Cullowhee, N.C. – Four Western Carolina football games, including two at home in #CatamountCountry and a pair of Southern Conference road games, are slated to be broadcast as part of the league's Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Ingles Markets linear television broadcast package, announced today by the conference office.
 
The 15-week package features 12 scheduled SoCon Saturday broadcasts, including a pair of doubleheaders, with three "Wildcard Weekends" over the final three weeks of the regular season. The package opens on the opening weekend of the year as The Citadel visits Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C., on Aug. 29 at Gibbs Stadium. Wild card games over the final three weeks of the schedule – Nov. 7, Nov. 14, and Nov. 21 – will be announced later in the year to broadcast the most intriguing matchups as it relates to the SoCon title race and NCAA FCS playoff implications.
 
Official station clearances for each broadcast produced by the video operations crews of each host school will be announced the week of the game. Each regular-season SoCon game, including those in the Nexstar package, will also be shown on ESPN+ (subscription required) as part of the SoCon's contractual deal with the Worldwide Leader's online streaming service.
 
All 10 Southern Conference schools are scheduled among the opening 12 weeks of the regular season, with Wofford on the docket five times followed by WCU with four games in the package.
 
Each game in the package will air on WYCW Channel 62 (Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson). Nexstar stations in other SoCon markets that can pick up games are WMYT (Charlotte), WWCW (Roanoke), WJHL (Tri-Cities), WCBD (Charleston), WGHP (Greensboro), and WBTW (Myrtle Beach). Although not Nexstar stations, EFLI (Chattanooga, TN), WMUB (Macon, GA), and several other affiliates that will be announced later could air games from this season's package.
 
Western Carolina's annual gridiron grudge match in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" against East Tennessee State (3:30 p.m.) on Sept. 26 represents the fourth game in the SoCon's package and WCU's first of four weekends to appear on over-the-air television. The Oct. 3 meeting with Tennessee Tech (6 p.m.) in Cullowhee marks the nightcap of the league's first Saturday doubleheader and WCU's first home game to be broadcast since the renovations and upgrades at Whitmire Stadium.
 
Western Carolina's Oct. 24 Homecoming matchup against Chattanooga marks the squad's second home date in the package and the front end of back-to-back weeks on Nexstar. WCU raises the curtain on an Oct. 31 SoCon Saturday doubleheader when it visits chromatic rival Furman (2 p.m.).
 
Western Carolina opens its 12-game schedule, which features six home dates at Whitmire Stadium / Waters Field in Cullowhee, on Saturday, Aug. 29, hosting Eastern Kentucky for the "Blackout Whitmire" game as the team unveils their new black "Night Cat" Nike uniforms while also showcasing new stadium amenities such as the Western Skybox, new lighting, new field turf, and a new Daktronics video scoreboard. The first 3,500 fans will receive a FREE black WCU T-shirt, with Catamount students receiving 4,000 black thunder sticks, courtesy of The Everson.
 
The home-opener is presented by Ingles and media partners 99.9 Kiss Country and Asheville's #1 Hit Music Star 104.3. Fans are encouraged to wear their black WCU gear to the game.
 
Before the game, one of the best FCS football traditions returns as we celebrate the 15th Annual Freshmen Run, as WCU's Class of 2030 runs through the pregame tunnel to lead out the Catamount football team. Also highlighting the jam-packed home opener, Catamount Athletics and Vannoy Construction present a special drone light show, produced by SkyElements, that will light up the western North Carolina sky as part of the festivities.
 
Both season and single-game tickets and gameday parking for all six home dates in #CatamountCountry are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports, FB.com/WesternCarolinaFootball), Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsfb).
 
2026 SoCon Nexstar Football Broadcast Schedule (All times Eastern)
Aug. 29 – The Citadel at Wofford 6 PM
Sept. 5 – Tennessee Tech at Chattanooga 6 PM
Sept. 19 – Wofford at Chattanooga 6 PM
Sept. 26 – Western Carolina at ETSU 3:30 PM
Oct. 3 – Wofford at Furman 2 PM and Tennessee Tech at Western Carolina 6 PM
Oct. 10 – ETSU at The Citadel 2 PM
Oct. 17 – VMI at Wofford 1:30 PM and Mercer at Samford 7 PM
Oct. 24 – Chattanooga at Western Carolina 2:30 PM
Oct. 31 – Western Carolina at Furman 2 PM and Wofford at Samford 7 PM
Nov. 7 – Wildcard (TBD)
Nov. 14 – Wildcard (TBD)
Nov. 2 – Wildcard (TBD)