Football | July 31, 2018

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Football will be featured in three nationally televised contests through the official conference television partner, the ESPN Family of Networks, as announced by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) from its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.
 
The schedule was announced at the 2018 MEAC Football Kickoff Luncheon, held Friday, July 27, from Hilton The Main Hotel in Norfolk.
 
Predicted to finish fourth in the league as announced through the preseason poll, Bethune-Cookman will begin its three-game television slate against Howard in the revamped and reenergized Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game not only begins the 2018 MEAC schedule for both teams, but will be the first time the two squads have met as part of the Circle City Classic since 1998. The game will be carried live on ESPN3 and all mobile streaming devices, while it will be re-aired on ESPNU later in the evening.
 
The last time BCU and Howard met in in this particular venue was Oct. 3, 1998, as the two teams squared off in the Coca-Cola Circle City Classic, as a crowd of 58,295 witnessed the Bison defeat the Maroon and Gold clad Wildcats by a score of 32-25 inside the RCA Dome. Despite the loss, Bethune-Cookman registered its first winning season that year, grabbing an 8-3 record. It marked the first winning season for the Wildcats since 1985.
 
The second television game of the year for the Wildcats will come courtesy ESPNU with the Maroon and Gold hosting a Thursday night contest as North Carolina Central visits Daytona Stadium on November 8. Kickoff for that game will be 7 p.m.
 
For BCU, the Thursday night contest marks the first Thursday night television game for the Cats at home since 2015 in front of a near sellout crowd for a Blackout game en route to BCU clinching at least a share of its fourth consecutive MEAC crown under then first-year head coach Terry Sims.
 
The regular season and television package ends with the Florida Blue Florida Classic contest between BCU and Florida A&M. The game will be carried lived on ESPN Classic. The date for the game is set for November 17, with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. The game will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
 
BCU has won the previous seven meetings against the in-state opponent Rattlers – the longest streak of its kind for the Maroon and Gold against their traditional rivals from Tallahassee.
 
For more information on the 2018 ESPN Network television schedule from the MEAC, please visit MEACsports.com.
 
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