Texas A&M-Commerce has announced an upcoming two-game series with defending national champion West Florida.
The Lions head to Pensacola, Fla., on Sept. 3, 2020 for a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championship Game, and will return to Memorial Stadium in Commerce on Sept. 18, 2021.
The series brings together two of the best programs in all of Division II football. The Lions and Argonauts finished No. 11 and No. 1 in the final 2019 AFCA poll, and both bring back key production. The Lions won the national championship in 2019, while West Florida won its first in 2019.
The matchup replaces Texas A&M-Commerce’s matchup with Canadian Simon Fraser. West Florida dropped a game against West Virginia Wesleyan after the Mountain East opted to play on a conference schedule in 2020.
“With the landscape of our 2020 football schedule in question, and adjustments happening throughout the NCAA landscape, we believed this series was the best step in solidifying our schedule for the next two seasons,” said Texas A&M-Commerce athletic director Tim McMurray in a statement.
The Lions are fresh off an 11-3 season in David Bailiff’s debut season. UWF went 13-2. Street & Smith’s ranks UWF No. 1 and Texas A&M-Commerce No. 3 heading into the season. The game should rank among the best nonconference matchups in football next season, regardless of level.
Texas Football magazine projects Texas A&M-Commerce to win the Lone Star Conference in 2020.
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