Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State to Play on National TV

Release courtesy of SVSU, WSU and the NCAA

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -  For the second straight season the Saginaw Valley State University football team will play a nationally televised football game as part of the NCAA Division II and CBS Sports Network six-game football package for the 2012 season.  Saginaw Valley will host Wayne State University on Thursday, Oct. 11, with kickoff set for 8 p.m.

CBS and the NCAA will produce and broadcast six games in 2012 that will be aired live on the CBS College Sports Network, syndicated on regional and local networks and simulcast live on www.NCAA.com.  This is the seventh year of the Division II and CBS Sports Network's partnership to provide Division II schools the opportunity to have live national television exposure for their football and basketball programs. CBS Sports Network is available to over 95 million United States households through a variety of cable and satellite providers.

The Cardinals will be making their second straight appearance, while the Warriors will be making their first appearance as a part of the CBS Sports Network partnership.  In total, eight of the 12 schools playing this season will be making their first appearance. 

"It's a tremendous honor to be selected for this game for a second straight season," commented head football coach Jim Collins. "The opportunity to play in a televised game is great for our fans and alumni who are unable to travel to watch us play during the season, as well as the University, the GLIAC and the Great Lakes Bay Region."

The match up between Saginaw Valley and Wayne State showcases the GLIAC's two playoff teams from the 2011 season.  The Warriors advanced all the way to the DII National Championship game before falling to Pittsburg St., 35-21.  SVSU defeated WSU 28-20 last season on the road during the regular season.

"This is quite a honor and further underscores how far our program has risen under Coach (Paul) Winters," commented WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier.  "To play in last year's NCAA Division II national championship game and to be part of this presentation of the best of the country's college football programs is a nice recognition for our football program, the athletic department and this great institution and its alumni all across the country."

"We are very excited about another opportunity to compete on national television," added Winters.  "We look to continue to increase the exposure of Wayne State football."

Division II Vice President Mike Racy said the program, now in its seventh year, has been good for the participating institutions and Division II in general.

“This will be the seventh season of Division II regular-season coverage on CBS Sports Network,” Racy said. “After this year, national telecasts will have originated from 35 different Division II football stadiums, and about 25 percent of our football-playing members will have had regular-season national television exposure. It’s been great for the division, and the schools say it’s also been valuable for them.”

The full schedule is below. All games are scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time.