UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University released the 2023 football schedule today. The 2023 slate features games against five opponents that qualified for the 2022 NCAA Division II Football Championship Bracket.
"The 2023 Schedule will be one of the toughest schedules in D2 with four of our first six opponents making the NCAA Playoffs in 2022," said SVSU head football coach Ryan Brady. "[It's] an exciting slate for our players, fans, and alumni. Competing against the best is what it's all about. We've had a similar schedule the past two seasons and it's served our program well. I'm confident our players and coaches will be ready for the challenge!"
The season consists of 10 games with six home contests for the Cardinals in 2023. SVSU football returns to the state of Missouri for the first time since the 2019 season.
The Cardinals will kick off their 48th season at home with the Red Feather game on Thursday, August 31 in a non-conference matchup against Winona State University. The Warriors are the first of the five NCAA playoff teams from a year ago that SVSU will face. This will be the first meeting between the Cardinals and Winona State.
Week two is the Axe Bowl against Northwood on Saturday, September 9 inside Harvey Randall Wickes Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals lead the series 31-16-1 with the Timberwolves, including winning the last four meetings. The most recent of which was a 35-14 victory on the road during the 2022 season.
The third matchup is the road game in Missouri against Truman on Saturday, September 19. SVSU and the Bulldogs will hook up for just the second time. The first meeting was in 2018 when the Cardinals swiped a 21-20 win with a touchdown in the final minute of play to seal the victory.
Week four is against a familiar foe in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 23. This is the third home game for the Cardinals and the second against a playoff team from a season ago. This will be the 28th meeting between Saginaw Valley and the Greyhounds. The Cardinals took the matchup last year in a 38-14 win at home to lead the series 20-7.
The Battle of the Valleys happens in week five when Grand Valley State visits Wickes Stadium for the first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game of the year for the Cardinals. The Lakers hold a 10-game winning streak over SVSU entering the 2023 season. The last time the Cardinals defeated GVSU was in 2012 in a 55-52 win at home.
A trip to Big Rapids to face the back-to-back national champion Ferris State kicks off October for SVSU. The Bulldogs have an eight-game winning streak against the Cardinals, however, the last two matchups have ended with just a two-point margin on the scoreboard.
The 2023 Homecoming and Athletic Hall of Fame Weekend will feature a game against Wayne State on Saturday, October 21. The Cardinals earned their 30th win over the Warriors in 2022 and will look to make it four straight wins in 2023. SVSU holds a sizable advantage in the overall series at 30-11-1.
Week nine of the season is a road trip to Grand Rapids to face Davenport on the final Saturday of October (the 28th). The Panthers upset the Cardinals in 2022 with a fourth-quarter touchdown. SVSU leads the series 3-2 since the teams began playing yearly in 2017.
The first of two games in November to end the season is a home contest against Northern Michigan on Saturday the 4th. The Cardinals have won the last six meetings to take a 22-20 lead in the all-time series.
The season wraps in Houghton, Michigan with a game against Michigan Tech on Saturday, November 11. The Huskies and Cardinals met twice a season ago with SVSU grabbing wins in both of those meetings to increase their series lead to 24-12.
Saginaw Valley State finished 2022 with an 8-3 overall record and a 3-3 GLIAC record. SVSU spent six weeks in the top 25 rankings during the year, reaching as high as No. 17.