FREELAND, MICH.-- Trine will face North Central next season as part of a scheduling agreement between the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW).
The game is part of the second of two installments in a football scheduling agreement between the two conferences. The seven MIAA football-playing schools, along with St. Norbert of the Midwest Conference, will travel to the eight CCIW institutions next season. The MIAA and St. Norbert hosted the CCIW in 2014. The Thunder and Cardinals will square off Saturday, Sep. 12 at North Central. Trine defeated Millikin, 28-14 as part of last season's installment of the MIAA-CCIW series.
The Thunder are coming off a season in which they finished with a 6-4 overall record, and tied for second in the MIAA with a 4-2 conference mark. North Central is coming off an 8-2 campaign, and finished 6-1 in the CCIW.
MIAA Commissioner Penny Allen-Cook and CCIW Commissioner Chris Martin randomly selected the matchups for 2015 based upon each team's 2014 record, taking the top four teams, and the bottom four teams in each conference and randomly pairing them together.
"The MIAA football teams are looking forward to the strong competition that the CCIW will present us in this final season of the scheduling agreement," Allen-Cook said. "It has been a great opportunity for our programs to challenge ourselves early on in the season."
Additional games include Hope at Elmhurst, Albion at Augustana, Adrian at Wheaton, Alma at Illinois Wesleyan, Kalamazoo at Millikin, Olivet at Carthage and St. Norbert at North Park.
"The CCIW is looking forward to the final year of our scheduling agreement with the MIAA and St. Norbert," Martin said. "We are happy to serve as hosts in 2015 and welcome the MIAA institutions and St. Norbert for our final season of football competition."