DeKalb — The football team released its 12-game schedule for the 2018 season Thursday, and for the second consecutive season, an opponent from a Power-5 conference will visit Huskie Stadium.

NIU is set to play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation, as they welcome the Utah University Utes Sept. 8, the first ever PAC-12 opponent to play in Huskie Stadium.

The Huskies will also have a rematch of the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl, as they will face Florida State University in their week-four match Sept. 22.

“Even before we added Florida State, this year’s non-conference football schedule was stacked with Iowa, Utah and [Brigham Young University],” said Sean T. Frazier, associate vice president and director of Athletics, according to NIU Media Services. “With the addition of [Florida State], we have one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, and I appreciate our coaching staff and our student-athletes for stepping up to the challenge.”

NIU will play five out the six games on the road after their matchup with the Seminoles.

The Huskies will also face off against a first-time opponent in Brigham Young University Oct. 27 in Provo, Utah.

The season begins with a match against the Big-10 University of Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa.