FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Official NCAA Release 

MANSFIELD, Mass. -  A pair of huge Northeast-10 Conference matchups are among the games that have been selected to be a part of the NCAA Division II Division II Football Showcase, it was announced recently. In total, 19 regular-season football games will be showcased on ESPN3 or NCAA social media as part of a new media agreement intended to promote the division on several platforms throughout the academic year. The first 19 games of the football showcase are predetermined games, 17 of which are conference matchups. An additional three flex games — intended to highlight crucial matchups — will be finalized later in the season and played in November.

The Battle of the Elm City game featuring longtime rivals New Haven and Southern Connecticut on September 15 was selected, as was the game between defending NE10 champion Assumption and perennial power LIU Post. That game will take place on October 27 with a 1pm start and will take place in Worcester. New Haven's DellaCamera Stadium will serve as the host for this year's Elm City showdown with the game scheduled for a 1pm start.

"We're thrilled to have two huge NE10 games selected to be featured this fall," said NE10 Commissioner Julie Ruppert. "It's a terrific way to showcase not only our conference's outstanding student-athletes, but the Division's as a whole."

"Division II student-athletes will continue to see their successes highlighted on a national stage in the new broadcast agreement," said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II. "We are excited to continue to collaborate with ESPN to promote regular-season games. We are also excited to offer a hybrid model that could include linear and online distribution. Fans will have the chance to watch student-athletes who achieve success both on and off the field and participate in Division II's Life in the Balance collegiate experience."

"The football showcase has an outstanding slate of games," said Reid Amos, chair of the Division II Football Committee and commissioner of the Mountain East Conference. "We have the opportunity to continue to highlight our exciting brand of football in NCAA Division II, culminating with the championship in December."

CLOSER LOOK

• Games included in the scheduled were broadcasts were selected from a pool of conference nominations. Of the 16 football-sponsoring conferences in Division II, 15 will be featured in at least one game. 
  
  
• Assumption is one of the 14 programs that will appear on this year's showcase that competed in the 2017 NCAA Playoffs. The Hounds advanced to the National Quarterfinals a year ago.
  
  
• The four teams selected to be featured from the NE10 are each picked to finish in the top half of the league's standings this year by the coaches. Assumption was picked to defend their NE10 title, slightly ahead of LIU Post. New Haven was picked to finish fourth, while Southern Connecticut was tabbed fifth.
  
  
• The new media agreement features two distribution models for football and basketball. For football, 11 games will be streamed on ESPN3, available on the ESPN app. The remaining 11 football games are part of the hybrid model, and they have the flexibility to be distributed on TV and online. These games also will be distributed online through NCAA social media accounts — specifically, Division II Facebook (facebook.com/ncaadivisionii) and Twitter (@NCAADII) — and could be distributed through conference or school digital networks.
  
  
       

Full Football Showcase Schedule (all times Eastern)

8:05 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30	Texas A&M-Kingsville at Texas A&M-Commerce (ESPN3)
8:05 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30	Carson-Newman at West Florida (Hybrid)
7:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8	Valdosta State vs. Fort Valley State (ESPN3)
7:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8	Southern Arkansas at Harding (ESPN3)
1:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15	Southern Connecticut State at New Haven (Hybrid)
7:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15	Wingate at Carson-Newman (ESPN3)
6:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22	Virginia Union at Winston-Salem State (ESPN3)
7:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22	Ohio Dominican at Findlay (Hybrid)
3:05 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29	Ashland at Ferris State (ESPN3)
7:05 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4	Notre Dame (Ohio) at Fairmont State (Hybrid)
9:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6	Central Washington at Azusa Pacific (ESPN3)
4:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13	Colorado State-Pueblo at Colorado Mesa (Hybrid)
7:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13	West Georgia at West Florida (ESPN3)
3:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20	Central Missouri at Pittsburg State (Hybrid)
3:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20	Truman at Southwest Baptist (Hybrid)
12:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27	West Chester at Kutztown (Hybrid)
1:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27	LIU Post at Assumption (ESPN3)
1:05 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3	Saginaw Valley State at Northwood (ESPN3)
2:35 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3	Fort Hays State at Northwest Missouri State (Hybrid)
Saturday, Nov. 3	To be determined
Saturday, Nov. 10	To be determined
Saturday, Nov. 10	To be determined

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ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.