Games include rivals Montana, Idaho and Montana State
CHENEY--Eastern Washington University is scheduled to host a trio of teams starting this February as the result of an abbreviated 2020-21 football schedule announced by the Big Sky Conference on Nov. 4.
Montana is scheduled to visit EWU's Roos Field on March 6, with Idaho coming to Cheney on March 27 and Cal Poly on April 10 in the return to EWU of new Mustang head coach Beau Baldwin. 10 of the league's 11 schools will play in the winter/spring, with Sacramento State opting out because of concerns with the short turnaround to the fall 2021 season.
Eastern will open the campaign on Feb. 27 at Portland State, and will also play road games at UC Davis on March 13 and Montana State on April 3. Open dates in the schedule are set for March 20 and April 17 in case games need to be re-scheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 16-team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs are scheduled to begin April 24 and culminate with the championship game on May 15.
"Albeit this is an abbreviated version of the fall schedule, this opportunity allowed to us in spring by EWU President David May, our administrators, and the Big Sky Conference is truly something we are looking forward to," EWU head coach Aaron Best said. "Preparations have been underway for quite some time now. Having the ability to put those preparations on display in a competitive manner is certainly something we have coveted and will do so in a safe and responsible manner."
Current season ticket holders will be contacted for renewal options following decisions on whether or not fans will be allowed to watch the games. EWU;s original 2020 schedule included league home games against Montana, Idaho, Montana State and Weber State, as well as non-conference games versus Western Illinois and Northern Arizona.
On Aug. 7 in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Big Sky Conference announced that all league schools – including EWU– would move their 2020 schedule to winter/spring 2021. The NCAA had previously announced that the FCS Playoffs would not have its playoffs in the fall, and eventually announced their move to 2021.
The 2020 schedule was going to be EWU's best in school history, featuring home games versus Montana, Montana State, Idaho and two-time defending Big Sky Conference champion Weber State. The Eagles were scheduled to open Big Sky Conference play at Southern Utah on Sept. 26, followed by its conference home opener versus Montana on Oct. 3.
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