IRVING, Texas (Feb. 2, 2015) – Conference USA has announced its football schedule for the 2015 season.  The 13-team alignment for the 2015 slate will feature each team playing eight conference games, along with four non-league contests.
 
FIU's 2015 schedule is highlighted with games against Boca Raton Bowl and 2014 C-USA champion Marshall, Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl champion Louisiana Tech, Popeyes Bahamas Bowl champion WKU, Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl participant UCF, and Gildan New Mexico Bowl participant UTEP. In addition, the Panthers will face Indiana, N.C. Central, UMass, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, Florida Atlantic and Charlotte. 
 
"This is a good, tough schedule," said Head Coach Ron Turner. "It's a challenging schedule to say the least, but that's how it is in Conference USA. Having four of the first five games on the road will be a big test for us, but I think we will be ready for it. The toughest part will be playing 12-straight weeks due to our Bye Week at the end of the season. Without a break in the season, we are going to have to be smart with how we handle our team."  
 
The 2015 alignment will feature seven teams in the East Division and six teams in the West Division. Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion and WKU comprise the East Division, while Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UTEP and UTSA make up the West Division.
 
Each school in the West Division will play every team in its division once for five games, while playing three cross-over opponents from the opposite division. Three schools in the East Division will play every team in its division once for six games, while playing two cross-over opponents from the opposite division. Four schools in the East Division will play five opponents in its division once for five games, while playing three cross-over opponents from the opposite division. East Division schools playing five division games were randomly selected by a computer scheduling application and two intra-division matchups in the East will not take place this season (Charlotte-WKU and Middle Tennessee-Old Dominion).
 
The 2015 schedule has 13 playing weeks, which provides for one open date for each team. The last two seasons were 14-week schedules, providing two bye weeks per school. The 2015 schedule is again a one-year model, with Charlotte replacing UAB in the East Division.
 
A schedule of televised games will be released at a later date. Conference USA's national television partners are Fox Sports Media Group, CBS Sports Network and American Sports Network for regular season games. The league's 11th annual Championship Game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 and will be televised by ESPN or ESPN 2.
 
Please note that all games are subject to date changes.
 
2015 FIU Football Schedule
Sept. 5 at UCF
Sept. 12 at Indiana
Sept. 19 N.C. CENTRAL
Sept. 26 at Louisiana Tech*
Oct. 3 at UMass
Oct. 10 UTEP*
Oct. 17 at Middle Tennessee*
Oct. 24 OLD DOMINION*
Oct. 31 at Florida Atlantic*
Nov. 7 CHARLOTTE*
Nov. 14 at Marshall*
Nov. 21 WKU*
 
* denotes Conference USA Games
 Home games at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium are capitalized and bolded;
 
For FIU football ticket information, contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).
 
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For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at www.FIUSports.com.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.