FRISCO, Tx. — The Southland Conference announced Wednesday that its entire 2021 home football schedule will be televised on ESPN+, as all 30 games will be broadcast live. This follows the unique 2021 Southland spring football season that was also fully-televised and culminated in a Division I FCS national championship by Sam Houston State, along with major national FCS awards won by Southland student-athletes.
Seven of the broadcasts will originate on Cox Sports Television for subscribers in the Gulf South region of the U.S., but will also be available nationwide on ESPN+. All other broadcasts will ESPN productions by Conference or institutional broadcast operations. A complete television broadcast schedule, including road non-conference games, will be released at a later date.
“As the Southland increases its commitment to ESPN as part of an extended agreement signed in 2020, and expands on its longstanding relationship with the network, televising all home football games is now the norm,” league Commissioner Tom Burnett said. “Further, the upcoming fall football schedule will mark the beginning of an exponential increase in campus production broadcasts in 2021-22. And we greatly appreciate the continued and growing interest from our valued partners at Cox Sports Television, as the network will feature a number of great rivalries.”
The 2021 home broadcast schedule kicks off Saturday, Sept. 4, with non-conference games West Florida at McNeese (CST/ESPN+) and North Alabama at Southeastern Louisiana (ESPN+). League play begins Sept. 25 with McNeese at UIW and Northwestern State at Southeastern Louisiana, both on ESPN+. The Southland will feature a unique scheduling model in league play this season, with each team playing three other opponents twice, home and away, and two opponents once (home or away) for eight games total. Two national FCS award winners, Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana’s quarterback who won the Walter Payton Award as the best player in FCS, and UIW quarterback Cameron Ward, the Jerry Rice Award winner as the best freshman in FCS, return for the 2021 fall season.
Viewers can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu.
Date Game Kickoff Time (CT)
Sat, Sept. 4 West Florida at McNeese (CST) 12 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 4 North Alabama at Southeastern Louisiana 6 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 11 Northern Colorado at Houston Baptist 6 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 11 Prairie View A&M at UIW 7 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 18 UT Martin at Northwestern State 6 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 25 McNeese at UIW 12 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 25 North Alabama at Nicholls 3 p.m.
Sat, Sept. 25 Northwestern State at Southeastern Louisiana 6 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 2 Southeastern Louisiana at McNeese (CST) 12 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 2 Houston Baptist at Nicholls 3 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 2 UIW at Northwestern State 6 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 9 Southeastern Louisiana at Nicholls (CST) 12 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 9 Northwestern State at Houston Baptist 6 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 16 Nicholls at UIW 11 a.m.
Sat, Oct. 16 McNeese at Northwestern State (CST) 3 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 16 Houston Baptist at Southeastern Louisiana 4 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 23 UIW at McNeese 12 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 23 Southeastern Louisiana at Northwestern State 3 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 23 Nicholls at Houston Baptist 6 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 30 Northwestern State at Nicholls 12 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 30 Houston Baptist at UIW 3 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 30 McNeese at Southeastern Louisiana (CST) 6 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 6 Nicholls at McNeese (CST) 12 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 6 Southeastern Louisiana at UIW 2 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 6 Houston Baptist at Northwestern State 3 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 13 McNeese at Houston Baptist 2 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 13 UIW at Nicholls 3 p.m.
Thu, Nov. 18 Nicholls at Southeastern Louisiana (CST) 6 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 20 Northwestern State at McNeese 12 p.m.
Sat, Nov. 20 UIW at Houston Baptist 2 p.m.
(CST) — Cox Sports Television and ESPN+.
{Courtesy: release from the Southland Conference}
