Ashland vs. Ferris State Scheduled For D2 Football National TV Showcase

Posted: Jun 23, 2016

Complete D2 Football Showcase Schedule

INDIANAPOLIS – A pair of one-loss playoff teams from the 2015 season, Ashland University and Ferris State University, will meet in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference nationally-televised showdown on Sept. 24 on American Sports Network (ASN).

NCAA Division II announced Thursday (June 23) 18 of the 22 regular-season football games that will be carried on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the American Sports Network, after the division entered a three-year agreement in 2015 to deliver DII athletics events.

The 22-game Division II Football Showcase is once again three times as many televised football games for Division II, compared to seven televised games in each of the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

"This second year, with an expanded broadcast schedule, continues to give Division II student-athletes a chance to play in front of a national audience," said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II. "Division II student-athletes balance community engagement and strong academics with their athletics, and this national platform gives the division the opportunity to highlight the successes of these student-athletes on and off the field.

Of the 22-game slate, 18 games have been predetermined. An additional four flex games (two per network) will be finalized later in the football season and played Nov. 5 and 12. The flex games are expected to highlight premier and pivotal matchups.

However, fans won't need to wait long to watch exciting Division II football. The 36 teams highlighted in the current 2016 TV schedule combined for 272 wins and just 121 losses for a .692 winning percentage. Of those teams, 17 appeared in the Division II playoffs and 14 finished the season ranked in the top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll.

"We're excited to once again give fans an opportunity to watch Division II football on their mobile and handheld devices, on their computer and on TV," said Michael McBroom, incoming chair of the Division II Football Committee and director of intercollegiate athletics at West Texas A&M University. "The schedule continues to feature some of the best teams in DII and it should make for great games for our audience and our local communities."

ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through WatchESPN. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

The American Sports Network is part of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. Including pending transactions, the company owns, operates and/or provides services to 173 television stations in 81 markets, broadcasting 484 channels and having affiliations with all the major networks. Sinclair is the leading local news provider in the country, as well as a producer of live sports content. Sinclair's content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors and digital platforms. The company regularly uses its website as a key source of company information which can be accessed at SBGI.net. ASN, which launched in August 2014, produced 250 college events in nine sports in its first year and plans to air nearly 400 events when the 2015-16 academic year is over. ASN launched a 24/7 channel in nine markets in January and it has increased that total to 21 by June 5.

The Division II broadcast schedule kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.

Full schedule (all times ET):

Thursday, Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. – Colorado State University-Pueblo at Colorado School of Mines – ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. – Tuskegee University at Clark Atlanta University – ASN

Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. – Southwest Minnesota State University at Northern State University – ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. – Henderson State University at East Central University – ASN

Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. – Valdosta State University at University of North Alabama – ASN

Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. – West Texas A&M University at University of Texas of the Permian Basin – ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. – Central State University vs. Kentucky State University (at Lucas Oil Stadium) – ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3:30 p.m. – Ashland University at Ferris State University – ASN

Saturday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. – Catawba College at Newberry College – ESPN3

Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. – Florida Tech at University of West Florida – ASN