Blazers release 2008 football schedule - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

March 21, 2008

Valdosta -  The 2007 Division II national champion Valdosta State football team will open the season a week early than normal and finish a week before everyone.

The Blazers are finally able to release their 2008 football schedule after getting clearance from the NCAA to open their season at home on August 23rd against Fort Valley State.

The two schools will meet in the final year of a four year contract that called for the game to be originally played on September 6th.

However, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ignored that contract and scheduled Fort Valley State to play a conference game that day.

The only date where both teams could play is August 23rd which is a week before the season starts.

After that game, the Blazers will play at Newberry from the South Atlantic Conference on August 30th.

The Blazers then have an open date before opening Gulf South Conference play at Southern Arkansas.

The Blazers return home to play Ouachita Baptist on September 20th.

Valdosta State will also play Delta State, Harding and West Georgia at home with the Delta Stae and West Georgia games on Thursday night due to television.

The Blazers will play conference foes West Alabama, Henderson State, and North Alabama on the road.

The West Georgia game is October 30th and the Blazers will have an open date on the final week of the regular season on November 8th.

If Valdosta State were to finish first or second in the regional rankings, they would get a first round bye in the Division II playoffs like they did in 2007.

That means the Blazers could go three weeks without playing a game.

However, the Blazers know they have a lot of work to do and games to win before they worry about that possibility.

The VSU spring football game is March 29th at 1:00 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.

Sat.      Aug. 23       FORT VALLEY STATE      Bazemore-Hyder Stadium      TBA

Sat.      Aug. 30       at Newberry                   Newberry, S.C.                       TBA

Sat.      Sept. 13    *at Southern Arkansas     Magnolia, Ark.                       TBA

Sat.      Sept. 20    *OUACHITA BAPTIST (PW)  Bazemore-Hyder Stadium  TBA

Sat.      Sept. 27    *at West Alabama           Livingston, Ala.                      TBA

Thurs.  Oct.2        *Delta State (GSCTV)      Bazemore-Hyder Stadium       8:00 p.m.

Sat.     Oct. 11       *at Henderson State       Arkadelphia, Ark.                   4:00 p.m.

Sat.     Oct. 18       *HARDING (HC)             Bazemore-Hyder Stadium        TBA

Sat.     Oct. 25       *at North Alabama        Florence, Ala.                          7:00 p.m.

Thurs. Oct. 30       *West Georgia (GSCTV) Bazemore-Hyder Stadium     8:00 p.m.

Sat.     Nov. 15        NCAA First Round          Campus Site                           TBA

Sat.     Nov. 22        NCAA Second Round      Campus Site                           TBA

Sat.     Nov. 29        NCAA Quarterfinals       Campus Site                           TBA

Sat.     Dec. 6          NCAA Semifinals           Campus Site                            TBA

Sat.     Dec. 13        NCAA Championship     Florence, Al.                            TBA

*Gulf South Conference Games

(PW) – Parent’s Weekend

(HC) - Homecoming

All Times Eastern

Home Game

GSCTV – “GSC Live” Televised Game (Comcast/Charter Sport South, CoxSports)

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