     Chadron State College has released its football schedule for this fall with a record 7 home games and 4 away games.
The Eagles will begin at home with a return to the schedule of the school that is arguably their bitterest historical rival: Nebraska-Kearney.
The NCAA tweaked the Division II schedule rules at last month’s convention, approving Week 0 games and allowing schools to begin their seasons one week earlier than in recent years.
That change and two teams leaving other conferences opened the door for the renewal of the Kearney rivalry in Chadron on Thursday, August 29 with a 6:00 kickoff.
Last season under new head coach Ryan Held, the Lopers went 3-8, including 2-8 in the MIAA. Chadron State and UNK have played just once since the Lopers left the RMAC in 2011. That was in Kearney in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, won by UNK 45-35.
Week 1 will be another 6:00 Thursday kickoff in Chadron on Sept 5 against the Jamestown Jimmies of the NAIA, the first meeting between the teams since 1989. The Jimmies finished last season with a record of 2-9.
After a bye week, CSC opens Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Sept 21 at home against Colorado School of Mines, the D-2 national runner-up the last 2 seasons.
. Road action for the Eagles starts on Sept 28 at Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks finished last season with a record of 6-5, including a 38-22 win over CSC.
Chadron will then alternate between home and away games for the final 7 weeks of the season.
On October 5, they host Adams State, then travel to Las Vegas, NM, on Oct 12 for a matchup with New Mexico Highlands. The Eagles won both match-ups a year ago, defeating the Grizzlies 53-14 and the Cowboys 24-21.
It’s back home on Oct 19 against Fort Lewis, a team that has lost 39 consecutive games, including 57-20 to Chadron State last season.
The two RMAC schools in South Dakota are then up next. The Eagles will travel to Spearfish to face Black Hills State on Oct 26 before hosting South Dakota Mines on Nov 2. A year ago, CSC lost to the Yellow Jackets and beat the Hardrockers.
Chadron State finishes the regular season with the teams that finished 2nd and 3rd in the RMAC a year ago. They travel to Gunnison to play Western Colorado on Nov 9, then host Colorado State-Pueblo on Nov 16