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Football adds series with Boston College beginning in 2015

September 9, 2014
Sean Frazier

Sean Frazier

Sean T. Frazier, NIU associate vice president and director of Athletics, saw an opportunity to put an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent on the Huskies schedule – and he seized it.

As a result, NIU will play a home-and-home football series with Boston College beginning next year, Frazier announced Tuesday.

NIU will play at Boston College on Sept. 26, 2015, and the Eagles will play in DeKalb on either Sept. 23, 2016 or Sept. 2, 2017. BC’s game at NIU will mark the first visit by a “Power 5” school to Huskie Stadium in the College Football Playoff era.

“The opportunity to have a home game with a quality ACC opponent in 2016 or 2017 was simply too good to pass up,” Frazier said. “Because of the national name our football program has established, and my relationship with BC (and former Miami) Athletics Director Brad Bates, we were able to make it happen. I’m excited about this series. We’re really looking forward to going to Boston next year and to the Eagles playing in Huskie Stadium.”

In order to take advantage of the opportunity, NIU and Wyoming have moved their game in DeKalb previously scheduled for Sept. 26, 2015 to Sept. 11, 2021. That series now begins in Laramie on Sept. 3, 2016.

“I’m always going to look for opportunities that will benefit our program,” Frazier said. “Scheduling is a process that never ends.”

SchedulePalooza logoThe Boston College series is the first to be announced since the week of series unveiled during “SchedulePalooza” in July, but it will not be the last. Frazier said Huskie fans can look forward to more scheduling announcements later this month.

In July, NIU announced future games with San Diego State in 2016 (home) and 2017 (away), Utah in 2018 (home) and 2019 (away), BYU in 2018 (away) and 2020 (home) and Maryland in 2020 (away) and 2021 (home).

Barring other schedule moves, Maryland will be the first Big Ten Conference team to play in Huskie Stadium, while Utah is the first Pac-12 opponent slated to play in DeKalb. Maryland was also the last ACC team to play in DeKalb. NIU defeated the Terrapins, then ranked 15th in the country, in Huskie Stadium on August 28, 2003.

For more information on NIU football and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.