Southern Miss plans for 2018 football season, announces schedule

(The following is a press release submitted to MyFOX23.com from Southern Miss.)

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss works towards its fourth-straight bowl appearance and first Conference USA title since 2011 with the announcement of the school's 2018 football schedule Tuesday morning.

The Golden Eagles open their 102nd football campaign at home for the third time over the last four years, Sept. 1, with in-state foe Jackson State at Carlisle-Faulkner Field at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

Southern Miss, which again plays host to a six-game home slate, plays three of its first four games at home to start the campaign. After playing host to Jackson State, the Golden Eagles welcome ULM to The Rock, Sept. 8, and then travel to Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State in a Sept. 15 matchup. The Golden Eagles then open Conference USA play at home, Sept. 22, against Rice, before finishing the non-conference part of the slate, Sept. 29, at Auburn.

Following an open date, the Golden Eagles then play seven-straight C-USA opponents. They open with a trip to North Texas, Oct. 13, before returning home to face UTSA on Oct. 20. Southern Miss then completes the month at Charlotte, Oct. 27, before returning to Hattiesburg to face Marshall, Nov. 3.

The Golden Eagles then make their first trip to Birmingham since 2013 to face UAB, Nov. 10, before finishing the home portion of the second, Nov. 17, at home in the 50th all-time meeting with Louisiana Tech.

Southern Miss then completes the regular season, Nov. 24, at UTEP.

The 14-team alignment for the 2018 season will again feature each team playing eight conference games, along with four non-league contests. A total of 57 games are featured over 14 regular season playing weeks.

The 2018 alignment will feature seven teams in the East Division and seven teams in the West Division. Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion and WKU comprise the East Division, while Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP and UTSA make up the West Division.

Each school will play every team in its division once for six games, while playing two cross-over opponents from the opposite division. Each team will reverse the location of its 2017 opponents, both inter-division opponents and intra-division foes. The conference is in the second year of a rotation between cross-division opponents that will rotate every two years until 2024, when each school has played every opponent in the opposite division once home and away.

The 2018 schedule complies with C-USA scheduling policies as approved by the Board of Directors. In addition, the schedule provides the following: • All teams finish their Conference schedule with two games of one at home and one away. • Nearly all teams have two home games and two away games in the first half of the Conference schedule as well as the second half of the Conference schedule; and • At least one conference game in all but the opening weekend of the season.

It is important to note that all games are subject to date changes and some dates are expected to move in the coming weeks in order accommodate national television.

A schedule of televised games will be released at a later date. Conference USA’s 14th annual Championship Game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, is scheduled for Saturday, December 1.