College Football in the State of Michigan Kicks Off Tonight
By Matt Snyder
The calendar flip from August to September means one thing and one thing only for sports fans: football. The NFL may be the king of sports in this country, but nothing rivals the pride, pageantry, and tradition of the college game.
By my count, the state of Michigan boasts 40 colleges and universities that sponsor varsity athletics programs, 21 of which offer football. All but two of those schools get their seasons underway this week.
The state”s first games of the year will kick off tonight when Central Michigan hosts South Carolina State, Grand Valley hosts Western Oregon, and Norther Michigan hosts Minnesota State-Mankato. All three games begin at 7:00 PM.
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, especially if you’re craving football, check out the vast array of college games going on in and around the state. The thought of attending a division-II or III game may seem off-putting to some folks at first, but there is quality ball played at the small college level. I’d encourage you to try attending a game before completely dismissing the idea.
The Mitten State’s week one college football schedule:
| Date | Game | Level* | Location | Time | TV / Video |
| Thursday, Sep 1 | Central Michigan vs. South Carolina St. | NCAA DI | Mt. Pleasant, MI | 7:00 PM | TBA |
| Grand Valley State vs. Western Oregon | NCAA DII | Allendale, MI | 7:00 PM | Comcast 900** | |
| Northern Michigan vs. Minn. St.-Mankato | NCAA DII | Marquette, MI | 7:00 PM | – | |
| Friday, Sep 2 | Michigan State vs. Youngstown St. | NCAA DI | East Lansing, MI | 7:00 PM | BTN |
| Adrian at Husson | NCAA DIII | Bangor, ME | 7:00 PM | – | |
| Ferris State vs. Hillsdale | NCAA DII | Big Rapids, MI | 7:30 PM | – | |
| Saturday, Sep 3 | Wayne State vs. Urbana | NCAA DII | Detroit, MI | 12:00 PM | – |
| Northwood vs. Findlay | NCAA DII | Midland, MI | 12:00 PM | wsuathletics.com | |
| Albion at Butler | NCAA DI-FCS | Indianapolis, IN | 1:00 PM | – | |
| Olivet vs. Cornell (Iowa) | NCAA DIII | Olivet, MI | 1:00 PM | – | |
| Concordia-Ann Arbor vs. St. Francis | NAIA | Ann Arbor, MI | 1:00 PM | – | |
| Alma at Heidelberg | NCAA DIII | Tiffin, OH | 1:30 PM | – | |
| Hope at Illinois Wesleyan | NCAA DIII | Bloominton, IL | 2:00 PM | – | |
| Kalamazoo at Bluffton | NCAA DIII | Bluffton, OH | 2:00 PM | – | |
| Michigan vs. Western Michigan | NCAA DI | Ann Arbor, MI | 3:30 PM | ABC/ESPN2 | |
| Michigan Tech at Winona | NCAA DII | Winona, MN | 5:30 PM | – | |
| Eastern Michigan vs. Howard | NCAA DI | Ypsilanti, MI | 7:00 PM | emueagles.com |
* When schools of different divisions play each other, the division of the home team is listed. This week Albion (NCAA DIII) plays at Butler (NCAA DI-FCS). NCAA DI-FBS is notated simply as “NCAA DI”.
** Grand Valley’s Thursday night game can be seen on Comcast’s digital channel 900 in the Metro-Grand Rapids area. Check your local listings to see if you’re included.
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