Southern Conference spring football kicks off Saturday, February 20
For football fans who count the days between The Big Game in February and the first college game in the fall, 2021 offers something to help hold you over.
The Southern Conference kicks off its spring football season this Saturday, February 20, with a nine-week schedule that wraps up regular season play on April 17, one week before the start of the NCAA Division I Football Championship.
Defending SoCon champion Wofford College begins its quest for a fourth straight title and fifth consecutive postseason berth when it welcomes Mercer to Spartanburg on Saturday.
Furman University in Greenville, which finished one game behind the Terriers and earned an at-large berth to the FCS playoffs last season, hosts Western Carolina in its season opener this week. East Tennessee State University (ETSU) hosts Samford and VMI travels to Chattanooga to round out opening day of the SoCon spring schedule.
Conference officials last year made the decision to move SoCon fall sports league schedules to the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, but teams were permitted to play nonconference fall games at their discretion. ETSU, Furman, Samford, VMI and Wofford elected not to compete in fall competition, with The Citadel, Mercer, Chattanooga and Western Carolina each scheduling at least one nonconference fall opponent. The Citadel played four fall contests, which means it can only play seven spring games to avoid exceeding the NCAA-mandated 11-game regular-season maximum.
Spring SoCon football will be carried live by WSPA-TV sister station, CW62 WYCW-TV, with each telecast sponsored by Ingles. Here’s the lineup:
Feb. 20 | Samford @ ETSU | 1:00 p.m.
Feb. 27 | Citadel @ Mercer | 3:30 p.m.
Mar. 13 | Mercer @ VMI | 1:30 p.m.
Mar. 20 | UTC @ Furman | 1:00 p.m.
Mar. 20 | Western Carolina @ Mercer | 4:00 p.m.
Mar. 27 | Western Carolina @ ETSU | 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 3 | Citadel @ Wofford | 1:00 p.m.
Apr. 10 | TBD
Apr. 17 | TBD
To view the composite 2020-21 SoCon football schedule, go HERE.
