January 19, 2023
New OUA football season kicks off August 26th
Burlington, Ont. – The snow was falling. The final whistle had blown. And the Western Mustangs were once again hoisting the Yates Cup. That is how the last Ontario University Athletics (OUA) season ended just a couple months ago. But before long, conference competition will once again return to the gridiron with a clean slate, as the OUA is pleased to announce the 2023 football schedule.
It will be status quo from the 2022 format that saw nobody lock up their final position until the last week of play, which means the OUA’s 11 teams will once again be jockeying for seven playoff spots across the nine-week regular season schedule.
Kicking off on Saturday, August 26, the quest for the 115th Yates Cup officially begins with a full collection of five games. Featured among the foray into the 2023 regular season will be the reigning champion Mustangs visiting York, the back-to-back finalists from Queen’s hosting the Golden Hawks, the Gee-Gees welcoming Waterloo to the nation’s capital, Toronto making their way to Guelph, and McMaster closing out the action with a night game against the Lancers.
Carleton will be the final team to get their campaign underway when they do so in a Week 2 road tilt with Wilfrid Laurier. Joining that Week 2 contest the following day will be a 2019 Yates Cup rematch between the Marauders and Mustangs, as well as a showdown between Windsor and Guelph, with the former having defeated the latter in back-to-back seasons.
Sticking with Windsor, after clashing in the quarterfinals a season ago in what was Windsor’s first postseason game since 2014, the Lancers will take on Ottawa once again in Week 4, but that won’t be the only postseason rematch fans can look forward to that day. Also hitting the field on September 16th is the latest clash between back-to-back Yates Cups combatants Western and Queen’s, with the latter taking on hosting duties this time around.
Helping to round out the Week 4 action is yet another rivalry game, with the Battle of Waterloo also bursting onto the scene on September 16th.
Rivalries will continue to run rampant later in the season, including one of the most famous matchups across the varsity sport landscape headlining the Week 6 slate. Ottawa and Carleton will head to TD Place to tackle the 54th edition of the storied Panda Game, putting all eyes on the nation’s capital for the October 1st contest.
Just five days later during Week 7, fans will be able to give thanks for the 53rd running of the Red and Blue Bowl, with the Toronto Varsity Blues and York Lions headlining the reduced four-game programming ahead of Thanksgiving weekend.
Coming out of that holiday weekend, teams will have just two weeks left to finalize their playoff positions, with their last kick of the can coming Week 9 on October 21st. The final day of regular season play sees the Ravens host the Gryphons, the Hawks soaring into London against Western, Waterloo being welcomed by Toronto, the Lions travelling to York, and the Tricolour taking on the Gee-Gees.
The quest for the Cup ramps up the following week when the postseason officially begins. Just like a season ago, the top-seeded squad therein will earn a bye into the semifinals, while the remaining six teams will battle for their respective spots on October 28th. The semifinalists will then hit the gridiron the following week on November 4th, before North America’s oldest football trophy is awarded for the 115th time on Saturday, November 11th.
It will be status quo from the 2022 format that saw nobody lock up their final position until the last week of play, which means the OUA’s 11 teams will once again be jockeying for seven playoff spots across the nine-week regular season schedule.
Kicking off on Saturday, August 26, the quest for the 115th Yates Cup officially begins with a full collection of five games. Featured among the foray into the 2023 regular season will be the reigning champion Mustangs visiting York, the back-to-back finalists from Queen’s hosting the Golden Hawks, the Gee-Gees welcoming Waterloo to the nation’s capital, Toronto making their way to Guelph, and McMaster closing out the action with a night game against the Lancers.
Carleton will be the final team to get their campaign underway when they do so in a Week 2 road tilt with Wilfrid Laurier. Joining that Week 2 contest the following day will be a 2019 Yates Cup rematch between the Marauders and Mustangs, as well as a showdown between Windsor and Guelph, with the former having defeated the latter in back-to-back seasons.
Sticking with Windsor, after clashing in the quarterfinals a season ago in what was Windsor’s first postseason game since 2014, the Lancers will take on Ottawa once again in Week 4, but that won’t be the only postseason rematch fans can look forward to that day. Also hitting the field on September 16th is the latest clash between back-to-back Yates Cups combatants Western and Queen’s, with the latter taking on hosting duties this time around.
Helping to round out the Week 4 action is yet another rivalry game, with the Battle of Waterloo also bursting onto the scene on September 16th.
Rivalries will continue to run rampant later in the season, including one of the most famous matchups across the varsity sport landscape headlining the Week 6 slate. Ottawa and Carleton will head to TD Place to tackle the 54th edition of the storied Panda Game, putting all eyes on the nation’s capital for the October 1st contest.
Just five days later during Week 7, fans will be able to give thanks for the 53rd running of the Red and Blue Bowl, with the Toronto Varsity Blues and York Lions headlining the reduced four-game programming ahead of Thanksgiving weekend.
Coming out of that holiday weekend, teams will have just two weeks left to finalize their playoff positions, with their last kick of the can coming Week 9 on October 21st. The final day of regular season play sees the Ravens host the Gryphons, the Hawks soaring into London against Western, Waterloo being welcomed by Toronto, the Lions travelling to York, and the Tricolour taking on the Gee-Gees.
The quest for the Cup ramps up the following week when the postseason officially begins. Just like a season ago, the top-seeded squad therein will earn a bye into the semifinals, while the remaining six teams will battle for their respective spots on October 28th. The semifinalists will then hit the gridiron the following week on November 4th, before North America’s oldest football trophy is awarded for the 115th time on Saturday, November 11th.
