2015 Canada West Football Schedule Released

NEW WESTMINSTER, BC – The Canada West 2015 football schedule was announced today, featuring three highly-anticipated matchups on opening day on Friday, September 4, and culminating with the 79^th Hardy Cup, slated for Saturday, November 14.

The season kicks off when newly-appointed head coach Blake Nill leads the UBC Thunderbirds to his old stomping grounds versus the Calgary Dinos at McMahon Stadium. Nill previously steered the Dinos to six consecutive Canada West championships from 2008-13, before leaving the Dinos program last December and flying west to Vancouver.

Also on the opening day schedule is a rematch of last season’s semifinal thriller between the Saskatchewan Huskies and defending champion Manitoba Bisons. This will be their first meeting since the Bisons upset the favoured Huskies in Saskatoon, 47-39, which was sealed with a direct-snap flea-flicker touchdown pass that has been seared in the memories of both programs over the offseason.

Completing the opening day showcase is a matchup between two up-and-coming squads in the Regina Rams and the Alberta Golden Bears. The game will be the first for the Rams since 1984 without Frank McCrystal, as the long-time Regina coach retired and will be succeeded by former CFL assistant coach Mike Gibson. The Golden Bears look to build on last year’s promising season, when they turned heads by showing the biggest win-improvement in the conference and just barely missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.

The conference schedule continues to pick up on the following week, when the Calgary Dinos collide with the Manitoba Bisons in a rematch of last year’s Hardy Cup finale.

Each team will play eight regular season games, with a bye for all schools on the October 9-11 Thanksgiving weekend to rest and prepare for the playoff drive.

The top four finishers qualify for the postseason, with first- and second-place teams hosting Canada West semifinals on the November 6-7 weekend.

The winners then advance to the 79^th Hardy Cup Championship on Saturday, November 14.

The Canada West champion will represent the conference at the Uteck Bowl, a national semifinal hosted by the Atlantic University Sport champion on Saturday, November 21. The CIS Championship will be decided at the Vanier Cup in Laval on Saturday, November 28.

The 2015 Canada West football broadcast schedule will be announced later in June.