Two rivalry matchups featuring the Jackrabbits are set to be broadcast nationally this fall.
ESPN announced Thursday that both the Dakota Marker, against NDSU on Oct. 19, and the Interstate Series, against USD on Oct. 26, will be televised on one of their networks. The time of the games and the channel will be announced later.
These games are part of a new contract between the Missouri Valley Football Conference and ESPN which allows ESPN to pick any two games to broadcast on any of its channels.
SDSU is coming off its best two years of football in program history winning back-to-back FCS national championships and is currently riding a 29-game win streak into next season.
The NDSU-SDSU rivalry has been taken to new heights recently following the success of the two programs. The Jackrabbits and Bison met two times — both in the annual regular season game and in the postseason — in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2021 before meeting in the championship in 2023.
This year’s meeting will mark the 116th all-time with NDSU leading the series 63-47-5 while SDSU has won the last four matchups including a 33-16 win in Brookings last November.
This isn’t the first time the rivalry has caught the attention of the “Worldwide Leader.” The network’s “College Gameday” pregame show came to Brookings in Oct. 2019 broadcasting from campus. This will be the first time; however, the game will be broadcast on one of the networks.
The game will also be the second game NDSU will appear in on ESPN networks as their Week 0 matchup with Colorado will be broadcast on ESPN. This will mark the second time the Bison have had two regular-season games broadcast, the first time since 2016.
The Interstate Series between SDSU and USD has also grown in popularity as of late.
The Coyotes are coming off their best season in the Division I era finishing 10-3 and ending in the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs.
Next season’s matchup will mark the 55th installment of the State-U rivalry in South Dakota with the Jackrabbit holding the 31-23-1 advantage including a 37-3 win in Vermillion last October.
This will be the first time South Dakota State will have a regular season game televised on an ESPN network. The Jackrabbits have had regular season games broadcast on Fox Sports 1 in the past against opponents such as Minnesota (2019), Colorado State (2021) and Iowa (2022).
SDSU’s MVFC opener on the road at Northern Iowa has also been picked as the MVFC Game of the Week and will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. All other home MVFC games will be available on ESPN+ with certain games on regional partners such as Midco Sports.
ESPN’s contract with the MVFC runs through 2029 and promises at least nine conference games to be televised throughout the tenure. The contract is similar to the Big Sky which also has had two regular-season matchups broadcast over the last two seasons.
These announcements came alongside other announcements of games featuring FCS teams. Below is the full national television schedule for the FCS as of May 30:
Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC)
– North Dakota State at Colorado on ESPN (Aug. 29)
– North Dakota at Iowa State on Fox Sports 1 (Aug. 31)
– South Dakota at Wisconsin on Fox Sports 1 (Sept. 7)
– South Dakota State at North Dakota State on ESPN networks (Oct. 19)
– South Dakota at South Dakota State on ESPN networks (Oct. 26)
Big Sky Conference:
– Montana State at New Mexico on Fox Sports 1 (Aug. 24)
– Portland State at Washington State on The CW (Aug. 31)
– Portland State at Boise State on Fox Sports 1 (Sept. 21)
– Idaho at Montana State on ESPN networks (Oct. 12)
– UC Davis at Montana on ESPN networks (Nov. 9)
Ivy League:
– Harvard at Cornell on ESPNU (Oct. 12)
– Brown at Princeton on ESPNU (Oct. 18)
– Yale at Penn on ESPNU (Oct. 25)
– Yale at Columbia on ESPNU (Nov. 1)
– Dartmouth at Princeton on ESPNU (Nov. 8)
– Yale at Harvard on TBD (Nov. 23)
FCS Kickoff:
– Southeast Missouri vs North Alabama on ESPN (Aug. 24)
Orange Blossom Classic
– North Carolina Central vs Alabama State on ESPN (Sept. 1)
Other FCS vs FCS games:
– Norfolk State vs Florida A&M on ABC (Aug. 24)
– McNeese at Tarleton State on ESPNU (Aug. 24)
The Jackrabbits kick their season off in Stillwater, Okla. with a matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. That is set to air on ESPN+ on Aug. 31 with the time still to be announced.
