East Carolina Adds Road Game at Michigan to 2023 Schedule

East Carolina has agreed to take on Michigan in a single-game contract at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 2, 2023, according to a joint announcement by both institutions Friday.

It will be ECU's first trip to Ann Arbor and the Pirates' first regular season contest against a Big Ten Conference opponent since taking on Illinois in 1995.

ECU athletic director Jon Gilbert had been looking for a big pay day road tilt or two for the Pirates and this one will pay them $1.8 million which should help pay a few bills.

“We are excited to add a school of Michigan’s caliber to our schedule Coach Houston and his staff are committed to facing high-quality non-conference opponents as we continue to rejuvenate our football program and showcase our brand across the country," Gilbert said.

"This is a great opportunity to take our program to Ann Arbor and play in one of the country’s best college football atmospheres. We want to find the delicate balance between playing guarantee games while also providing a competitive home schedule for our fans. We will continue to evaluate our future football schedules and make the necessary adjustments as we move forward.”

The addition of Michigan to the 2023 schedule adds to a pretty good grouping of other power conference opponents to come over the next few years.

ECU's future schedules currently include games against South Carolina (2020/road, 2021/home), NC State (2022/home, 2025/road, 2028/home), West Virginia (2026/home) and Wake Forest (2027/home, 2028/away).

East Carolina also has formally confirmed 2018 games with Norfolk State and Campbell to visit Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 2020 and 2022, respectively in addition to a recen 2021 addition in Charleston Southern at home in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.