LAKE CHARLES – The first four games for the McNeese Cowboys to open the 2018 football season will broadcast live on different outlets as the Southland Conference released the league's football television plans for the first four weeks of the season.
 
The Cowboys will open the season on September 1 at Big Sky Conference member Northern Colorado. The 3 p.m. kick-off (central time) will air on Pluto TV.
 
McNeese will start conference play the following week at Houston Baptist with a 6 p.m. kickoff in a game that will air on Eleven Sports.
 
The Cowboys' 6 o'clock home opener versus Nicholls on September 15 will broadcast on Cox Sports TV and will be available on ESPN3 outside CST territory while the Sept. 22 game at BYU will air on BYU-TV with an ESPN3 simulcast at 5 p.m.
 
For games in the remaining weeks of the season, the Southland will reveal its television selections 12 days prior to kickoff.
 
Pluto TV is a free, live streaming service that is available on the internet or on a number of devices such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV devices, and the Playstation 4. Smart TVs form Samsung, Sony and Vizio are also supported.
 
Eleven Sports is available in 55 million homes and available by most carriers in the US.
 
CST is one of the fastest growing regional sports networks in the south with nearly 5.5 million views from California to Connecticut and all the gulf states.
 
BYUtv is owned and operated as a part of Brigham Young University and is available through cable and satellite distributors in the United States.
 
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOOTBALL: EARLY SEASON TV SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
 
WEEK 1
Thursday, August 30
Southeastern La. at ULM, 7 pm, ESPN+
Northwestern State at Texas A&M, 7:30 pm, SEC Network
 
Saturday, September 1
McNeese at Northern Colorado, 3 pm, Pluto TV
Kentucky Christian at Lamar, 6 pm, ESPN3
Central Arkansas at Tulsa, 6 pm, ESPN3
Nicholls at Kansas, 6 pm, ESPN3
Southwest Baptist at Houston Baptist, 6 pm, Southland Digital Network
Stephen F. Austin at Miss. State, 6:30 pm, ESPNU
Abilene Christian at Baylor, 7 pm, FSN
 
WEEK 2
Saturday, September 8
Prairie View at Sam Houston State, 6 pm, ESPN+
Lamar at Texas Tech, 3 pm, FSN
Southeastern La. at LSU, 6 pm, ESPN2/ESPNU
Tarleton State at Stephen F. Austin, 6 pm, ESPN+
McNeese at Houston Baptist, 6 pm, Eleven Sports
Incarnate Word at North Texas, 6:30 pm, ESPN+
Nicholls at Tulane, 7 pm, ESPN3
 
WEEK 3
Saturday, September 15
North Dakota at Sam Houston State, 6 pm, KXMB/ESPN3
Nicholls at McNeese, 6 pm, Cox Sports TV
Abilene Christian at Houston Baptist, 6 pm, ESPN3
Northwestern State at Lamar, 6 pm, ESPN+
Central Arkansas at Southeastern La., 7 pm, ESPN+
 
WEEK 4
Saturday, September 22
Sam Houston State at Nicholls, 3 pm, ESPN+
McNeese at BYU, 5 pm, BYUtv/ESPN3
Abilene Christian at Stephen F. Austin, 6 pm, ESPN+
Southeastern La. at Lamar, 6 pm, ESPN3