The Elon University football team’s schedule for the 2017 season was released Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The Phoenix will play the same eight Colonial Athletic Association teams it played last year, with the locations flipped from 2016.
The Phoenix begins its conference schedule by traveling to the University of Richmond Sept. 23 before hosting State University of New York at Albany Sept. 30. Elon will then host the College of William & Mary Oct. 7 before its bye week Oct. 14.
After the bye, the Phoenix will head on the road for two straight games, facing the University of Rhode Island Oct. 21 and Villanova University Oct. 28. Elon returns home for a game against Towson University Nov. 4.
Elon closes out the conference slate with a road game at the University of New Hampshire Nov. 11 and a home game against defending national champion James Madison University Nov. 18.
The three CAA schools Elon will not play are the University of Delaware, University of Maine and Stony Brook University.
While most conference schools released their schedules in mid-January, Elon found some issues in scheduling the Albany game because of New York’s ban on non-essential travel for state employees, delaying the announcement until National Signing Day.
In its nonconference slate, the Phoenix opens the season with a nationally-televised game on a weeknight. The Phoenix travels to the University of Toledo Thursday, Aug. 31.
Elon remains on the road to face former Southern Conference foe Furman University Sept. 9 before playing its lone nonconference home game against Charleston Southern University Sept. 16.