Canada West schedule kicks off Labour Day weekend

Highlights:

• The 2018 CW football season kicks off Labour Day weekend and concludes the second weekend of November with the 82^nd Hardy Cup
• Bitter rivals Calgary and UBC will meet twice this season in rematches of the last three Hardy Cups (Week 2 and Week 4)
• The complete CW football schedule featuring dates and times will be unveiled Tuesday, April 10

EDMONTON – The 2018 Canada West football season kicks off Labour Day weekend, as the conference unveiled the upcoming season’s weekly matchups Tuesday.

Canada West’s complete football schedule featuring specific dates and times will be unveiled Tuesday, April 10.

Week 1 of the conference season kicks off Labour Day weekend when all six Canada West teams hit the turf for the first time. The conference schedule concludes the second weekend of November when the 82^nd Hardy Cup takes to the field.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2018 WEEKLY MATCHUPS

In terms of highlights, there are several on the conference schedule once again this season, including a double-dip in the Calgary Dinos and UBC Thunderbirds rivalry.

After last season’s epic Hardy Cup, which saw Calgary earn a thrilling 44-43 win over UBC on Niko DiFonte’s last-second 59-yard field goal, the Dinos and T-Birds renew their rivalry twice this season – Week 2 in Calgary and Week 4 in Vancouver.

Along with that rivalry, Wheat Province foes Saskatchewan and Regina will face each other twice this season. The Huskies host the Rams Week 4 in Saskatoon, while Regina returns the favour Week 8 when Saskatchewan travels to Mosaic Stadium.

Like the Huskies-Rams and Dinos-Thunderbirds, the Alberta Golden Bears and Manitoba Bisons draw each other twice on the 2018 schedule. Alberta, who is coming off the program’s first playoff appearance since 2010, travels to Manitoba Week 3, while the Bisons head to Edmonton the following week.

The conference will once again take a break during the Thanksgiving weekend (first weekend of October), with the regular season concluding the final weekend of October.

Hardy Cup playoff action opens the first weekend of November with the semifinals, before the 82^nd Hardy Cup a week later.

Watch every CW football game on Canada West TV

Conference football fans will be able to watch every 2018 CW game on Canada West TV – the official streaming home of the conference.

Powered by Yare Media, the conference’s streaming portal is coming off a record-setting season, as Canada West TV set a new benchmark in revenue and viewership for football last season. The conference’s three football playoff games in 2017 combined for more than 4,000 views on Canada West TV, nearly tripling the viewership of the 2016 conference football playoffs.

Alberta and Calgary’s semifinal game, along with UBC and Calgary in the 81st Hardy Cup, provided strong numbers with more than 1,500 views each. These totals make them the most-viewed games on Canada West TV over the last three seasons.

Canada West TV season passes are set to go on sale in August.

2018 Canada West football weekly matchups: 

WEEK 1:

Manitoba vs. UBC / Vancouver, B.C. / Thunderbird Stadium

Calgary vs. Regina / Regina, Sask. / Mosaic Stadium

Alberta vs. Saskatchewan / Saskatoon, Sask. / Griffiths Stadium

WEEK 2:

Saskatchewan vs. Manitoba / Winnipeg, Man. / Investors Group Field

Regina vs. Alberta / Edmonton, Alta. / Foote Field

UBC vs. Calgary / Calgary, Alta. / McMahon Stadium

WEEK 3:

Alberta vs. Manitoba / Winnipeg, Man. / Investors Group Field

UBC vs. Regina / Regina, Sask. / Mosaic Stadium

Calgary vs. Saskatchewan / Saskatoon, Sask. / Griffiths Stadium

WEEK 4:

Manitoba vs. Alberta / Edmonton, Alta. / Foote Field

Regina vs. Saskatchewan / Saskatoon, Sask. / Griffiths Stadium

Calgary vs. UBC / Vancouver, B.C. / Thunderbird Stadium

WEEK 5:

Regina vs. Manitoba / Winnipeg, Man. / Investors Group Field

Saskatchewan vs. Calgary / Calgary, Alta. / McMahon Stadium

UBC vs. Alberta / Edmonton, Alta. / Foote Field

CONFERENCE BYE:

Thanksgiving weekend – first weekend of October

WEEK 6:

Manitoba vs. Calgary / Calgary, Alta. / McMahon Stadium

Alberta vs. Regina / Regina, Sask. / Mosaic Stadium

Saskatchewan vs. UBC / Vancouver, B.C. / Thunderbird Stadium

WEEK 7:

Manitoba vs. Saskatchewan / Saskatoon, Sask. / Griffiths Stadium

Regina vs. Calgary / Calgary, Alta. / McMahon Stadium

Alberta vs. UBC / Vancouver, B.C. / Thunderbird Stadium

WEEK 8:

UBC vs. Manitoba / Winnipeg, Man. / Investors Group Field

Saskatchewan vs. Regina / Regina, Sask. / Mosaic Stadium

Calgary vs. Alberta / Edmonton, Alta. / Foote Field

HARDY CUP PLAYOFFS:

Semifinals – first weekend of November (No. 3 @ No. 2 / No. 4 @ No. 1)

82^nd Hardy Cup – second weekend of November (highest remaining seed)

 

 

Source: Evan Daum, Canada West Communications