DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University Huskies will open the 2020 football season on Wednesday, November 4 when they play host to the Buffalo Bulls at Huskie Stadium in the first of three 2020 home games as the Mid-American Conference released its complete 2020 football schedule Wednesday.  
 
NIU will start the season with #MACtion games on three consecutive Wednesday nights in November before the schedule moves to Saturdays beginning on November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  The MAC Championship game will be played on Friday, December 18 at Ford Field in Detroit. Game times and television broadcast information will be announced later this month. 
 
In addition to the season opener versus Buffalo, the only MAC East opponent on the 2020 schedule, NIU will take on Central Michigan at home on Wednesday, November 11 and faces Toledo at Huskie Stadium on Saturday, December 5.  NIU will travel to Muncie, Indiana to face Ball State on Wednesday, November 18 and plays Western Michigan in Kalamazoo on November 28. The Huskies conclude the regular season December 12 at Eastern Michigan. (see schedule below)
 
Second-year head coach Thomas Hammock said announcing the schedule was another step forward in this unusual 2020 season.  
 
"As coaches, we like to plan months ahead, so It feels great to know who you're preparing for," Hammock said. "We know the outline, the layout and when we'll have a longer week as opposed to a shorter week.  We're excited about the schedule. It's very fair, very challenging and very competitive. We know that we have to be ready to play each and every week if we are going to be successful.
 
"We open with Buffalo, one of the best teams in the MAC with a great running back and they're going to have our undivided attention and our focus as we prepare."
 
With fans inside Huskie Stadium limited to immediate family of student-athletes for the three home games, NIU will not sell tickets or be able to accommodate season ticket members at Huskie Stadium in 2020. Individuals who purchased season tickets earlier this year and who have not yet contacted the NIU Athletic Ticket Office to provide direction for those funds have until November 1 to do so.
 
Huskies Invest: The Campaign is now underway to raise funds to support NIU student-athletes and help fill the budgetary shortfalls created by the coronavirus pandemic, and season ticket members are invited to donate the money already paid for season tickets to Huskies Invest at this critical time. Season ticket members may also choose to roll the payments over to be used in the 2021 season. To make your determination now, or at any time, click here and submit the form or contact the NIU Athletics Ticket Office via email (huskiestickets@niu.edu) or phone (815-753-7225, M-F 9 am-5 pm).
 
While most fans will not be allowed to cheer on the Huskies in person this year, there will be a chance for NIU fans to be represented in Huskie Stadium in 2020 by purchasing a life-sized cardboard cutout of themselves, a family member or fellow Huskie fan that will be positioned in the stands. More information on the cardboard cutout program, along with a website where fans can upload photos and make the order, will be online soon.
 
  NIU 2020 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE  
    

Day, Date	Opponent	Site
Weds., November 4	BUFFALO	DeKALB, ILLINOIS
Weds., November 11	CENTRAL MICHIGAN	DeKALB, ILLINOIS
Weds., November 18	at Ball State	Muncie, Indiana
Sat., November 28	at Western Michigan	Kalamazoo, Michigan
Sat., December 5	TOLEDO	DeKALB, ILLINOIS
Sat., December 12	at Eastern Michigan	Ypsilanti, Michigan
Fri., December 18	MAC Championship Game	Detroit, Michigan

-- NIU --