NEW ORLEANS – Excitement for the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Football Championship game picked up more steam Wednesday when ESPN and the Sun Belt announced that kickoff for the game will come straight out of College GameDay on ESPN at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on Saturday, December 1.

“The inaugural Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game is going to be special and this kickoff time will make it even more so,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. “By coming directly out of ESPN’s College GameDay, millions of college football fans will get to see this showcase for the Sun Belt. We wanted to create the Sun Belt Championship Game for opportunities like this and it is exciting to now see these opportunities become a reality.”

With a new divisional structure in place for the 2018 season, the Sun Belt Championship Game will feature the winners of the Sun Belt East and West Division. The game will take place at the home site of the Divisional Champion with the best overall conference winning percentage.

Currently, #25 Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Troy all sit atop the East Division standings with unbeaten conference records. ULM is in sole possession of first place in the West Division with three teams tied for second.

Georgia Southern hosts No. 25 Appalachian State Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff on ESPNU. The game could have major implications on the East Division representative as well as the host of the Championship Game.

It’s already been a record-breaking football year for the Sun Belt Conference, and not just because the league has a team in the Associated Press Top 25 for only the second time in league history.

The Sun Belt won both of its games against non-conference competition over the past weekend, giving the league a total of 20 victories against teams outside the conference this season. That’s the most ever in the regular season, dating back to the 19 “outside” victories the Sun Belt had in the 2013 season.

The league also has a winning record against outside competition this year with a 20-18 overall mark with one non-league game remaining. That means a regular season winning record against non-conference foes is assured, and that’s a first since the conference began football in the 2001 season.