The times of two key conference matchups for the South Dakota State football and volleyball teams have been set.
The football game between South Dakota State and North Dakota State will be played at 7 p.m. for the second year in a row, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and ESPN announced Monday.
The game between the two rivals will cap a busy Saturday, Oct. 25, for Jackrabbit athletics, hosting a volleyball game between SDSU and Denver at 1 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Arena, followed by a nationally televised football game.
The broadcast channel will be decided following this weekend’s games but has been narrowed down to either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Houston and Arizona State will play opposite the Jackrabbits and Bison.
Last year’s Dakota Marker matchup drew more than 174,000 viewers for a 13-9 NDSU win on ESPN2.
ESPN announced in May it intended to televise this game, along with the upcoming Interstate Series matchup between SDSU and the University of South Dakota, as part of its six-year deal with the MVFC. The deal allows ESPN to select a minimum of nine games for linear TV broadcasts (ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU).
This will be the first time since 2015 that the rivalry matchup will be played under the lights in Brookings. The Bison beat the Jackrabbits during the transition from Coughlin-Alumni Stadium to Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
The matchup is shaping up to be a big one, not just in the MVFC but also in the entire FCS. SDSU is currently undefeated (6-0, 2-0) and ranked No. 2 in the nation following a 31-3 win over Northern Iowa on Hobo Day. NDSU is ranked No. 1 in the country and is also undefeated (6-0, 3-0) after a 45-17 win over ranked Southern Illinois.
The two teams have one more game before they meet. NDSU will be on the road at Indiana State at noon Saturday. SDSU will be heading south to Murray State at 6 p.m.
Jackrabbit Volleyball vs. Denver
The SDSU volleyball team is nearing the halfway point of its Summit League year and is 5-0 in conference play.
The Jackrabbits will play the Denver Pioneers at 1 p.m. before the Dakota Marker game on Oct. 25.
Denver is 4-2 in league play this year with losses to SDSU and NDSU, which are first and second in the conference standings.
The game will be streamed on the Summit League Network.
