WMU Fans Already Ticked Over CMU Game Scheduled On A Weeknight, at Start of Deer Season
When your favorite team's schedule comes out, you already know where you eyes are headed first. With the Detroit Lions, it's who are the Leos playing on Thanksgiving Day. (and it's just the opposite with Michigan, because you know the Ohio State game is always the last game of the Big Ten season.
With Western Michigan University football fans, chances are you look to see what big school are the Broncos opening with (and do they have a chance of winning) and when is the Central Michigan game. The Mid-American conference is doing the die-hard fans of both Western and Central no favors by scheduling the game not only on a weeknight but also the day after the start of firearm deer hunting season. Yes, the game in on Wednesday night, November 16th. Minutes after the schedule was posted on Twitter, already the negative reaction was showing up.
Now, for public safety reasons, you have to understand that school, conference and public safety officials are trying to minimize the likelihood of trouble happening. But at the same time, this is a major rivalry. How are fans of the two teams supposed to show they can be responsible, if you don't give them a chance? Not sure what the correct answer is, here. Also you have to factor in, ESPN is paying the conference a lot of money and this could be a marquee match up.
The non-conference schedule was announced earlier in February. Now we know the entire schedule, with just game times needing to be filled in.
So after WMU plays Michigan State on Friday evening, September 2nd, the Broncos open MAC play at Ball State on Saturday, Sep. 10. Then after games with Pitt, San Jose St., and New Hampshire, it's back to conference play on Saturday, Oct. 8, when WMU hosts Eastern Michigan. Then the Broncos are home against Ohio on October 15th, followed by two road games, at Miami (Oct. 22nd) then a bye after which the schedule moves to mid-weeks on November 2nd at Bowling Green) Then it's home against Northern Illinois on Wednesday, Nov. 9, the aforementioned trip to Mt. Pleasant Nov. 16, and the regular season ends with Toledo on Friday, Nov. 25.