This Fall, the Florida Atlantic University Owls are set to kick off their second season in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). In their inaugural season in the AAC and head coach Tom Herman’s first year with the Owls, the team Finished 4-8 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Although losing some players to the transfer portal, like WR LaJohntay Wester and QB Daniel Richardson, as well as others declaring for the NFL draft, the Owls also gained 17 recruits, with 94% of them being 3-star players.
The FAU football announced their full 2024 football schedule via Instagram. The Owls face a lot of familiar faces while also facing some programs they have never played against.
Here is the full schedule and details of each matchup:
FAU at Michigan State (MSU) – 8/31
At the beginning of the season, the Owls will travel to East Lansing to play the Michigan State University (MSU) Spartans. FAU has never beaten the Spartans with an 0-3 record all time.
The last time they faced off together was in 2011, when FAU finished the season 1-11, and MSU had NFL-level talent with players such as Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins and former Pittsburgh Steeler Le’veon Bell.
After a couple of rough seasons with head coach Mel Tucker and interim coach Harlon Barnett, MSU has an entirely new coaching staff with a new head coach, Jonathan Smith.
The Spartans finished their 2023 season 4-8 and averaged 15.9 points per game, placing them second to last in their conference.
FAU vs. Army – 9/7
The Owl’s home opener is against Army, a program FAU has never played against. This is the first conference game of the season for FAU and the first in the AAC for Army since 2004.
Army, led by 11-year head coach Jeff Monken, went 6-6 and averaged 20.5 points per game last season.
FAU vs. Florida International University (FIU) – 9/14
After a year of not playing against the FIU Panthers, the Owls face their old rivals at home in the 22nd Shula Bowl. FAU holds a 16-5 record in the Shula Bowl all-time.
The last time they faced each other in 2022, the Owls came with a huge victory of 52-7 in enemy territory.
The Panthers, led by head coach Mike MacIntyre, went 4-8 and averaged 20.3 points per game, placing them last in Conference USA.
FAU at University of Connecticut (UCONN) – 9/21
This will be the second time that the Owls face the UCONN Huskies in their home territory, the first time being over 20 years ago in 2002. That game ended in a 14-61 UCONN win.
The Huskies, led by head coach Jim Mora, went 3-9 last season, averaging 19.1 points per game.
FAU vs. Wagner College – 9/28
The Owls are undefeated when facing Wagner with a 2-0 record. Their last faceoff was in 2019, which ended 42-7. Wagner hopes to end their losing streak against FAU with their new head coach, Tom Massella.
Wagner went 4-7 last season, averaging 18.5 points per game, placing them 6th in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
FAU vs. North Texas – 10/12
For the Owl’s second conference game, they’ll face off against the Mean Greens. After losing the last two times they faced off, the Owls hope to snap that losing streak.
The Mean Greens, led by head coach Eric Morris, went 5-7 and averaged a strong 34.5 points per game, placing them 8th in the AAC.
FAU at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) – 10/19
The Owls will face the Roadrunners for their third conference game. The Owls are 3-1 all-time against UTSA, coming up short last season by losing 10-36. After a strong first quarter from both teams, the Roadrunners ran off with the game and went on to score 26 more points to the Owls three.
The Roadrunners, led by head coach Jeff Taylor, went 9-4, averaging 32.1 points per game, placing them 3rd in the AAC.
FAU vs. University of South Florida (USF) – 11/1
The fourth conference game of the season is against the Owl’s in-state rival, the USF Bulls. The Owls are 2-3 all-time when facing the Bulls. They faced off last year, and the score ended with a strong 56-14 in FAU’s favor.
The Bulls, led by head coach Alex Golesh, went 7-6, averaging 31.8 points per game, placing them 5th in the AAC.
FAU at East Carolina University (ECU) – 11/7
The Owls face off against the ECU Pirates for their fifth conference game. The Owls are 0-2 against the Pirates all time. Last year’s matchup saw the Owls lose 7-22.
The Pirates, led by head coach Mike Houston, went 2-10, averaging 17.5 points per game, placing them last in the AAC.
FAU at Temple University – 10/16
The Owls will face off against Temple for the first time in the program’s history for their sixth conference game.
Temple, led by head coach Stan Drayton, went 3-9, averaging 21.1 points per game last season, placing them 13th in the AAC.
FAU vs. University of North Carolina at Charlotte – 10/23
The Owls face the Charlotte 49ers for their seventh conference game. The Owls are 7-2 all-time against the 49ers, with their most recent victory being last year when the Owls won 38-16.
The 49ers, led by head coach Bill Poggi, went 3-9, averaging 17.5 points per game, placing them 11th in the AAC.
FAU at The University of Tulsa – 11/30
In the Owl’s last game of the regular season, they face off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. The Owls are 2-1 against Tulsa all-time. The last time they faced each other was last year when the Owls came out with a 20-17 victory.
The Golden Hurricanes, led by head coach Kevin Wilson, went 4-8, averaging 23.4 points per game, placing them 11th in the AAC.
André R. Declet-Tirado is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email him at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @andre.declet or X (Twitter) @dollyandre
