"Northeast Conference Football on ESPN3" Schedule Revealed 7/13/2016 Click Here For NEC-TV Package Video Announcement Click Here For Hi-Res NEC-TV Schedule Graphic Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference football fans will benefit from a live coverage package that matches the largest in league history this fall. The NEC has reached an agreement with ESPN to make ESPN3 the exclusive carrier of eight featured matchups on the gridiron. All seven NEC members will appear at least twice during the eight-game schedule, which will be carried on ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. Five Homecoming game matchups are on the slate. The package kicks off with New England-based rivals Central Connecticut and Bryant squaring off on September 24 at 1:00 pm ET in Smithfield. The two teams made for an instant classic last season when CCSU edged Bryant in a 35-33 decision that featured four fourth-quarter lead changes. Following the opener, which signaled a start to five straight weeks of featured NEC matchups on ESPN3, Sacred Heart and Wagner will continue the schedule on October 1. The Pioneers, who have posted a 25-11 record with senior RJ Noel starting under center, visit Grymes Hill for a Saturday evening Homecoming contest that will kick off at 6:00 pm ET. The first of three NEC Keystone State clashes will unfold on October 8 with Saint Francis facing Robert Morris on Homecoming Weekend at Joe Walton Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:00 pm ET. Fans can enjoy a day-night doubleheader on October 15. The action will begin at 1:00 pm ET in New Britain where Central Connecticut welcomes Wagner to town on Homecoming weekend. Then, ESPN3 will carry the Steel City Showdown live from Rooney Field at 7:00 pm ET as Robert Morris makes the short trip from Moon to The Bluff to take on defending NEC champion Duquesne. Duquesne will play before an ESPN3 audience for the second time in six days when the Dukes visit Saint Francis for a Friday night affair on October 21 in Loretto. The rematch of last year’s de facto NEC title game will kickoff at 7:00 pm ET. Following back-to-back open weeks, the live coverage schedule will resume with a “wildcard” matchup at 12:00 pm ET on November 12. In the next-to-last week of the regular season, the NEC plans to deliver the most-meaningful matchup in terms of the race for the first place at that time. The conference will have a trio of contests to choose from – Sacred Heart at Duquesne; Central Connecticut at Saint Francis; and Wagner at Robert Morris. The schedle concludes on ESPN3 in Fairfield, CT where Sacred Heart will entertain Bryant on November 19. Kickoff is at 12:00 pm ET. Paul Dottino, a member of the New York Giants Radio Network, will serve as the lead play-by-play voice for the 14th consecutive season. Former NFL head coach, and two-time Super Bowl champion, Kevin Gilbride returns to the booth for the second straight season to handle the color commentary. John Schmeelk will provide sideline coverage. 2016 NEC Football Television Schedule on ESPN3 Date Matchup Time Sept. 24 Central Connecticut at Bryant 1:00 pm Oct. 1 Sacred Heart at Wagner 6:00 pm Oct. 8 Saint Francis U at Robert Morris 3:00 pm Oct. 15 Wagner at Central Connecticut 1:00 pm Oct. 15 Robert Morris at Duquesne 7:00 pm Oct. 21 Duquesne at Saint Francis U 7:00 pm Nov. 12 Wildcard Game 12:00 pm Nov. 19 Bryant at Sacred Heart 12:00 pm About ESPN3 ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through WatchESPN. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks. A list of affiliated providers can be found HERE. About the Northeast Conference Entering its 36th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. Duquesne is an associate member of the NEC in the sport of football. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.