Two Big Sky Conference football games have been selected to air on ESPN2 in 2023, the conference announced on Wednesday.
In the first matchup, the Montana Grizzlies will travel to face the Idaho Vandals at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, on Saturday, Oct. 14. The game will be televised by ESPN2 at 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT.
The second matchup features the Sacramento State Hornets hosting the Montana State Bobcats at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 21. The game will also kickoff at 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT with television coverage on ESPN2.
Both games are part of the Big Sky’s multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN that was announced back in 2021. Under the agreement, ESPN will televise two Big Sky football games per season on a linear network, while the remaining conference football games will be streamed via ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
All four teams selected to appear on ESPN2 in 2023 participated in the FCS playoffs last season. Idaho fell in the first round at Southeastern Louisiana, while Montana exited after a second-round loss at North Dakota State. Sacramento advanced to the quarterfinals before falling at home against UIW, while Montana State lost on the road in the semifinals at eventual champion South Dakota State.