FRISCO, Texas and BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – McNeese will host Eastern Illinois on November 5 as part of the Southland Conference and Ohio Valley Conference football scheduling alliance for the 2022 season.
In October the two NCAA Division I FCS leagues announced the framework for the collaboration which provides quality Division I non-conference matchups for teams in each league in 2022 and 2023.
McNeese and Eastern Illinois have played twice before with the Cowboys winning both matchups. The first meeting came in 1990 with McNeese winning 15-7 at Eastern Illinois, then in 1993, the Cowboys beat the Panthers 49-7 in Cowboy Stadium while on their way to the conference championship and quarterfinal appearance in the playoffs.
McNeese finished the 2021 season with a 4-7 record while Eastern Illinois posted a 1-10 mark.
The matchups for the 2022 season are:
September 10 – Texas A&M-Commerce at Tennessee Tech
September 17 – Nicholls at Southeast Missouri
October 1 – Murray State at Southeastern Louisiana
October 8 – Northwestern State at Eastern Illinois
October 22 – Southeast Missouri at Northwestern State
October 29 – UT Martin at Houston Baptist
November 5 – Eastern Illinois at McNeese State
November 19 – Tennessee State at Texas A&M-Commerce
Alliance matchups for the 2023 season will be announced at a later date. Additionally, the leagues will work together to cross-promote the alliance during the season, allowing for increased visibility, exposure and branding for each Conference. Both the OVC and Southland have longstanding ESPN broadcast agreements.
The two Conferences have combined for four FCS National Championships and more than 100 playoff wins since the subdivision was formed in 1978. Additionally, the Southland has served as the host conference for the successful NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game in its home base of Frisco, Texas, since 2011.
OVC football members include Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, Ill.), Murray State University (Murray, Ky.), Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tenn.), Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, Tenn.), and the University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin, Tenn.).
Southland football members include Houston Baptist University (Houston, Texas), McNeese State University (Lake Charles, La.), Nicholls State University (Thibodaux, La.), Northwestern State University (Natchitoches, La.), Southeastern Louisiana University (Hammond, La.), and Texas A&M University-Commerce (Commerce, Texas).
