NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference and ESPN announced the conference’s 2018 football slate on Tuesday that includes all dates for conference games, the initial television lineup, and the date of the inaugural Sun Belt Football Championship Game.The Sun Belt’s championship game will be played on Saturday, December 1, and will air on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2. The game will feature the winners of the Sun Belt’s two divisions and will take place at the home site of the divisional champion with the best overall conference winning percentage.The 2018 season will be the first year the Sun Belt has conducted divisional play, with two five-team divisions having previously been announced. The two divisions are:East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, TroyWest: Arkansas State, Louisiana, ULM, South Alabama, Texas StateHead-to-head regular season conference matches will be on display to a national television audience for two Tuesday night ESPN2 showings and four Thursday night ESPNU games.A television schedule for the first three weeks of the regular season plus game times for midweek contests will be announced at a later date. For games in the fourth week of the season and beyond, networks will typically be determined 12 days out from the contest.The 2018 season will conclude with the Sun Belt being guaranteed a minimum of five spots in postseason bowl games. The Sun Belt maintains partnerships with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the Dollar General Bowl, the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, the AutoNation Cure Bowl, and the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl. Additionally, the College Football Playoff guarantees that a spot among the premier bowl games in college football will be given to the highest-ranked champion from the Group of Five" conferences: the Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.In the past two seasons, Sun Belt teams have won eight of 11 bowl games – a .727 winning percentage. In 2016 the Sun Belt was 4-2 in bowl games and finished 2017 with a 4-1 record.Kennesaw State at Georgia StateAppalachian State at Penn StateSoutheastern Missouri at Arkansas StateCoastal Carolina at South CarolinaSouth Carolina State at Georgia SouthernGrambling at LouisianaSoutheastern Louisiana at ULMLouisiana Tech at South AlabamaTexas State at RutgersBoise State at TroyAppalachian State at CharlotteArkansas State at AlabamaUAB at Coastal CarolinaUMASS at Georgia SouthernGeorgia State at NC StateULM at Southern MissSouth Alabama at Oklahoma StateTexas Southern at Texas StateFlorida A&M at TroyGeorgia State at Memphis (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPNews)Southern Miss at Appalachian StateArkansas State at TulsaCampbell at Coastal CarolinaGeorgia Southern at ClemsonLouisiana at Mississippi StateULM at Texas A&M* Texas State at South AlabamaTroy at NebraskaGardner Webb at Appalachian StateUNLV at Arkansas State* Coastal Carolina at LouisianaWestern Michigan at Georgia State* Troy at ULMSouth Alabama at MemphisTexas State at UTSA* South Alabama at Appalachian State* Arkansas State at Georgia Southern* Coastal Carolina at Troy* ULM at Georgia StateLouisiana at Alabama* Georgia State at Troy (ESPNU)* South Alabama at Georgia Southern* Louisiana at Texas StateULM at Ole Miss* Appalachian State at Arkansas State (ESPN2)* Georgia Southern at Texas State (ESPNU)* ULM at Coastal CarolinaNew Mexico State at LouisianaAlabama State at South AlabamaTroy at Liberty* Georgia State at Arkansas State (ESPNU)* Louisiana at Appalachian StateCoastal Carolina at UMASSGeorgia Southern at New Mexico State* Texas State at ULM* Troy at South Alabama (ESPN2)* Appalachian State at Georgia Southern (ESPNU)* Arkansas State at Louisiana* Coastal Carolina at Georgia StateNew Mexico State at Texas State* Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina* South Alabama at Arkansas State* Georgia Southern at ULM* Texas State at Georgia State* Louisiana at Troy* Appalachian State at Texas State* Arkansas State at Coastal Carolina* Troy at Georgia Southern* Georgia State at Louisiana* ULM at South Alabama* Georgia State at Appalachian State* ULM at Arkansas State* Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina* South Alabama at Louisiana* Texas State at Troy* Troy at Appalachian State* Arkansas State at Texas State* Coastal Carolina at South Alabama* Georgia Southern at Georgia State* Louisiana at ULMSun Belt Football Championship Game* denotes Sun Belt Conference game09/01 at Penn State09/08 at Charlotte09/15 Southern Miss09/22 Gardner Webb09/29 * South Alabama10/09 * at Arkansas State (ESPN2)10/20 * Louisiana10/25 * at Georgia Southern (ESPNU)11/03 * at Coastal Carolina11/10 * at Texas State11/17 * Georgia State11/24 * Troy09/01 Southeastern Missouri09/08 at Alabama09/15 at Tulsa09/22 UNLV09/29 * at Georgia Southern10/09 * Appalachian State (ESPN2)10/18 * Georgia State (ESPNU)10/27 * at Louisiana11/03 * South Alabama11/10 * at Coastal Carolina11/17 * ULM11/24 * at Texas State09/01 at South Carolina09/08 UAB09/15 Campbell09/22 * at Louisiana09/29 * at Troy10/13 * ULM10/20 at UMASS10/27 * at Georgia State11/03 * Appalachian State11/10 * Arkansas State11/17 * Georgia Southern11/24 * at South Alabama09/01 South Carolina State09/08 UMASS09/15 at Clemson09/29 * Arkansas State10/06 * South Alabama10/11 * at Texas State (ESPNU)10/20 at New Mexico State10/25 * Appalachian State (ESPNU)11/03 * at ULM11/10 * Troy11/17 * at Coastal Carolina11/24 * at Georgia State08/30 Kennesaw State09/08 at NC State09/14 at Memphis (ESPN TBD)09/22 Western Michigan09/29 * ULM10/04 * at Troy (ESPNU)10/18 * at Arkansas State (ESPNU)10/27 * Coastal Carolina11/03 * Texas State11/10 * at Louisiana11/17 * at Appalachian State11/24 * Georgia Southern09/01 Grambling09/15 at Mississippi State09/22 * Coastal Carolina09/29 at Alabama10/06 * at Texas State10/13 New Mexico State10/20 * at Appalachian State10/27 * Arkansas State11/03 * at Troy11/10 * Georgia State11/17 * South Alabama11/24 * at ULM09/01 Southeastern Louisiana09/08 at Southern Miss09/15 at Texas A&M09/22 * Troy09/29 * at Georgia State10/06 at Ole Miss10/13 * at Coastal Carolina10/20 * Texas State11/03 * Georgia Southern11/10 * at South Alabama11/17 * at Arkansas State11/24 * Louisiana09/01 Louisiana Tech09/08 at Oklahoma State09/15 * Texas State09/22 at Memphis09/29 * at Appalachian State10/06 * at Georgia Southern10/13 Alabama State10/23 * Troy (ESPN2)11/03 * at Arkansas State11/10 * ULM11/17 * at Louisiana11/24 * Coastal Carolina09/01 at Rutgers09/08 Texas Southern09/15 * at South Alabama09/22 at UTSA10/06 * Louisiana10/11 * Georgia Southern (ESPNU)10/20 * at ULM10/27 New Mexico State11/03 * at Georgia State11/10 * Appalachian State11/17 * at Troy11/24 * Arkansas State09/01 Boise State09/08 Florida A&M09/15 at Nebraska09/22 * at ULM09/29 * Coastal Carolina10/04 * Georgia State (ESPNU)10/13 at Liberty10/23 * at South Alabama (ESPN2)11/03 * Louisiana11/10 * at Georgia Southern11/17 * Texas State11/24 * at Appalachian State* denotes Sun Belt Conference game