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Sept 3 vs. Baylor
Sept 10 vs. TCU
Sept 17 @ Texas A&M
Sept. 24 vs. Tulane
Oct. 1 @ Marshall
Oct. 8 @ UAB
Oct 15 vs. East Carolina
Oct 22 @ Tulsa
Nov 5 vs. Rice
Nov 12 @ Houston
Nov 26 vs. UTEP

I like the open dates before Rice and UTEP!!!

Good point - hadn't noticed that.
This is the year that Rice's option offense gets brought back to the earth. RIGHT?

ALEX LIFESON wrote:I like the open dates before Rice and UTEP!!!

Am I wrong here? Thanksgiving holiday weekend for UTEP game. No home field (student crowd) advantage.

SWC2010 wrote:Am I wrong here? Thanksgiving holiday weekend for UTEP game. No home field (student crowd) advantage.

Guess we will have to work extra hard at getting people off the street to come to the game that weekend. Hopefully we will have had a good enough season at that point to generate some interest.

That clinches it. I'm not going anywhere for Turkey Day -- I'll be spending Thanksgiving in Dallas and game day at Ford Stadium!

PonyPower wrote:That clinches it. I'm not going anywhere for Turkey Day -- I'll be spending Thanksgiving in Dallas and game day at Ford Stadium!

Well, okay.

31,998 to go for a sellout!

Bring your friends, relatives and neighbors to Ford Stadium for the UTEP game since we'll all be in Dallas! Fill the stadium!

Here's what Marshall's Thundering Herd news release says about the 2005 season; SMU is already considered a 'rival' The Mustangs will be the Thundering Herd's first Conf. USA opponent at home this year:

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Six home dates, including Big 12 power Kansas State and new Conference USA rivals Southern Methodist (SMU), Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), Southern Miss, and East Carolina highlight the 2005 Thundering Herd football schedule.

“This is the best schedule in the history of our football program,” Marshall University Director of Athletics Bob Marcum said. “There are many exciting games to be played this season and in the future. I am confident our season ticket holders and our future season ticket holders will be pleased.”

Marshall will open the season by hosting William & Mary on Thursday, September 1st, before playing host to traditional Big 12 Conference power Kansas State on Saturday, September 10th. Following the clash with the Wildcats, Marshall will travel to Orlando, Fla., to face off with fellow Conference USA newcomer Central Florida on September 24th.

The Thundering Herd will return home to host SMU in the Herd’s first home Conference USA game on Saturday, October 1st, before traveling to defending Atlantic Coast Conference Champion Virginia Tech on Saturday, October 8th.

Marshall will return to C-USA action at home on Saturday, October 15th when it hosts the University of Alabama Birmingham. The Herd will then travel to UTEP and Tulane on October, 22 and 29th, respectively, before returning home to host perennial C-USA title contender Southern Miss on either Tuesday or Wednesday, November 8th or 9th. The Thundering Herd will close out the home portion of the 2005 regular season by hosting East Carolina on Saturday, November 19th.

Marshall’s final regular season contest will be a Saturday, November 26th contest at Memphis.

The Thundering Herd’s 2005 schedule includes five teams that went to bowls in 2004. Ninth-ranked Virginia Tech (10-3) won the ACC and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl, Memphis (8-3) appeared in the GMAC Bowl, Southern Mississippi (7-5) won the New Orleans Bowl, UAB (7-5) appeared in the Hawaii Bowl, and UTEP (8-4) appeared in the Houston Bowl.

All conference times and television information will be announced at a later date.

The 2005 Marshall Football Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 1 William & Mary
Saturday, Sept. 10 Kansas State
Saturday, Sept. 24 at UCF
Saturday, Oct. 1 Southern Methodist (SMU)
Saturday, Oct. 8 at Virginia Tech
Saturday, Oct. 15 UAB
Saturday, Oct. 22 at UTEP
Saturday, Oct. 29 at Tulane
Tues. or Wed., Nov. 8/9 Southern Miss
Saturday, Nov. 19 East Carolina
Saturday, Nov. 26 at Memphis

All home games are BOLD.

SWC2010 wrote:

ALEX LIFESON wrote:I like the open dates before Rice and UTEP!!!

Am I wrong here? Thanksgiving holiday weekend for UTEP game. No home field (student crowd) advantage.

And with the number of our students that come to games that would make a difference? Huge advantage? I don't think so! Must rely on other resources, which have been pretty weak as well, unfortunately.

UH Cougars already have two televised games on ESPN on their schedule. They've also scheduled crosstown rival Rice for Thanksgiving weekend. Too bad SMU couldn't do that with the Froggies but the losers bailed out of C-USA to the MWC.

from CollegeSports.com

HOUSTON, Texas - The 2005 University of Houston football schedule was released today, highlighted by ESPN appearances against Oregon on September 1 at Reliant Stadium and at UTEP on Friday, September 16. The Cougar-Miner clash will be first encounter between the schools in 57 years.

UH Director of Athletics Dave Maggard is quite pleased with the Cougars gridiron slate.

"This is a very good schedule for the University of Houston," commented Maggard. "The fact we have two early television games bodes very well for our program. The remaining schedule is quite competitive, and we like the way it folds out for us as the year wears on.

"We like the fact we are having the Rice game on Thanksgiving weekend, and we are looking to establish a stronger tradition with this rivalry during the holidays. This game also could be played at Reliant Stadium, giving our fans another opportunity to see college football in this great football stadium."

With the realigned Conference USA set for debut this fall, the Cougars pick up conference games with the aforementioned UTEP, as well as Tulsa, UCF, SMU and Rice. Houston will face Tulsa on the road on October 1, as well as its first encounter with UCF on November 5 in Orlando. The Cougars play host to SMU on November 12, and will battle for the Administaff Bayou Bucket on November 26, during Thanksgiving weekend as Maggard mentioned.

The Cougars will play host to Division I-AA Sam Houston State on September 10, their first game at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. After the trip to El Paso UH returns home to face Southern Miss on September 24 in its C-USA home opener.

Back-to-back road encounters greet the Cougars to start the month of October, as UH travels to Tulsa on October 1 and Tulane on October 8. Houston returns home to face Memphis on October 15, before leaving conference play and the city limits of Houston to take on Mississippi State in Starkville on October 22.

After an open date, the Cougars close out their season with a trip to UCF on November 5, then back-to-back home games against former Southwest Conference foes SMU (November 12) and Rice (November 26) sandwiched around another open date on November 19.

Three of the Cougars opponents (Memphis, Southern Miss and UTEP) reached bowl games last season, while Sam Houston State reached the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs in 2004. Houston also renews old acquaintances with Tulsa, a former Division I-A independent like the Cougars in the 60s and early 70s. The Cougars and Golden Hurricane have played to a standstill in their head-to-head encounters with each team winning 15.

The new geographical destinations have Maggard extremely pleased for the Cougars and their fans.

"In terms of travel, this is a very good schedule," added Maggard. "Our fans can easily get to away games, and I think we'll have a good exchange of fans coming to Robertson Stadium to see their teams face the Cougars.

"The realignment is extremely positive for Conference USA and for those teams coming into the league this fall."

---www.UHcougars.com---

2005 Houston Football Schedule

SERIES DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME RECORDS

SEPT. 1 OREGON (ESPN2) RELIANT STADIUM TBA 0-1-0

SEPT. 10 SAM HOUSTON STATE O'QUINN FIELD TBA 3-2-0

Sept. 16 *UTEP (ESPN or ESPN2) El Paso, Texas TBA 0-2-0

SEPT. 24 *SOUTHERN MISS O'QUINN FIELD TBA 2-6-0

Oct. 1 *Tulsa Tulsa, Okla. TBA 15-15-0

Oct. 8 *Tulane New Orleans, La. TBA 6-4-0

OCT. 15 *MEMPHIS O'QUINN FIELD TBA 9-8-0

Oct. 22 Mississippi State Starkville, Miss. TBA 7-6-0

Oct. 29 OPEN

Nov. 5 *UCF Orlando, Fla. TBA 0-0-0

NOV. 12 *SMU O'QUINN FIELD TBA 11-8-1

Nov. 19 OPEN

NOV. 26 *RICE O'QUINN FIELD TBA 22-9-0

I am a bit troubled about Tulane, Marshall and UAB at the front end of the schedule. Marshall and UAB on the road will be tough wins and Tulane is no slouch either. We could be 0-6, 1-5 going into the ECU game. I guess we have to play them sometime, but I sure would have preferred to play them near the end of the schedule. But I've highlighted October 1 in red and will get the SUV oiled and greased for the trek from DC area to Huntington, W. Va.

you have to like the fact that the first 4 games of the season are played in Texas and the last 3 games of the season are also played in Texas.

EastStang wrote:I am a bit troubled about Tulane, Marshall and UAB at the front end of the schedule. Marshall and UAB on the road will be tough wins and Tulane is no slouch either. We could be 0-6, 1-5 going into the ECU game. I guess we have to play them sometime, but I sure would have preferred to play them near the end of the schedule. But I've highlighted October 1 in red and will get the SUV oiled and greased for the trek from DC area to Huntington, W. Va.

Schedule is infinitely better than last year.

Another way to look at is 3 of our first 4 games are at home against sub .500 teams last year.

We are one of the worst teams in the country. Just about anybody we play will be the favorite. It isn't like we can go out and schedule Prairie View A&M every week.[/b]

ESPN?

I noticed that none of our games are on a week night... which tells me that we most likely aren't going to be on ESPN... wouldn't you guys agree? Not that I blame them- "Hi, Mike Tirico here, tonight we're in Big D to broadcast a game that only five people and a trained monkey are going to watch... so Lee and Kirk, let's get wasted and swear like sailors." Unless of course, ESPN has a few games "unscheduled" in case some teams have a breakout season.

Am I wrong here? Thanksgiving holiday weekend for UTEP game. No home field (student crowd) advantage.

Ummm.... have you sat with the students recently? We have one of the lamest student sections in the country. And it really, really dissapoints me to no end. It's your school, folks, c'mon! It's the same zero school spirit attitude that allows folks to walk around on campus with paraphernalia from other schools, without getting a good talking to.

I mean no disrespect to the students who actually do care and do have school spirit... keep on fighting the good fight. It's an uphill battle.