By FHSU Sports Information
The NCAA announced 19 regular-season Division II football games that will be a part of its Football Showcase. The selected games will be featured on ESPN3 or NCAA social media as part of a new media agreement intended to promote Division II on multiple platforms throughout the season.
The first 19 games of the showcase are predetermined. An additional three flex games, intended to highlight crucial matchups, will be determined later in the season and played in November.
The November 3 matchup between Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State in Maryville was chosen as a part of the football showcase agreement and will be a “hybrid model” game.
The showcase features two distribution models for football and basketball. For football, 11 games will stream on ESPN3, available on the ESPN app. The remaining 11 football games are part of the hybrid model, which have the flexibility to view on TV and online. NCAA Division II will work with the TV partners of participating conferences and schools on the opportunity to air games on TV. These games also will distribute online through NCAA social media accounts, specifically Division II Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Games included in the schedule were selected from a pool of conference nominations. Of the 16 football-sponsoring conferences in Division II, 15 will be in at least one game featured in the showcase. One conference declined to participate due to an existing media rights agreement. Of the schools participating, 14 appeared in the 2017 Division II Playoffs, and 15 begin the 2018 season ranked in the Top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll.
ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multiscreen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers via ESPN.com and on smartphones, tablets and streaming devices through the ESPN app. The network currently is available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It also is 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.