NEW ORLEANS — Heading into the 2025 season—the 25th season of Sun Belt football—the conference joins ESPN in announcing updates to its 2025 football schedule on Thursday.
 
The announcement includes both kickoff times and network designations for all games during the first three weeks of the season and all mid-week games throughout the 2025 campaign. 2025 marks the 14th-consecutive year that every Sun Belt home game will appear on an ESPN platform or another linear network. 

“We are excited to build on a 2024 season in which the Sun Belt defeated three autonomy conference foes and paced all non-autonomy conferences in Bowl Season qualification for the third-straight year,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “This schedule—with all mid-week games being broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2—acknowledges the continued rise of Sun Belt Conference football and the strength of our long-term partnership with ESPN.” 
 
App State’s neutral-site matchup with in-state foe Charlotte in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium—home of the National Football League’s (NFL) Carolina Panthers—in Charlotte, N.C., will kick off the Sun Belt’s linear appearances on Friday, August 29, at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT on ESPNU. 
 
The Sun Belt will have six additional linear appearances on Saturday, August 30—the first full Saturday of the college football season—Mississippi State at Southern Miss at 12:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. CT on ESPN; Old Dominion at Indiana at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT on FS1; Marshall at Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN; Coastal Carolina at Virginia at 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT on ACC Network; Georgia State at Ole Miss at 7:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network and Georgia Southern at Fresno State at 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT on FS1. 

     
 
James Madison at Louisville will air on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 5, to headline four Week 2 linear appearances. Also being showcased on national linear networks on Saturday, Sept. 6, will be Troy at Clemson at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT on ACC Network; Georgia Southern at USC at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on FS1 and ULM at Alabama at 7:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network. 
 
A marquee non-conference Saturday slate on Sept. 13 will feature five linear broadcasts—Memphis at Troy at 12:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. CT on ESPNU; South Alabama at Auburn at 12:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. CT on SEC Network; Iowa State at Arkansas State at 4:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2; Old Dominion at Virginia Tech at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT on ACC Network and Texas State at Arizona State at 10:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. CT on TNT. 

     
 
All Sun Belt mid-week games will air on either ESPN or ESPN2 during the 2025 season, with Troy at Old Dominion at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 13, and Louisiana at Arkansas State at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 20, receiving flagship billing on ESPN. 
 
Three other games—Southern Miss at Georgia Southern on Thursday, Oct. 9; Marshall at Coastal Carolina on Thursday, Oct. 30; and Georgia Southern at App State on Thursday, Nov. 6, will air on either ESPN or ESPN2. 
 
Arkansas State at South Alabama at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 14; South Alabama at Georgia State at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Oct. 23; and James Madison at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Oct. 28, will air on ESPN2. 
 
As previously announced, the Sun Belt Football Championship Game will move to Friday, Dec. 5, and will air on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT. The primetime matchup will feature the champions of the conference’s East and West Divisions and will be played at the site of the divisional winner with the best overall conference record.  


 
The Sun Belt is coming off a 2024 campaign in which it defeated three autonomy conference foes—running its tally to 22 such victories since 2016 and 11 since 2022, when the league expanded to its current 14-member configuration. The Sun Belt also paced all non-autonomy conferences in Bowl Season representation for the third-straight year.  
 
With Marshall’s 31-3 win over Louisiana in the 2024 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game, the Sun Belt boasted multiple 10-win teams for the seventh-straight season and for the fourth-straight year had multiple teams reach the mark prior to Bowl Season. 
 
In Bowl Season, the Sun Belt owns a .571 bowl winning percentage during the College Football Playoff era, trailing only the SEC (.578). 

OVERALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Thursday, August 28
Saint Francis at ULM, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
                                                        
Friday, August 29
App State vs. Charlotte, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPNU
 
Saturday, August 30
Mississippi State at Southern Miss, 12:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. CT – ESPN
Old Dominion at Indiana, 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT – FS1
Marshall at Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT – ESPN
Coastal Carolina at Virginia, 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT – ACC Network
Weber State at James Madison, 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Southeast Missouri State at Arkansas State, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Morgan State at South Alabama, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Nicholls at Troy, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Georgia State at Ole Miss, 7:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. CT – SEC Network
Rice at Louisiana, 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Eastern Michigan at Texas State, 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Georgia Southern at Fresno State, 9:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. CT – FS1
 
Friday, Sept. 5
James Madison at Louisville, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN2  
 
Saturday, Sept. 6
Lindenwood at App State, 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Texas State at UTSA, 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT – ESPN+ 
Troy at Clemson, 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT – ACC Network
Arkansas State at Arkansas, 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+/SEC Network+
Jackson State at Southern Miss, 5:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+ 
Missouri State at Marshall – 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
North Carolina Central at Old Dominion – 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Memphis at Georgia State – 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Tulane at South Alabama, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Charleston Southern at Coastal Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Georgia Southern at USC, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – FS1 
ULM at Alabama, 7:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. CT – SEC Network
McNeese at Louisiana – 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+ 
 
Saturday, Sept. 13
Memphis at Troy, 12:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. CT – ESPNU 
South Alabama at Auburn, 12:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. CT – SEC Network
Iowa State at Arkansas State, 4:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. CT – ESPN2
Louisiana at Missouri, 4:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+/SEC Network+
Eastern Kentucky at Marshall, 6:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Jacksonville State at Georgia Southern, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Murray State at Georgia State, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Old Dominion at Virginia Tech, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ACC Network
App State at Southern Miss*, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN+
East Carolina at Coastal Carolina, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN+
Texas State at Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. CT – TNT 
 
Thursday, Oct. 9
Southern Miss at Georgia Southern*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT or 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2

Tuesday, Oct. 14
Arkansas State at South Alabama*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
 
Thursday, Oct. 23
South Alabama at Georgia State*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
 
Tuesday, Oct. 28
James Madison at Texas State*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN2
 
Thursday, Oct. 30
Marshall at Coastal Carolina*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2
 
Thursday, Nov. 6
Georgia Southern at App State*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT or 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT – ESPN/ESPN2
 
Thursday, Nov. 13
Troy at Old Dominion*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN 
 
Thursday, Nov. 20
Louisiana at Arkansas State*, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT – ESPN 

Friday, Dec. 5
Sun Belt Football Championship Game, 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT – ESPN 
 
* Sun Belt Conference Game