With the announcement of the 2011-12 Penn football schedule, the path to the Quakers’ third-consecutive Ivy League championship has been laid.
Since the conference slate switches venues — 2010 home games will be played away, and vice versa — the Red and Blue will have one less Ivy home game. Additionally, the Quakers will face an unfamiliar foe come October.
Instead of Bucknell, Penn will take on Fordham in the fourth game of the season.
Last season, the Rams played three opponents that the Quakers also faced: Columbia, Yale and Bucknell.
While the Red and Blue went 3-0 against the three, Fordham went 2-1, falling to Yale, 7-6.
As in the past 11 seasons, Penn’s final nonconference game occurs the week after the Ivy opener against Dartmouth. And once again, the Quakers premiere at home against Lafayette Sept. 17.
Though playing times have yet to be announced, the opening matchup has typically taken place on Saturday evening.
Villanova is on the schedule again for the final installment of Penn’s eight-year agreement with the Wildcats.
Penn will be the “away” team, but the game will be played at Franklin Field, which will be considered a neutral site.
As part of the contract, the two teams split both expenses and revenues for the game.
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