On Thursday, Nicholls State University released the dates and opponents scheduled for the 2021 football season.

With the Southland Conference undergoing some major changes with schools Abilene Christian, Lamar University, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin defecting to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and Central Arkansas joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. The schedule for the Colonels will look a lot different.

The season will begin with consecutive away games against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) when the Colonels face off against the University of Memphis Tigers and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin Cajuns (ULL).

Memphis is coming off of an 8-3 season where they went 6-0 at home and defeated Florida Atlantic University 25-10 in the Montgomery Bowl.

The Ragin Cajuns finished last season ranked #15 in the nation with a 10-1 record and went 3-1 at home. ULL closed out their season by defeating the University of Texas San Antonio in the Servpro First Responder Bowl.

The Colonels first home game of the season comes against North Alabama Lions, a team they last faced off against in 1976. The Lions went 0-4 last season after playing a condensed schedule in the fall.

The remaining eight games for the Colonels are against Southland Conference teams. During this eight-week span the Colonels will face off against Houston Baptist, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and Southeastern twice. The other two opponents will be Northwestern and McNeese.

Nicholls faced UIW, Southeastern, Northwestern and McNeese during spring play and went 2-2 against those opponents.

2021 Football Schedule:

Sept 4- @University of Memphis

Sept 11- @University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Sept 25- North Alabama

Oct 2- Houston Baptist University

Oct 9- Southeastern 

Oct 16- @University of Incarnate Word

Oct 23- @Houston Baptist University

Oct 30- Northwestern State

Nov 6- @McNeese

Nov 13- University of Incarnate Word

Nov 18- @Southeastern