CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) - 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.

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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 1:30pm 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 11:30am, while MASN will televise the Stony Brook at Coastal Carolina game live at 7:30pm. The ESPN3.com schedule also features the Nov. 6 Coastal Carolina at VMI game live at 1:30pm and the Nov. 13 Liberty at Coastal Carolina match-up live at 1:00pm. SportSouth will also carry the Nov. 6 Stony Brook at Presbyterian College game live at 1:00pm.

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 11:30am, while MASN will carry the Stony Brook at Liberty showdown live at 3:30pm 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 6:30pm. Two days later, Coastal Carolina’s game at West Virginia will be televised on the BIG EAST Network package at 3:30pm. 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 7:00pm. 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)

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

Big South Media Relations
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