Marshall vs. BGSU; Louisiana vs. EMU football games to air nationally on NFL Network

The Mid-American Conference, along with the Sun Belt Conference announced on Monday morning a pair of non-conference games between the two conferences will be aired nationally on NFL Network in 2022.

The Sun Belt Conference stated the games will be aired “in collaboration with ESPN” on the NFL Network in their press release on Monday morning.

Eastern Michigan will pay a visit to the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday, Sept. 10, while Bowling Green will travel to Huntington, West Virginia, to take on former MAC peer Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The two airings will give BGSU and EMU a guaranteed additional national broadcast, with both teams guaranteed at least four national broadcasts in November. Both teams also have a handful of games under the 12-day selection window.

EMU and ULL have played twice up to this point, splitting both contests, with ULL taking the 33-14 victory the last time the two teams met in 2006.

BGSU and Marshall have met 29 times, as the two programs have a history dating back to their time as divisional peers in the 1960s and 1970s. The Falcons hold a 21-8 advantage in the series, with a 44-28 victory the last time the two teams met in 2010.

The NFL Network last dipped their toes in the college football world back in 2019, signing a contract with Conference USA to air various conference games. Meant to be a four-year deal, the contract was voided due to difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NFL Network has also aired a number of games featuring teams from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) since 2019, with an annual broadcast of the Black College Hall of Fame Classic.

The move is reportedly set to involve ESPN, but it is unsure at this time how broadcast responsibilities will be split.