The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers have scheduled a 2017 and 2018 home-and-home football series against the Marshall Thundering Herd, WKU athletic director Todd Stewart announced on Monday.

Western Kentucky will host Marshall in the first game of the series at Houchens Industries – L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green in 2017. In the second and final game of the series in 2018, Marshall will host the WKU at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.

The two schools have met five times, but not since Marshall defeated WKU 37-3 in Huntington in 1996. The Thundering Herd lead the overall series 4-1.

The series with WKU gives Marshall two non-conference games in both 2017 and 2018. The Herd are also set to face the Miami (OH) RedHawks in a home-and-home series during that span.

Prior to this announcement, Western Kentucky’s only game scheduled past 2016 was a trip to Hawaii in 2018.

The restructured C-USA appears to prefer an 8-game conference schedule, which means Marshall will continue to play four non-conference games per year. Western Kentucky will play three non-conference games beginning in 2015 as the Sun Belt is moving to a 9-game conference schedule.

Football Schedules: