Cullowhee, N.C. – Five home dates, a season-opening Thursday night in-state matchup at North Carolina State, and a road trip to the NCAA FCS national runner-up highlight Western Carolina's 2024 football schedule officially released on Monday in conjunction with the Southern Conference unveiling the league's slate of games for the fall.
Opening with a pre-Labor Day trip to the state capital to face the Wolfpack on Aug. 29, and culminating with the regular-season finale at Samford in Birmingham, Ala., WCU's 12-game 2024 schedule features four nonconference opponents among its first four games including two first-time foes. After a late-September bye week, the Catamounts play eight straight weeks in SoCon play between October and November.
Additional WCU game day information including kickoff times, promotions, and broadcast schedules will be released later, though all nine SoCon schools' home games will air on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) if not selected for national or regional broadcast.
Three of WCU's first four games will be played away from Cullowhee beginning with the eighth all-time meeting with the NC State Wolfpack. The series dates back to 1986 with the two programs last meeting on Sept. 17, 2019, in Raleigh. The game is WCU's eighth against an ACC opponent since 2013 – and the fifth against a North Carolina-based Power Five conference foe since 2017 (
NC State – 2019, 2024; North Carolina – 2020, 2018, 2017).
NC State represents the fifth NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent in a season opener for WCU dating back to 2015.
The Catamounts return home the following week as they look to "White Out Whitmire," welcoming first-time foe Campbell to Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in the front end of a two-year home-and-home agreement. WCU will again wear its white Nike uniforms at home with all fans encouraged to wear their white Catamount gear to the game. The Camels finished 5-6 a season ago, playing its first season as a member of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
September closes with back-to-back road games – one in-state in renewing a former conference rivalry and the other marking the second-longest road trip in program history to face a first-time foe. WCU and the Elon Phoenix meet for the 45th time – and the first since 2013 – when the Catamounts hit the piedmont on Saturday, Sept. 14. WCU rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to win the most recent series meeting, tying the game inside the final 10 seconds before walking-off with a 39-yard field goal in overtime.
The following week, the Catamounts travel over 2,000 miles from Cullowhee for the first-ever meeting with Montana at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula. A member of the Big Sky Conference, the Griz advanced to the FCS national title game a year ago to cap a 13-2 season, falling to defending champion South Dakota State in Frisco, Texas. The trip will mark the longest for WCU football in the contiguous 48 states and the second-longest in program history only to the 2017 trip to Hawai'i.
WCU's bye week is slated for the final weekend of September before the Catamounts open eight-consecutive weeks of conference play on the first weekend of October with back-to-back home dates, the longest homestand of the season.
Western Carolina hosts Palmetto State foes Wofford (Oct. 5) on Family Weekend and The Citadel (Oct. 12) for Heroes Day to open October in Cullowhee. The Catamounts have won three-straight over the Terriers after edging Wofford 28-25 in Spartanburg last season and look to avenge a 2022 home loss to The Citadel. WCU closes October with consecutive road dates against the top two finishers in last year's conference football race. The Catamounts visit chromatic rival Furman in Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 19, before traveling to Macon, Ga., to face Mercer on Oct. 26.
The final month of the regular season includes a pair of home dates and two games on the road coming on alternating weekends. Chattanooga visits Cullowhee on Nov. 2 for WCU's Homecoming after last year's epic offensive showcase where the Catamounts scored the two-point, 52-50 walk-off win at Finley Stadium in the Scenic City. The following week, WCU looks to retain possession of "the Rock" traveling trophy for a third-straight year in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" by visiting ETSU in Johnson City, Tenn., on Nov. 9.
WCU will honor the most recent induction class into its Athletics Hall of Fame while also celebrating its seniors in the home finale game against VMI on Sat., Nov. 16, before concluding the regular season in Birmingham, Ala., facing Samford. The Catamounts snapped a five-game slide in the series with the Bulldogs with a commanding 30-7 upset win over then-Top 10 Samford to open last year's league slate.
The 36-game 2024 Southern Conference football schedule opens on Sat., Sept. 14, with a pair of FCS playoff participants from last year playing when Mercer visits Chattanooga to raise the curtain on the 102nd season of SoCon football. Each Saturday from Oct. 5 through Nov. 16 features four league games.
Coming off last year's seven-win season – the most victories for WCU since 2017 –
season tickets and season-long parking passes for Catamount Club members are on sale now both online, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center. Ticket options include general admission, reserved bleacher bench, and chairback seats, with a Family Zone four-pack in Section FF.
A $10 transaction fee will be charged for all season ticket orders including credit card, cash, and check.
The renewal deadline for returning Catamount football season ticket holders is
Saturday, June 1, 2024. Everyone is encouraged to join the Catamount Club and current Catamount Club members are also reminded to renew their memberships before the end of June.
Since 2014, Western Carolina has ranked among the Top 30 in NCAA FCS football for home attendance nine times including five seasons among the Top 25. Last season, Catamount Nation led the SoCon and ranked 15th in the country with an average home attendance of 11,935 at Whitmire Stadium / Waters Field. Also, for a second-straight season, WCU is coming off a record year for football season ticket sales in both tickets sold and revenue generated.
Western Carolina and head coach
Kerwin Bell look to National Signing Day this Wednesday (Feb. 7) after adding seven true freshmen and one mid-season transfer during the early period of Dec. 20-22. WCU football and the Catamount Club will host a special
National Signing Day reception on Saturday, Feb. 17, from 1 – 3 p.m. in the Grand Room of the Hinds University Center. The event is open to the public, serving as the pregame PurpleZone for all qualifying members ahead of the Catamount basketball doubleheader as the men host ETSU (Beat the Bucs! Black Out) at 4 p.m. and the women play Samford (Shoot for the Cure – Pink Out!) beginning at 7 p.m. Catamount Club members should RSVP for the event while non-Catamount Club members can also attend for $25 per person.
The squad is slated to open its annual 15-practice spring drills following the university's Spring Break on Tuesday, March 12, with the 2024 Spring Game scheduled for Saturday, April 13 on Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. (
A complete spring schedule will be released at a later date).
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports) and Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB).
2024 Western Carolina Catamount Football Schedule:
Thurs., Aug. 29 – at North Carolina State – Raleigh, N.C.
Sat., Sept. 7 – vs. Campbell (White Out Whitmire) – Cullowhee
Sat., Sept. 14 – at Elon – Elon, N.C.
Sat., Sept. 21 – at Montana – Missoula, Mont.
Sat., Sept. 28 – Bye Week
Sat., Oct. 5 – vs. Wofford (Family Weekend) – Cullowhee
Sat., Oct. 12 – vs. The Citadel (Heroes Day) – Cullowhee
Sat., Oct. 19 – at Furman – Greenville, S.C.
Sat., Oct. 26 – at Mercer – Macon, Ga.
Sat. Nov. 2 – vs. Chattanooga (Homecoming) – Cullowhee
Sat., Nov. 9 – at ETSU – Johnson City, Tenn.
Sat., Nov. 16 – vs. VMI (Senior Day/Hall of Fame Day) – Cullowhee
Sat., Nov. 23 – at Samford – Birmingham, Ala.
Sat. Nov. 30 – NCAA FCS Playoffs – TBA
