CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Four televised games, including the CIAA Championship Game in November, will highlight the CIAA’s 2017 football season announced on Thursday.

NCAA Division II announced the 18 regular-season football games that will be streamed live on ESPN3, including a CIAA championship rematch highlight between the Bowie State University Bulldogs and Winston-Salem State University Rams on September 9. All showcase contests will be streamed live on ESPN3 as part of an ongoing three-year agreement to highlight Division II athletics.

The Rams will host the Bulldogs at Bowman Gray Stadium at 4:00 p.m. EST on September 9, 2017. Last year, the Southern Division Champion Rams met the Northern Division Champion Bulldogs for the second consecutive season. Winston-Salem State toppled Bowie State 43-33 at Salem Football Stadium for the conference crown.

The first 18 games of the NCAA’s football showcase are predetermined matchups. Four additional flex games — highlighting crucial matchups — will be finalized later in the football season and played in November.

ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the ESPN app. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones, and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

Also, the CIAA has announced an agreement to broadcast two regular-season football games as well as the CIAA Football Championship on Aspire TV.

The Virginia State University Trojans and the 2016 runner-up Bulldogs of Bowie State University have been selected for this season’s first CIAA/Aspire TV televised football game on October 14, 2017. The contest, also the Trojans’ Homecoming, will kick off at 2:00 p.m. ET at Rogers Stadium in Petersburg, Virginia. In their only meeting last year, the Bulldogs capped their Homecoming with a 38-37 victory over the Trojans.

The second CIAA telecast on Aspire TV will highlight a cross-town, Northern Division rivalry between Virginia Union University and Virginia State University. Scheduled for November 4, 2017, at 2:00 p.m., the Panthers will visit the Trojans in the last week of regular season play. Last year, Virginia State prevailed with a 48-21 victory over Virginia Union.

On November 11, 2017, Aspire TV will air the CIAA Football Championship live from Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The league’s top team from the Northern Division will face the Southern Division Champion for the 2017 CIAA Football Championship crown.

Aspire is the television entertainment network from Earvin “Magic” Johnson that reflects the people and modern day experiences of black and urban culture in a way that is inspiring, authentic and entertaining. Aspire offers original scripted and reality series, specials and independent films as well as beloved dramas, contemporary comedies and provocative documentaries that allow you to connect and … see yourself here.  The network was launched on June 27, 2012, by Magic Johnson Enterprises, which acts as a catalyst for driving unparalleled business results for its partners and fosters community/economic empowerment by making available high-quality entertainment, products, and services that answer the demands of ethnically diverse urban communities. Aspire is available in 24 of the top 25 African-American markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

This year, the CIAA celebrates the 125^th anniversary of black college football. On December 27, 1892, two future CIAA schools, Livingstone College and Johnson C. Smith University (then named Biddle University), kicked off the first-ever black college football contest on a snowy front lawn in Salisbury, North Carolina. In collaboration with Aspire TV, the CIAA will honor its rich football history with programming features throughout the season.