MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The addition of an FCS opponent to West Virginia’s 2020 football schedule created more ripples in its series with East Carolina, according to athletic department officials.
The Mountaineers recently agreed to host Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 12, 2020, the date they previously were scheduled to visit ECU. That game in Greenville, N.C., has now been pushed back to 2026. It had been delayed once previously, from 2018 to 2020.
The move was first reported by FBSchedules.com.
Inserting the Eastern Kentucky game gives West Virginia a more workable nonconference slate in 2020, considering it falls between games against Florida State and Maryland.
Under the previous outlay, a string of three FBS opponents leading into a nine-game Big 12 schedule likely would have saddled the Mountaineers with one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
The move also gives West Virginia a seven-game home package in 2020 along with a hefty neutral-site payout for facing the Seminoles in Atlanta.
WVU has never faced Eastern Kentucky, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.