Catamounts host five home dates including Appalachian State on Oct. 23
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina today announced changes to its 2010 Southern Conference football schedule since its original release on December 15. Opponents and locations will all remain the same with just a few alterations in the dates the conference games are scheduled.
In an attempt to be fan-friendly and assist fans in planning for the upcoming fall, the Catamount athletic department wanted to get the 2010 Catamount football schedule into fans’ hands as early as possible. However, as is the case with athletics scheduling across the board, games are subject to change.
WCU’s opening three dates and non-conference opponents ? at North Carolina State (Sept. 4), home against Tusculum (Sept. 11) and at Gardner-Webb (Sept. 18) ? will all remain the same. The home-opening weekend against Tusculum will also see WCU induct its 21st class into its Athletics Hall of Fame.
The only changes come with the order and dates of SoCon match-ups.
League athletic directors whose institutions play football requested more flexibility in scheduling non-conference opponents. This new direction in scheduling philosophy has allowed teams to enter into each off-season with an open slate with which to attract non-conference games prior to the league ledger being set. It may also annually change the order in which league games will lineup.
“The Southern Conference was very responsive to our scheduling needs at the institutional level. This new approach has created more of a work load at the conference level, but has greatly aided each football-playing school. This is the first year of the process and we envision it becoming more standardized in subsequent years,” said WCU athletics director, Chip Smith. “Our 2010 schedule is very attractive and is a great balance between home dates and road trips.”
The following schedule has been approved by the Southern Conference office for the 2010 season, pending any additional alterations that may be necessary to accommodate television broadcasts which will be finalized over the summer.
The revised conference schedule opens with the Catamounts entertaining the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday, Sept. 25 in Cullowhee on Mountain Heritage Day. It continues with a road trip to Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, S.C., as WCU visits The Citadel, who WCU defeated at home 14-10, a season ago.
Homecoming Weekend will remain on Oct. 9 as the Samford Bulldogs visit E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field ahead of the Wofford game in Spartanburg, S.C., on Oct. 16.
The annual gridiron grudge match, “Battle for the Old Mountain Jug” against arch-rival Appalachian State, will be played on Saturday, Oct. 23 in Cullowhee.
The schedule now features an off-week on Oct. 30 prior to WCU’s road contest at Furman on Nov. 6. WCU will close the 2010 home season by hosting Georgia Southern on Nov. 13 and conclude the regular season at Elon on Nov. 20.
The WCU Athletics Department has also unveiled season ticket prices for the upcoming 2010 season just in time for last-minute holiday shopping ideas. Fans can obtain season tickets for all five home games in 2010 beginning at just $80 for adults and $45 for youth. Season ticket holders are also given the first opportunity to purchase additional tickets to desired games such as Appalachian State.
For more information on Catamount Football season tickets, log onto CatamountSports.com or by calling (800) 34-GOWCU.