LSC FOOTBALL KICKS OFF
The 2010 Lone Star Conference football season starts Thursday with two non-conference games as Southeastern Oklahoma plays at Henderson State and Southwestern Oklahoma hosts Emporia State. Both games kick-off at 7 p.m. Week one continues with three more non-conference games on August 28 at 7 p.m.: Pittsburg State at Central Oklahoma, Langston at Incarnate Word and Southern Nazarene at Eastern New Mexico. Only five league teams are playing in week one with the other nine starting their season in week two (either Sept. 2 or Sept. 4) due to the NCAA Division II Life in the Balance initiative which was approved in January 2010. The package provided a one-week later date for first permissible contests in all fall sports unless teams had previously scheduled contests, then they were granted a one-year waiver for 2010.
IN 2010, ALL LSC GAMES COUNT
Due to the addition of Incarnate Word, all 14 LSC football teams will play 10 conference games with four crossover and six division contests. Previously, each team counted only nine games in the conference standings and due to unequal teams in the divisions, three South Division teams played a crossover game that did not count in the standings.
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
The LSC will play 13 non-conference games this year including five this week, six in week two and two more in week four. Games are scheduled against opponents from the Mid-America Intercollegiate (MIAA), Great Lakes Intercollegiate, Gulf South, Northern Sun and Rocky Mountain conferences along with the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision and NAIA ranks. Below is the breakdown:
MIAA (5): Emporia State at Southwestern Oklahoma; Pittsburg State at Central Oklahoma; Texas A&M- Kingsville at Northwest Missouri State; Abilene Christian at Washburn; East Central at Fort Hays State
GLIAC (1): West Texas A&M at Grand Valley State
GSC (1): Southeastern Oklahoma at Henderson State
NSIC (1): Upper Iowa at Texas A&M-Commerce
RMAC (1): Midwestern State at New Mexico Highlands
NAIA (2): Langston at Incarnate Word; Southern Nazarene at Eastern New Mexico
DIVISION I FCS (2): Northeastern State at North Dakota; Tarleton State at Northwestern State
PLUS ONE
The LSC has added a new member and 14th football team with the addition of Incarnate Word. The Cardinals will play in the South Division, while Eastern New Mexico moves to the North resulting in seven teams for each. UIW’s first LSC game will be a crossover tilt at Southeastern Oklahoma on Sept. 11. Head coach Mike Santiago leads the team in the program’s second year.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
West Texas A&M will begin its 2010 season with a nationally televised game at Grand Valley State on Thursday, Sept. 2. The game will be shown live by CBS College Sports in high definition at 7 p.m. This is the fifth time an LSC team was selected to be part of the Division II and CBS College Sports Network package. Last year, WT won its last six games, including a 31-25 victory over Nebraska-Omaha in the Lower Kanza Bowl in Topeka, Kansas. GVSU reached the 2009 Division II championship game against Northwest Missouri State last year before falling, 30-23. The Lakers have won two national titles since 2005 and reached the national semifinals in 2007.
FOOTBALL QUICK HITS
- LSC set to kick off 78th year of football in 2010.
- Four LSC teams earned top-25 rankings -- No. 7 Abilene Christian, No. 11 West Texas A&M, No. 16 Texas A&M-Kingsville and No. 19 Midwestern State -- in the American Football Coaches Association Preseason Poll, while four others - Texas A&M-Commerce, Tarleton State, Angelo State and Southeastern Oklahoma - are all receiving votes.
- 101 All-LSC players, including 51 in the North Division and 50 in the South, from a year ago return to the gridiron in 2010.