 - 2009 NHL season is upon us. For fans of the Montreal Canadiens, they'll be enjoying the live action more than most thanks to a 50,000-pound scoreboard that's lighting up the Bell Centre this year. The board, which stands in at 25-feet high and 40-feet wide, sports an undisclosed HD resolution and is (of course) 2.5 times larger than the one recently purchased by the rival Maple Leafs for the Air Canada Centre. So yeah, now it's not just about the score, it's about the board the score is on.

[Thanks, Bruno]

The NHL may not have the viewership in America as, say, the NFL, but that doesn't mean it can't find fans elsewhere. In a rather unexpected move, Hong Kong-based All Sports Network (ASN) has signed a multi-year deal to posses rights for broadcasting NHL matchups throughout much of Asia (India, South Korea and China included). Over 130 upcoming regular-season games will be televised on ASN's Yes TV along with the All-Star game, playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final. The good news? The broadcast rights include "all forms of television, including HDTV." The bad? Japan, Australia and New Zealand have been excluded from the agreement.

[Image courtesy of The Globe & Mail]

It's just about that time, hockey fans, and for those of you who proudly rock an oversized Caps jersey each and every Friday to work, we've some excellent news to share. 73 Washington Capitals games will be televised by Comcast SportsNet during the 2008 - 2009 season, and a full 50 of those will be aired in high-definition. The team's season starts on October 10th at Atlanta, and the following night will see the home opener shown in high-def when Chicago comes to the District. Sure, the NHL may not have the same following as say, the NFL, but this is definitely a trend we could stand to see catch on.

[Image courtesy of OnFrozenBlog]

Sure Sidney Crosby's Penguins just went up 3-0 in a playoff series against the Flyers, but the National Post suggests HDTV might give a bigger boost to the sport of hockey than either he or Alexander Ovechkin can. Courtesy of an expanded widescreen format that gives a better look at the ice and enhanced resolution allowing viewers to finally discern the puck without annoying FoxTrax graphics. While we've always found being able to see what's going on as a plus, we're not sure high definition alone will move hockey, soccer, arena football or any other hopefuls closer to the big three in American's sports consciousness.

Check it: Time Warner Cable has seemingly inserted Versus / Golf HD into the lineup some 20 days prior than expected, presumably to satisfy demands of avid hockey fans wanting their NHL playoffs in high-definition. We've had numerous reports from varying regions in the Empire State affirming that the channel is now live on slot 794, but be sure and drop a note in comments if you've somehow been left out. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Shortly after Sharp's AQUOS HD Netcam took the ice in a Rangers / Devils matchup, the National Hockey League has announced that it will be utilizing a certain carrier's own HD PVR for instant replays during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. Apparently Bell Canada's dual-tuner 9242 -- which can hold up to 30 hours of HD / 200 hours of SD content -- will be used throughout the playoffs in order to view instant video replays, but details beyond that are scant. High-def aficionados up north who'd like to get ahold of the same box being used by the NHL can procure one for a stiff $599 (one-time fee) or rent one for $20 per month.