ECU's Non-Conference Football Schedules Set Through 2020
November 11, 2015 | Football
2016-2020 Future Non-Conference Schedules
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina has finalized its full non-conference football schedules for the next five seasons according to an announcement by ECU Director of Athletics Jeff Compher on Wednesday. The future schedules, which span from 2016 to 2020, include 13 matchups against "Power Five" schools North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, as well as BYU and former Conference USA rivals Marshall and Old Dominion.
The Pirates also added Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) members James Madison and North Carolina A&T to their home slates in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The contests against the Dukes and Aggies will follow a previously-announced 2016 season opener against Western Carolina next Sept. 3.
ECU and Virginia Tech will play annually throughout the five years, meeting on Sept. 24 in Blacksburg next season before the Hokies return to Greenville in 2017 and 2019. The Pirates will resume their series against South Carolina in Columbia next Sept. 17 before hosting the Gamecocks at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 2019 and following with another visit to Williams-Brice Stadium in 2020.
Big 12 member West Virginia and East Carolina, which last squared off in 2009, renew a 21-game series in 2017 with a pair of contests beginning in Morgantown. In 2020, the Pirates will welcome the Mountaineers back to Greenville for the first time since ECU downed then-No. 8 WVU in 2008.
East Carolina has three games against in-state Atlantic Coast Conference opponents scheduled, facing NC State at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium next Sept. 10 before traveling to Raleigh in 2019. The Pirates will also host North Carolina in 2018 for their lone meeting against the Tar Heels.
After opening the series with a 52-38 win in Greenville in 2013, ECU has added a two-game agreement with Old Dominion that includes another home contest in 2018 and the Pirates' first visit to Norfolk a year later in 2019. East Carolina and Marshall previously released a home-and-home series that starts in 2020, while BYU will return this year's meeting in 2017.
Overall, 12 of the 20 contests will be at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. When including the standard four American Athletic Conference battles, East Carolina's 2017 and 2018 campaigns will each feature seven home games - a first in regular season school history since 1960.
Below is a look at East Carolina's future non-conference opponents (SUBJECT TO CHANGE):
2016: Western Carolina (Sept. 3), NC State (Sept. 10), at South Carolina (Sept. 17), at Virginia Tech (Sept. 24)
2017: James Madison (Sept. 2), at West Virginia (Sept. 9), Virginia Tech (Sept. 16), BYU (Oct. 21)
2018: North Carolina A&T (Sept. 1), North Carolina (Sept. 8), at Virginia Tech (Sept. 15), Old Dominion (Sept. 29)
2019: at NC State (Aug. 31), Virginia Tech (Sept. 21), at Old Dominion (Sept. 28), South Carolina (TBA)
2020: Marshall (Sept. 5), West Virginia (Sept. 12), at Virginia Tech (Sept. 26), at South Carolina (TBA)
