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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Football's Non-Conference Schedule Complete
7/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 26, 2005
Florida Atlantic University's football team has been one of, if not, the fastest start-up programs in recent history. The talent base of South Florida and the climate have proven once again the best for college football. Oklahoma State (`05), Minnesota ('07), and Michigan State ('10) have agreed to play in South Florida, proving it is a great place for fans to travel for a game. FAU's schedules will also have the team traveling to Oklahoma State ('06, '07), Minnesota ('05, '08), Louisville ('05), Michigan State ('08, '11), Kentucky ('07), Florida ('07, '11), South Carolina ('06), Clemson ('06), Kansas ('05) and Kansas State ('06).
"Coach Schnellenberger and I are in total agreement that the way to build a national caliber football program is to play top teams and get the games on television," said FAU Athletic Director Craig Angelos. The future non-conference games will be extremely challenging for our team but, we believe that it will greatly benefit the long term development of our program."
Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger began the FAU program, and has based his career upon the premise that he and his teams would face anyone. The program's first victory was against Bethune-Cookman, ranked no. 8 nationally. FAU began 2002 against USF and later played both Connecticut and Troy, a team that played both the national title game participants, Oklahoma and Miami in 2002. In 2003, it was more of the same as the program continued its quest for Division I-A status with a season- opening victory over Middle Tennessee, the program's first I-A victory, in just 22 games. Two games, later the Owls faced UCF in what many of the players believed to be the turning point of the program's three-year history. In FAU's first season as a provisional I-A member, the Owls were the only team to defeat Hawaii at home and the first Sun Belt member to defeat North Texas in four years.
Along the way, it has not always been the most difficult teams that were on the Owls schedule. Schnellenberger has also scheduled "smaller" schools with the idea that larger universities were helping in FAU's football growth, so Owls would also help the growth of football at smaller programs when possible.
"To build a national champion, you have to play national championship caliber teams, train like national champions and position yourself to capture the national title," said Schnellenberger. "This program has ascended to the highest level of competition in the land at an astounding rate and will continue that climb by scheduling the strongest opponents possible. These future schedules reflect our commitment to greatness."
With the non-conference schedules complete for 2006 and 2007, the Owls will then begin a Sun Belt Conference rotation that will alternate home and away seasons. The conference schedule will also assure fans a minimum of five home games each season and possibly six, with the recent addition of a 12th game to each schedule.
2005
Aug 20, Fanfest
Sep 3, at Kansas
Sep 8, OKLAHOMA STATE (ESPN2)
Sep 17, at Minnesota
Sep 22, LOUISIANA-MONROE (ESPNU)
Oct 1, at Louisville
Oct 6, at Louisiana-Lafayette* (ESPN Plus)
Oct 15, MIDDLE TENNESSEE*
Oct 22, at Arkansas State*
Nov 5, at Troy*
Nov 12, NORTH TEXAS*
Nov 26, at Florida International*
2006
Sep 2, at S. Carolina
Sep 9, at Clemson
Sep 16, at Oklahoma State
Sep 23, at Kansas State
Sep 30, at Louisiana-Monroe*
Oct 14, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE*
Oct 28, ARKANSAS STATE*
Nov 4, at Middle Tennessee*
Nov 11, TROY*
Nov 18, at North Texas*
Nov 25, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL*
2007
Sep 8, at Oklahoma State
Sep 15, MINNESOTA
Sep 22, at Kentucky
Nov 17, at Florida
2008
Sep 13, at Michigan State
Sep 20, at Minnesota
2010
Sep 11, MICHIGAN STATE
2011
Sep 3, at Florida
Sep 10, at Michigan State
Dominique Henry Mic'd Up
Saturday, April 04
Practice #8
Thursday, April 02
Wilky Denaud Mic'd Up
Tuesday, March 31
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Monday, March 30