The Southern Conference will show a pair of Georgia Southern football games online as part of the league’s 2012 ESPN3 schedule, which was announced by the league office Wednesday.
    ESPN3 is an online streaming service provided by ESPN that features live streams and replays of sporting events.
    The SoCon will produce eight football games for the 2012 season, including a pair of wildcard football games Nov. 10 and Nov. 17. The SoCon will select the two wildcard games in conjunction with ESPN3 to choose games that figure to have the greatest impact on the league race and postseason playoff positioning.
    The games are part of the league’s 40-game conference package with ESPN3.
    “The partnership with ESPN3 gives our fans the ability to watch the games across the country on a variety of different platforms,” SoCon Commissioner John Iamarino said. “Starting with a huge intersectional game, we think we’ve produced a strong schedule.”
    The package begins with a non-conference game when Appalachian State plays host to Montana on Sept. 8.  The Mountaineers and Grizzlies last met in Missoula, Mont., in a memorable NCAA semifinal in 2009.
    The first SoCon league game is scheduled for Sept. 29 when 2011 league champion GSU plays Samford at Paulson Stadium, where the Bulldogs have won the last two meetings. The Eagles won the SoCon championship last season with a 7-1 record in league play.
    The schedule closes over six consecutive weeks, beginning Oct. 13 when Chattanooga visits Furman. The Paladins won in Chattanooga, Tenn., last season, while the Mocs won in Greenville, S.C., in 2010. Western Carolina, under first-year head coach Mark Speir, visits Elon on Oct. 20.
    The Citadel travels to Wofford on Oct. 27. The Terriers advanced to the postseason for the fourth time in five years last season and tied for second place in the SoCon at 6-2.
    Appalachian State will play at GSU on Nov. 3. The home team has won the last three games.