Birmingham, AL—Two of the top NCAA Division II Conferences have collaborated to create the first-ever GSC-LSC First and Ten Gridiron Challenge.
The leagues issued a joint announcement of a 10-game football series which kick offs in 2012 and involves all of the remaining Gulf South Conference members and six Lone Star Conference teams. Representing the GSC will be Delta State, North Alabama, Valdosta State, West Alabama and West Georgia, while the LSC features Abilene Christian, Angelo State, Midwestern State, Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Kingsville and West Texas A&M. The challenge includes the second GSC versus LSC game scheduled at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, when Valdosta State faces Abilene Christian. North Alabama and Angelo State face off this coming fall at the site of the 2011 Super Bowl as part of the Lone Star Conference Football Festival on September 17.
GSC Commissioner Nate Salant proposed the concept to LSC Commissioner Stan Wagnon and the pair worked closely on the project that they expect it will generate excitement throughout each of the league’s respective fan bases.
"When I canvassed our fans and asked about the idea of seeing teams like Abilene Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville and West Texas A&M on their campuses, there was a lot of excitement and interest,” GSC commissioner Nate Salant said. “Our fans know the Lone Star schools and view them as high-quality opponents. Stan tells me that Lone Star folks see GSC schools the same way, so we think this will spike home attendance on both sides. It’s also the kind of cross-region, almost national, inter-conference play that football fans hunger for, so we believe we're addressing a real appetite.”
The event was an important addition for the 2012 season because both conferences needed additional non-conference games due to recent conference membership changes. The GSC and LSC are highly competitive and always feature nationally ranked teams seeking to play the very best non-conference competition as a means of better preparing the NCAA Playoffs.
“Both conferences have a tremendous amount of pride in their football programs. For the LSC, it’s been too long since we’ve crowned a national champion. The football is too good in this conference, and it’s time we asserted ourselves again on the national stage,” said Wagnon. “These games against the Gulf South certainly will keep our teams in the national conversation, and it’s my belief the stronger competition will serve our teams well as they advance into the postseason. We’ve had teams knocking on the door for 10-15 years now, and I hope 5-10 years from now people will look at this challenge event and recognize it as a turning point that helped LSC teams take that next step.”
The series brings tremendous television exposure as well thanks to the GSC’s highly successful GSC-TV LIVE network. In 2005, the GSC became the first NCAA Conference to create its own television network. GSC-TV LIVE, which is largely built upon regional cable sports channels, reaches over 10 million households throughout the South and Southwest. Officials from both leagues are working to build upon the GSC’s efforts and expand coverage into Texas markets for the Challenge series.
While only the match-ups for 2012 have been settled, both conferences have expressed interest in continuing this event in future years. Plans for 2013 and beyond will be determined as early as this spring.
2012 GSC-LSC First and Ten Challenge:
Saturday, Sept. 15, 12:00 pm Valdosta State 43, Angelo State 10 (Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX)
Thursday, Oct. 4, 6:30 pm #13 Midwestern State at #18 West Alabama (GSC-TV Game of the Week)
Saturday, Oct. 6, 12:00 pm Delta State at Tarleton State
Saturday, Oct. 6, 7:00 pm North Alabama at Texas A&M-Kingsville
Saturday, Nov. 3, 12:00 pm West Alabama at Abilene Christian
Saturday, Nov. 3, 3:00 pm Tarleton State at North Alabama (GSC-TV Game of the Week)
Saturday, Nov. 10, 1:00 pm West Georgia at Midwestern State
GSC Teams in BOLD; All Times Central