The Toppers will have five contests at home in the fall, including playing host to instate rival Eastern Kentucky in the “Battle of the Bluegrass,” as they look to extend streaks of five consecutive NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances — currently the second-longest in the country — and nine straight winning seasons. All four of Western’s NCAA I-AA opponents slated to appear at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field in 2005 finished with a winning record a year ago, with two ranked in the top 25 in last season’s final poll.
“I’d like to thank Dr. Selig for all the hard work and effort he put into the schedule. He has kept me in the loop the entire way as this has come together,” said head coach David Elson. “It is a challenging schedule, but that’s the way we want it. I think it works out well with having a pair of home games early and then giving our kids a break after a long camp. Obviously Auburn will be a challenge, but one that we look forward to and are excited about.
“With the Florida International game at the end of the regular season, it ends up being a similar schedule to what we faced last year,” he continued. “We fared pretty well with that, but we’re looking to do even better this year.”
“We have once again scheduled very aggressively for the benefit of our student-athletes and fans. Our scheduling philosophy has certainly been a key contributing factor in posting nine consecutive winning seasons and five straight NCAA I-AA playoff appearances,” Selig said. “The home schedule is exceptional given the Gateway Conference opponents who return to Smith Stadium as well as hosting instate rival Eastern Kentucky. Capacity crowds this fall will once again provide a great home field advantage for our deserving student-athletes.”
After opening at home against West Virginia Tech on Sept. 1 (Thursday), the Hilltoppers will face Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 10 on Parents Weekend in the 82nd meeting between the two schools — WKU leads the all-time series, 45-33-3. The last time the Colonels visited Bowling Green on Sept. 20, 2003, a sellout crowd of 18,317 at Smith Stadium witnessed the resumption of the oldest rivalry in Kentucky after a two-year hiatus.
The Toppers open a three-game road swing Sept. 24 at Auburn, which finished second nationally in the NCAA Division I-A polls after posting a 13-0 mark en route to a victory in the Sugar Bowl. It’s the second time in three years that Western will visit the Tigers.
Gateway Football Conference play begins the next weekend, as WKU goes on the road to take on Indiana State Oct. 1. The road trip concludes one week later with a visit to Illinois State.
Western will play host to Southwest Missouri State on Oct. 15, Homecoming Weekend, in its first league home game. After an Oct. 22 trip to Western Illinois, the Hilltoppers return home for a pair of Gateway contests. Southern Illinois, the top seed in the 2004 NCAA I-AA playoffs, visits Smith Stadium on Oct. 29, while Northern Iowa — which finished 7-4 and 25th in the final polls — will serve as the Toppers’ opponent on Senior Day Nov. 5.
Conference play concludes Nov. 12 at Youngstown State, while the Hilltoppers will wrap up the regular season with a Nov. 19 date at NCAA I-A Florida International. WKU defeated the Golden Panthers in the final game of the 2004 regular season, and has won both meetings between the two schools.
All times will be released at a later date.
“This is the year that the Gateway schedule is tougher for us with four games on the road,” said Elson. “But, we do have three teams in the Gateway coming to Smith Stadium that finished with a winning record last year.”
WKU returns 18 starters and 48 letterwinners from a squad that finished 9-3 — 6-1 in the Gateway — and ranked 11th in the nation last season.
