Buccaneer Football Announces Trio of Televised Games

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – The Big South Conference today announced that it will have its largest football TV package ever in 2010, as a League-record eight Conference games will be televised this upcoming season.  Overall, the Big South will appear on television during 10 of the 12 weeks this season, including the final three weeks of the Conference campaign. Charleston Southern will be featured in three televised games, including a pair of home games.

The first televised game of the season for CSU will be broadcast on the Flames Sports Network as the Bucs travel to Lynchburg, Va., to face the Liberty Flames, the preseason favorite to win the Big South. Charleston Southern will then host Gardner-Webb on October 16 at 1:30 p.m. for a game that will be broadcast on ESPN3.com. Making it three weeks in a row on TV, SportSouth will air the Buccaneers' homecoming game as they take on the VMI Keydets on October 23 in a game that has been moved to 11:30 a.m.

The Big South’s eight-game TV slate features three games on SportSouth, three on ESPN3.com, and two on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).  In addition, Big South members will appear on the BIG EAST Network and CBS College Sports this fall, while Liberty University’s Flames Sports Network will broadcast five games involving the Flames.  Additional telecasts may be added to the overall schedule at a later date.

ESPN3.com will kickoff the Conference’s television package for League play on Oct. 16 with the Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern game live at 1:30 p.m. from Charleston, S.C.  Two games will air the following week on Oct. 23, as SportSouth will broadcast the VMI at Charleston Southern contest live at 11:30 a.m., while MASN will televise the Stony Brook at Coastal Carolina game live at 7:30 p.m.  The ESPN3.com schedule also features the Nov. 6 Coastal Carolina at VMI game live at 1:30 p.m. and the Nov. 13 Liberty at Coastal Carolina match-up live at 1 p.m.  SportSouth will also carry the Nov. 6 Stony Brook at Presbyterian College game live at 1 p.m.

With the Big South Conference’s first-ever automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs at stake this season, two regular-season finales will be televised on Saturday, Nov. 20.  SportSouth will air the VMI at Gardner-Webb game live at 11:30 a.m., while MASN will carry the Stony Brook at Liberty showdown live at 3:30 p.m. in a rematch of last season’s meeting that determined the 2009 Big South champion.

Meanwhile, three 2010 season-opening games involving Big South teams will also be televised.  On Thursday night, Sept. 2, Presbyterian College’s contest at Wake Forest will air on ESPN3.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.  Two days later, Coastal Carolina’s game at West Virginia will be televised on the BIG EAST Network package at 3:30 p.m.  Local clearance of this game will be announced at a later date.  Later that evening, the Flames Sports Network will televise St. Francis (Pa.) at Liberty at 7 p.m.  The full television schedule appears below.

In addition to the television broadcasts, the Big South Conference will again video stream all home football games on its premium content web site, Big South Network. 

2010 Big South Conference Football Television Schedule (All Times EST)
Date                Game                                                   Time        Network/Affiliate
Thurs, Sept. 2   Presbyterian at Wake Forest                 6:30pm        ESPN3.com

Sat., Sept. 4     Coastal Carolina at West Virginia           3:30pm        BIG EAST Network (affils TBA)
                        St. Francis (Pa.) at Liberty                     7:00pm        Flames Sports Network

Sat., Sept. 11   Presbyterian at Clemson                         3:30pm        ESPN3.com

Sat., Oct. 2      Savannah State at Liberty                       7:00pm        Flames Sports Network

Sat., Oct. 9      Charleston Southern at Liberty *             3:30pm        Flames Sports Network

Sat., Oct. 16    Stony Brook at Lafayette                        1:00pm        WBPH-TV 60 (Philadelphia), RCN Cable
                                                                                                          (Boston, New York, Philadelphia,
                                                                                                          Washington, DC); MASN (tape delay)
                        Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern *1:30pm        ESPN3.com
                        Liberty at VMI *                                    1:30pm        Flames Sports Network

Sat., Oct. 23    VMI at Charleston Southern *                11:30am        SportSouth
                        Stony Brook at Coastal Carolina *         7:30pm        MASN

Sat., Oct. 30    VMI at Army                                         12:00pm        CBS College Sports

Sat., Nov. 6     Stony Brook at Presbyterian *                1:00pm        SportSouth
                        Coastal Carolina at VMI *                     1:30pm        ESPN3.com
                        Gardner-Webb at Liberty *                    3:30pm        Flames Sports Network

Sat., Nov. 13   Liberty at Coastal Carolina *                   1:00pm        ESPN3.com

Sat., Nov. 20   VMI at Gardner-Webb *                        11:30am        SportSouth
                        Stony Brook at Liberty *                         3:30pm        MASN

* - Big South Conference game