When the U SPORTS football season officially kicks off Friday night, the first of 57 broadcasts on local television stations across the country will air to begin the 2018 campaign.
Eight different networks are slated to telecast U SPORTS football this season, highlighted by the 50th edition of the Panda Game from TD Place in the nation’s capital between long-time crosstown rivals – the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens. The highest-attended U SPORTS football contest of the regular season, the Panda Game has seen a dramatic rebirth since 2013, with the last four editions marked by last-second hail-mary catches, overtime victories and sellout crowds, including last year’s 24,420 spectators. This year’s contest is scheduled for Sept. 29 live on CHCH.
The 2018 local broadcast schedule also features rematches of all four of last season’s conference championship games, including the highly-anticipated Canada West encounter between the UBC Thunderbirds and Calgary Dinos – who captured the 81st Hardy Cup and a trip to the Mitchell Bowl on Niko DiFonte’s U SPORTS record 59-yard field goal last November.
The Canada West Football Showcase will be available on SaskTel maxTV in Saskatchewan, and TELUS Optik TV in B.C. and Alberta, while AUS Football Saturdays will air on Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 and weekly RSEQ contests are slated for TVA Sports. In addition to the Panda Game, five other OUA schools will be featured on various local networks across the province – Rogers TV, YourTV and Cable 14. Additionally, all regular season games – including those not broadcast on local television – will be livestreamed on three of the four conferences’ respective webcast platforms: CanadaWest.TV, OUA.TV, and AUStv.ca. The McGill Redmen and Concordia Stingers will also provide livestreams of their home games in the RSEQ.
The 2018 U SPORTS football regular season begins Aug. 24 and runs until Oct. 27. Sportsnet and TVA Sports are once again the official broadcasters of the U SPORTS football semifinals and final in 2018. The Mitchell Bowl(CW at OUA) and Uteck Bowl (AUS at RSEQ) are set for Saturday, Nov. 17, while the Vanier Cup follows on Saturday, Nov. 24 at TELUS-UL Stadium in Quebec City. For all the information on the 54th Vanier Cup click here.
2018 U SPORTS football local broadcast schedule
| Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | Time (PT) | Network | Conference |
| Fri. Aug. 24 | Laval @ Sherbrooke | 7 p.m. | 4 p.m. | TVA Sports | RSEQ |
| Sat. Aug. 25 | Bishop’s @ Mount Allison | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS |
| Sun. Aug. 26 | Guelph @ McMaster | 3 p.m. | 12 p.m. | Cable 14, YourTV | OUA |
| Fri. Aug. 31 | Acadia @ StFX | 6 p.m. | 3 p.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS |
| Calgary @ Regina | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW | |
| Alberta @ Saskatchewan | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW | |
| Sat. Sept. 1 | Sherbrooke @ McGill | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | TVA Sports | RSEQ |
| Sun. Sept. 2 | Laurier @ Queen’s | 6:30 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. | YourTV | OUA |
| Mon. Sept. 3 | York @ Guelph | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA |
| Carleton @ Windsor | 3 p.m. | 12 p.m. | YourTV | OUA | |
| Fri. Sept. 7 | Saskatchewan @ Manitoba | 8 p.m. | 5 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW |
| Regina @ Alberta | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV | CW | |
| Sat. Sept. 8 | Toronto @ Queen’s | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | YourTV | OUA |
| Guelph @ Ottawa | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (French only) | OUA | |
| Saint Mary’s @ Mount Allison | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS | |
| Laval @ Montreal | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | TVA Sports | RSEQ | |
| McMaster @ Western | 4 p.m. | 1 p.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA | |
| Fri. Sept. 14 | UBC @ Regina | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW |
| Calgary @ Saskatchewan | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW | |
| Sat. Sept. 15 | Guelph @ Windsor | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | YourTV | OUA |
| York @ Western | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA | |
| Mount Allison @ Acadia | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS | |
| Toronto @ McMaster | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Cable 14, YourTV | OUA | |
| Montreal @ Sherbrooke | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | TVA Sports | RSEQ | |
| Fri. Sept. 21 | Regina @ Saskatchewan | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV, | CW |
| Sat. Sept. 22 | StFX @ Mount Allison | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS |
| Laurier @ McMaster | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Cable 14, YourTV | OUA | |
| Queen’s @ Guelph | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA | |
| Calgary @ UBC | 8 p.m. | 5 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW | |
| Fri. Sept. 28 | UBC @ Alberta | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW |
| Sat. Sept. 29 | Ottawa vs. Carleton (50th Panda Game) | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | CHCH | OUA |
| Western @ Queen’s | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | YourTV | OUA | |
| Toronto @ Windsor | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | YourTV | OUA | |
| Saint Mary’s @ StFX | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS | |
| Laval @ Concordia | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | TVA Sports | ||
| Regina @ Manitoba | 3 p.m. | 12 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV | CW | |
| Saskatchewan @ Calgary | 3 p.m. | 12 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV | CW | |
| Thurs. Oct. 4 | Windsor @ Western | 7 p.m. | 4 p.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA |
| Fri Oct. 5 | Queen’s @ McMaster | 11 a.m. | 8 a.m. | Cable 14, YourTV | OUA |
| Sat. Oct. 6 | Bishop’s @ Saint Mary’s | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS |
| Sun. Oct. 7 | Montreal @ Laval | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | TVA Sports | RSEQ |
| Fri. Oct. 12 | Alberta @ Regina | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV, | CW |
| Saskatchewan @ UBC | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV | CW | |
| Sat. Oct. 13 | Toronto @ Guelph | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA |
| Mount Allison @ Saint Mary’s | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS | |
| Concordia @ Montreal | 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. | TVA Sports | RSEQ | |
| Fri. Oct. 19 | Regina @ Calgary | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW |
| Sat. Oct. 20 | Ottawa @ Queen’s | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | YourTV | OUA |
| Waterloo @ Guelph | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA | |
| McMaster @ Windsor | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Cable 14, YourTV | OUA | |
| Laurier @ Western | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Rogers TV (Tape Delay) | OUA | |
| Acadia @ Mount Allison | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS | |
| Manitoba @ Saskatchewan | 4 p.m. | 1 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV | CW | |
| Matchup TBD | TBD | TBD | TVA Sports | RSEQ | |
| Fri. Oct. 26 | Saskatchewan @ Regina | 9 p.m. | 6 p.m. | SaskTel maxTV TELUS Optik TV, | CW |
| Sat. Oct. 27 | Saint Mary’s @ Acadia | 1 p.m. | 10 a.m. | Bell Aliant Fibe TV1 | AUS |
| Matchup TBD | TBD | TBD | TVA Sports | RSEQ |
Source: U Sports
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