The Canada West football conference announced their schedule for the 2022 season on Thursday, with western Canada’s top university athletes slated to return to the field for a full eight-game campaign starting September 2.
The University of Calgary and University of Manitoba will get the first live glimpses of their Hardy Cup-contending teams on home soil, with the Dinos taking on the defending champs, Saskatchewan, at 5:30 p.m. MT and the runner-up Bisons facing off against Regina at 7 p.m. CT. The final two teams are set to square off on September 3 at 7 p.m. PT, when the University of British Columbia hosts the University of Alberta.
The nine-week regular season sees all teams play each other at least once, with three repeat match-ups and one bye week. The schedule ends the same way it started, with each of the above-mentioned away teams drawing hosting duties this time around.
This year’s schedule sees more Friday evening games than last year, but the final three weeks of the regular season feature exclusively Saturday afternoon matches.
The schedule also includes a double-header with a CFL match-up at Commonwealth Stadium, where the Golden Bears and Dinos will be showcased in a new partnership game before the Edmonton Elks take on the Toronto Argonauts on October 15.
When the regular season is all said and done, the top four teams will earn spots in the Canada West semi-finals on November 5. The 85th Hardy Cup will be played on November 12, 2022.
Due to the variability of hosting protocols at shared stadiums, exact dates for the playoffs will be confirmed once hosting duties have been earned. As always, those will be given to the highest seeds in the semi-final and final match-ups.
Fans looking to watch gridiron action on Canada West TV will be able to buy passes beginning in July when 2022-23 packages go on sale to the public.
