For the first time since WKU transitioned to the FBS level, the “Battle of the Bluegrass” rivalry between Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky will be renewed when the two teams open the 2017 season Saturday night at Houchens-Smith Stadium.
The two teams are coming off quite different seasons. The Hilltoppers are coming off an 11-3 season that included a C-USA championship and a Boca Raton Bowl win. The Colonels are coming off a 3-8 season boggled with injuries at the quarterback position during head coach Mark Elder’s first season in Richmond.
“This is a team we’re facing where there is some significant rivalry moments in the history of this game,” head coach Mike Sanford said earlier this week.