INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference has a prime matchup that will be featured in Week 3 of the regular season between Findlay and Ohio Dominican in Columbus, Ohio.
The nationally televised game for Saturday, Sept. 21, with a 12:05 p.m. ET kickoff was part of Tuesday’s NCAA announcement with 18 games selected for the Division II Football Showcase.
Ohio Dominican was also selected to compete in the Division II Showcase in Week 2 on the road at defending national champion and preseason No. 1 ranked Valdosta State, also on the ESPN3 platform.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to highlight our outstanding football student-athletes from Findlay and Ohio Dominican next month on ESPN3,” said Great Midwest Commissioner Tom Daeger. “It is a great opportunity to display two strong programs in a contest that will go a long way in determining this year's 2019 Great Midwest Champion. It should be an exciting atmosphere at Ohio Dominican's homecoming on Sept. 21 and we thank President Gervasi and the Panthers' staff for accommodating this production.”
Both Ohio Dominican and Findlay are projected to contend for the conference championship in 2019 after Hillsdale was selected by the coaches to win the league in the Great Midwest preseason poll.
The Panthers and Oilers each received votes in the AFCA Preseason Top-25 Poll that just released yesterday. Both programs figure to be very strong once again in Super Region 1 while competing for championship bids.
“We're honored to receive this type of exposure and are looking forward to the opportunity to compete at a high level on a national stage,” said Ohio Dominican head coach Kelly Cummings.
"We are always excited to get a chance to showcase our program nationally," echoed Findlay head coach Rob Keys. "It is a by-product of our team's success. Our student-athletes have allowed opportunities like this to happen. We are really looking forward to playing Ohio Dominican in the national spotlight again."
This is the fourth time Findlay will be on the Division II Showcase in three years. The Oilers previously faced Ohio Dominican and also clashed against Tiffin, both games in 2018, while also facing Hillsdale in 2017. UF also had its second-round playoff contest in 2017 picked up by ESPN3 when the Oilers went up against Assumption in the NCAA Championship bracket.
For ODU, it will be the Panthers’ second time playing in front of a national audience since becoming a league member.
As part of the media agreement intended to promote the division on several platforms throughout the academic year, games will be showcased on ESPN3 or NCAA social media this fall.
Now in its second year, the division’s media agreement features two distribution models for football and basketball. For football, 11 games will be streamed on ESPN3, available on the ESPN App. Eleven additional football games are part of the hybrid model, and they have the flexibility to be distributed on TV and online. The division will work with the TV partners of the participating conferences and schools on the opportunity to air games on TV. These games also will be distributed online through NCAA social media accounts — specifically, Division II Facebook (facebook.com/ncaadivisionii) and Twitter (@NCAADII) — and through conference and school digital networks.
“It’s always exciting to begin a new academic year and the start of the Division II season,” said Terri Steeb Gronau, vice president of Division II. “We’re looking forward to highlighting the teams that will be featured in the football showcase and promoting the Division II brand on several platforms for fans to see across the country.”
Games included in the schedule were broadcasts 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. One conference declined to participate.
Of the teams competing in the slate of games, 15 appeared in the 2018 Division II playoffs, and
15 begin the 2019 season ranked in the top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.
“The football showcase features several great teams and matchups,” said Daryl Dickey, chair of the Division II Football Committee and athletics director at West Georgia. “It’s always fun to follow Division II football and celebrate our student-athletes for their excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on ESPN.com and the ESPN App across computers, smartphones, tablets and connected streaming devices. The network is available at no additional cost to fans who receive a pay TV subscription from an affiliated provider. The network 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 Division II football showcase opens with two games Sept. 5. Ouachita Baptist will host Harding at 8:05 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN3. Central Missouri will host Fort Hays State, also at 8:05 p.m. Eastern time, in the hybrid model.
Full schedule (all times eastern)
Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:05 p.m. Harding at Ouachita Baptist (ESPN3)
Thursday, Sept. 5, 8:05 p.m. Fort Hays State at Central Missouri (Hybrid)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 6:05 p.m. Ohio Dominican at Valdosta State (ESPN3)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 7:05 p.m. Ferris State at Central Washington (ESPN3)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 12:05 p.m. Findlay at Ohio Dominican (ESPN3)
Saturday, Sept. 21, 6:05 p.m. Shaw at Chowan (Hybrid)
Friday, Sept. 27, 7:05 p.m. New Haven at Bentley (Hybrid)
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2:35 pm. Central Oklahoma at Northwest Missouri State (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2:05 p.m. Lindenwood (Missouri) at McKendree (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 5, 3:05 p.m. Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota State Mankato (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 1:05 p.m. Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 12, 7:05 p.m. Midwestern State at Texas A&M-Commerce (ESPN3)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 12:05 p.m. West Chester at Shepherd (Hybrid)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2:05 p.m. Benedict at Albany State (Georgia) (ESPN3)
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2:05 p.m. West Georgia at West Alabama (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 12:05 p.m. Charleston (West Virginia) at West Virginia State (Hybrid)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2:05 p.m. Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 2, 5:05 p.m. Texas A&M-Commerce at West Texas A&M (ESPN3)
Saturday, Nov. 9 To be determined
Saturday, Nov. 16 To be determined