Hilltoppers move home opener against Chattanooga to later undetermined date
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BVM) — Hilltoppers fans will not be getting the home opener they expected when Western Kentucky University takes the gridiron this fall. On Aug. 4, the university and its Week 1 opponent, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, announced plans to move their 2020 game to a later date that has yet to be determined. Originally scheduled as both the team’s season and home opener on Sept. 3, the next unaffected game on the Hilltoppers schedule would be its Sept. 19 matchup at home against Liberty as the team’s Week 2 matchup against Indiana is also canceled due to the Big Ten ending its non-conference schedule.
— WKU Football (@WKUFootball) August 4, 2020
“We have had continuing discussions with Chattanooga regarding the date of our 2020 football game,” WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart said. “Given the recent changes among many programs regarding their start date for the upcoming football season, WKU and Chattanooga have mutually agreed to not play during the opening week of the season and will move our game to a date later in the season. We are looking at a couple options, and we will announce the new 2020 game date as soon as it is finalized.”
Along with the announced change of schedule, the team will also adjust its fall schedule. According to the school, the beginning of WKU’s formal fall camp, originally scheduled for Aug. 5, will also be pushed back due to the later part of the season “as a precautionary measure related to the program’s COVID-19 testing last week.” The beginning date of the camp will be announced once the university finalizes its non-conference schedule.
Though the rest of the schedule is unknown, there is still potential for more changes in the future.
The Hilltoppers’ conference, Conference USA, has yet to make a decision regarding the upcoming football season. Though no changes have been made yet, this doesn’t mean this will be the case heading into the now shortened season. Non-conference opponents have already impacted the Hilltoppers’ schedule as well.
On July 29, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced it will play an 11-game schedule with 10 conference games and one out-of-conference game for each team. According to the conference, all non-conference games must be played in the home state of the ACC institution, and all non-conference opponents must meet the medical protocol requirements as agreed upon by the ACC. Currently, the Hilltoppers are scheduled to visit the University of Louisville on Sept. 26, which would meet all of the ACC’s standards to play barring medical protocol requirements. On Aug. 4, the Sun Belt, which is the home conference for Liberty, announced it will have an eight conference game schedule and as many as four non-conference games for each team.
With the season beginning a week later and the home opener now delayed, the Hilltoppers faithful will have to wait to watch their beloved team take the field. Although the schedule has already been adjusted, with luck, the Hilltoppers will be able to keep a relatively similar schedule this fall.
