April 8, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University announced its 2006 football schedule today, a 12-game slate that begins Thursday, Aug. 31 with a road contest at Miami University and ends Saturday, Nov. 18 with a home game vs. Illinois -- the 100th meeting between the Wildcats and Fighting Illini.
Two of Northwestern's four nonconference games have been selected for a national telecast -- the season opener at Miami (Ohio) on ESPNU or ESPN Classic and the road game at Nevada on ESPN2. The Nevada game will move from Saturday, Sept. 23 to Friday, Sept. 22. (Northwestern's complete nonconference television schedule will be announced when the Big Ten Conference releases its TV schedule this spring.)
Sandwiched between the games at Miami and Nevada are a pair of home contests -- a Sept. 9 meeting with NCAA Division I-AA power New Hampshire and a Sept. 16 contest with Eastern Michigan, which is coached by former NU assistant Jeff Genyk.
Northwestern will face the same eight Big Ten opponents that it did in 2005, and in the same order. The Wildcats start the conference season at Penn State and Wisconsin, before returning home to face Purdue and Michigan State (homecoming). NU then travels to Michigan and Iowa before closing with Ohio State and Illinois at home.
The Wildcats' season-opening game at Miami (Ohio) marks Northwestern's first visit to a Mid-American Conference stadium. Head coach Randy Walker also will be returning to his alma mater and the school where he posted a 59-35-5 head coaching record from 1990-98. He is Miami's winningest football coach.
Game times will be announced once television schedules are finalized. All times and dates are tentative and subject to change.
2006 Northwestern Football Schedule
Date Opponent Time Location Thu., Aug. 31 Miami (Ohio)(ESPNU/Classic) 6:30 p.m. Away Sat., Sept. 9 New Hampshire TBA Home Sat., Sept. 16 Eastern Michigan TBA Home Fri., Sept. 22 Nevada (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Away Sat., Sept. 30 Penn State TBA Away Sat., Oct. 7 Wisconsin TBA Away Sat., Oct. 14 Purdue TBA Home Sat., Oct. 21 Michigan State (HC) TBA Home Sat., Oct. 28 Michigan TBA Away Sat., Nov. 4 Iowa TBA Away Sat., Nov. 11 Ohio State TBA Home Sat., Nov. 18 Illinois TBA Home