FRISCO – The Southland Conference will kick off the 2025 college football season with a marquee Week 0 match-up as Incarnate Word travels to Nicholls for a nationally televised showdown. The game is set for a 12 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN2 on Saturday, August 23. 

“This is a monumental moment for the Southland Conference and a powerful testament to the rise and national impact of our football programs,” said Southland Commissioner Chris Grant. “To open the season on ESPN2 with two championship-caliber teams is more than just a game — it’s a showcase of what makes Southland football special: gritty, passionate, and unapologetically Southern. The culture, pride, and pageantry of our league will be on full display for a national audience, and we couldn’t be more fired up.” 

The contest marks the first college football game played on American soil in the 2025 season, following the Kansas State vs. Iowa State game earlier that day in Dublin. It will also serve as the first FCS game of the year. 

This highly anticipated match-up features the league’s two most recent champions—and two of its most dominant programs in recent history. Nicholls claimed the Southland title with an unbeaten record in 2023, while UIW went undefeated in conference play last season to capture the 2024 crown. Since 2018, the Colonels and Cardinals have combined for seven Southland titles. Nicholls earned championships in 2018, 2019, and 2023, while UIW claimed the crown in 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2024. 

UIW Head Coach Clint Killough enters his third season at the helm with an impressive 19–5 record, a Southland title, and an FCS Playoff appearance already on his résumé. On the opposite sideline, Tommy Rybacki will make his head coaching debut for Nicholls after spending the past 10 seasons as the Colonels’ defensive coordinator under longtime head coach Tim Rebowe. 

The broadcast will be a historic one, marking the first in-conference Southland game ever aired on a national linear television network.