OUA revises schedule after waterloo quits (includes new schedule)

HAMILTON – In response to the University of Waterloo’s announcement on the suspension of its football program from competition for the 2010 season, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) has updated its original schedule to ensure competitive balance among the nine remaining schools. Each team will face each other once during the regular season, with four home and four away games.

The original eight-week regular season schedule has been expanded to nine weeks, with opening day slated for Wednesday, Sept. 1. Games against original 2010 non-combatants will take place on this date. This ensures that every school will play an eight-game regular season schedule while keeping the current playoff structure of two quarter-finals, two semifinals and Yates Cup championship intact. The top six teams make the post-season, with the top two teams earning byes into the semifinals.

The vast majority of the original schedule will remain the same, with the exception of a pair of location changes in games involving the York Lions. York will now host the Guelph Gryphons on Monday, Sept. 6, and visit the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, Sept. 25. Teams playing Waterloo in the original schedule will now receive byes on those weeks. York and Waterloo were originally scheduled as non-combatants in 2010, and as a result, York will receive its bye on opening week.

“The nine OUA football institutions made the best of a difficult situation by keeping the student-athlete in mind,” said OUA executive director Ward Dilse. “By having a balanced regular-season schedule while keeping our current playoff structure, it gives all of our players a fair opportunity to win football’s oldest trophy, the Yates Cup.”

Schools will have choice to begin training camps on Friday, Aug. 20 or Saturday Aug. 21, with medicals for student-athletes taking place the day before.

“This has been a unique situation for OUA,” said OUA president Gord Grace. “I salute our football universities for coming together to resolve this scheduling issue quickly and in the best interest of our student-athletes.”

The OUA quarter-finals will take place on Saturday, Oct. 30 followed by the OUA semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 6. The OUA football season concludes at the 103rd Yates Cup presented by Pioneer Petroleums on Saturday, Nov. 13.

REVISED 2010 OUA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Week 1
Wednesday, Sept. 1
Ottawa @ Windsor TBA
Queen’s @ McMaster TBA
Toronto @ Guelph TBA
Laurier @ Western TBA
Bye – York

Week 2
Monday, Sept. 6
Guelph @ York 1 p.m.
Western @ Ottawa 1 p.m.
Laurier @ McMaster 1 p.m.
Windsor @ Toronto 7 p.m.
Bye – Queen’s

Week 3
Saturday, Sept. 11
Ottawa @ York 1 p.m.
McMaster @ Western 1 p.m.
Toronto @ Laurier 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 12
Windsor @ Queen’s 1 p.m.
Bye – Guelph

Week 4
Saturday, Sept. 18
Queen’s @ Guelph 1 p.m.
York @ Toronto 1 p.m.
McMaster @ Ottawa 1 p.m.
Western @ Windsor 7 p.m.
Bye – Laurier

Week 5
Saturday, Sept. 25
Western @ Guelph 1 p.m.
Ottawa @ Queen’s 1 p.m.
Windsor @ McMaster 1 p.m.
York @ Laurier 1 p.m.
Bye – Toronto

Week 6
Saturday, Oct. 2
Ottawa @ Toronto 1 p.m.
Queen’s @ Western 1 p.m.
McMaster @ York 1 p.m.
Guelph @ Laurier 1 p.m.
Bye – Windsor

Week 7
Thursday, Oct. 7
Guelph @ McMaster 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 9
Laurier @ Ottawa 1 p.m.
Toronto @ Queen’s 1 p.m.
York @ Windsor 1 p.m.
Bye – Western

Week 8
Saturday, Oct. 16
Windsor @ Guelph 1 p.m.
Queen’s @ Laurier 1 p.m.
McMaster @ Toronto 1 p.m.
Western @ York 1 p.m.
Bye – Ottawa

Week 9
Saturday, Oct. 23
York @ Queen’s 1 p.m.
Toronto @ Western 1 p.m.
Laurier @ Windsor 1 p.m.
Guelph @ Ottawa 1 p.m.
Bye – McMaster

OUA Quarter-Finals
Saturday, Oct. 30
6th place @ 3rd place
5th place @ 4th place
Bye – 1st and 2nd place

OUA Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 6
Lowest Remaining Seed @ 1st place
Second-Lowest Remaining Seed @ 2nd place

103rd Yates Cup presented by Pioneer Petroleums
Saturday, Nov. 13
Lowest Remaining Seed @ Highest Remaining Seed