WMU adds home-and-home with Pitt, Syracuse; here are each state team's future nonconference foes
Tony Paul
Western Michigan football has lured another Power Five team to Kalamazoo.
The Broncos announced a home-and-home series with Pittsburgh of the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Western traveling to Pitt for a game Sept. 18, 2021. Pitt, coached by former Michigan State assistant coach Pat Narduzzi, returns the favor Sept. 17, 2022.
This will mark the third time a Power Five team has visited Kalamazoo since head coach Tim Lester took over following the 2016 season.
Syracuse, also of the ACC, is responsible for two of those three Power Five visits, agreeing to again visit Kalamazoo for a game Sept. 26, 2020. Syracuse also played at Kalamazoo to open the 2018 regular season, with Western falling, 55-42.
The teams will play in Syracuse on Sept. 21 this season. Lester was on the staff at Syracuse from 2013-15 before he was hired to succeed P.J. Fleck at Western.
Western already was scheduled to visit Syracuse for a game Sept. 9, 2023.
"We always strive to provide our fans an opportunity to watch the Broncos take on Power Five opponents in Kalamazoo," Lester said in a statement. "These two series bring two of the most historic programs in the country into Waldo Stadium and we couldn't be more excited for the challenge."
Here's a look at the future nonconference commitments for the state's five Division I teams:
Michigan
2019
Aug. 31: vs. Middle Tennessee
Sept. 7: vs. Army
Oct. 26: vs. Notre Dame
2020
Sept. 5: at Washington
Sept. 12: vs. Ball State
Sept. 19: vs. Arkansas State
2021
Sept. 4: vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 11: vs. Washington
Sept. 18: vs. Northern Illinois
2022
Sept. 3: vs. Colorado State
Sept. 10: vs. UCLA
2023
Sept. 2: at UCLA
Sept. 16: vs. Bowling Green
2024
Aug. 31: vs. Texas
2025
Sept. 6: at Oklahoma
2026
Sept. 12: vs. Oklahoma
2027
Sept. 4: at Texas
Michigan State
2019
Aug. 30: vs. Tulsa
Sept. 7: vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 14: vs. Arizona State
2020
Sept. 12: at BYU
Sept. 19: vs. Toledo
Sept. 26: vs. Miami (Fla.)
2021
Sept. 11: vs. Youngstown State
Sept. 18: at Miami (Fla.)
Oct. 2: vs. Western Kentucky
2022
Sept. 3: vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 10: vs. Akron
Sept. 17: at Boise State
2023
Sept. 9: vs. Richmond
Sept. 16: vs. Boise State
2024
Sept. 21: at Boston College
2025
Aug. 30: vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 20: vs. Boston College
2026
TBA: at Notre Dame
2027
TBA: vs. Notre Dame
2028
Sept. 9: at Washington
2029
Sept. 8: vs. Oregon
2030
Sept. 7: at Oregon
2031
Sept. 6: vs. Washington
Western Michigan
2019
Aug. 31: vs. Monmouth
Sept. 7: at Michigan State
Sept. 14: Georgia State
Sept. 21: at Syracuse
2020
Sept. 12: at Cincinnati
Sept. 19: at Notre Dame
Sept. 26: vs. Syracuse
2021
Sept. 4: at Michigan
Sept. 18: at Pittsburgh
2022
Sept. 3: at Michigan State
Sept. 17: vs. Pittsburgh
2023
Sept. 2: at Iowa
Sept. 9: at Syracuse
2024
Sept. 21: vs. Cincinnati
2025
Aug. 30: at Michigan State
Sept. 20: at Illinois
2026
Sept. 5: at Wisconsin
Central Michigan
2019
Aug. 29: vs. Albany
Sept. 7: at Wisconsin
Sept. 21: at Miami (Fla.)
Oct. 12: vs. New Mexico State
2020
Sept. 5: vs. San Jose State
Sept. 12: at Nebraska
Sept. 19: at Northwestern
Sept. 26: vs. Bryant
2021
Sept. 4: at Missouri
Sept. 18: vs. Florida Atlantic
Sept. 25: at LSU
2022
Sept. 3: at Oklahoma State
Sept. 10: vs. South Alabama
Sept. 24: at Penn State
2023
Sept. 2: at Alabama
Sept. 9: at South Alabama
2024
Sept. 14: at Illinois
Sept. 21: at Florida Atlantic
2025
Aug. 30: at San Jose State
2026
Sept. 5: at New Mexico State
Sept. 19: vs. Wyoming
2027
Sept. 4: at Wyoming
Eastern Michigan
2019
Aug. 31: at Coastal Carolina
Sept. 7: at Kentucky
Sept. 14: at Illinois
Sept. 21: vs. Central Connecticut
2020
Sept. 5: at Kentucky
Sept. 12: vs. Coastal Carolina
Sept. 26: at Missouri
Oct. 17: at Army
2021
Sept. 4: vs. St. Francis
Sept. 11: at Wisconsin
Sept. 18: at UMass
Sept. 25: vs. Texas State
2022
Sept. 3: vs. Eastern Kentucky
Sept. 17: at Arizona State
Oct. 1: vs. UMass
2023
Sept. 9: at Minnesota
Sept. 16: vs. UMass
Sept. 23: at Liberty
2024
Aug. 31: at UMass
Sept. 7: vs Liberty
2025
Aug. 30: at Texas State
2026
Sept. 3: vs. San Diego State
tpaul@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tonypaul1984