The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have added the Southern Illinois Salukis to their 2027 football schedule, both schools officially announced Thursday.
Western Kentucky will host Southern Illinois at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium at Jimmy Feix Field in Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday, August 28, 2027. That weekend is the new official start date for both FBS and FCS teams next season, and it’s the weekend prior to Labor Day weekend.
Southern Illinois is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Salukis have faced the Hilltoppers 15 times previously, most recently in 2016, with WKU owning a 9-6 advantage in the series.
With the addition of Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky has tentatively completed its non-conference schedule for the 2027 season. The Hilltoppers are scheduled to make consecutive road trips to face Ball State on Sept. 11 and Oregon on Sept. 18 before returning home to host Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 25.
Southern Illinois now has all four of its non-conference opponents scheduled for the 2027 season. After opening at WKU, the Salukis are slated to open their home slate in Carbondale against West Florida on Sept. 4. SIU is then slated for back-to-back trips to visit Wisconsin on Sept. 11 and Southeast Missouri on Sept. 18.
Western Kentucky opens its fall 2026 campaign on Saturday, September 5 on the road against Nevada (10:30pm ET, CBSSN). Southern Illinois begins its season one week earlier on Saturday, Aug. 27 on the road against West Florida (7:00pm ET, ESPN+).
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