HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall will kick off its 2015 football schedule with a Sept. 5 visit from the Big Ten’s Purdue Boilermakers, the Herd announced Monday afternoon.

Purdue’s trip to Joan C. Edwards Stadium will mark the first time the program has hosted a Big Ten foe. Marshall plays four of its first six games at home.

The Thundering Herd is coming off a 13-1 season, with a first Conference USA championship, final Top 25 rankings and a Boca Raton Bowl victory over Group of Five power Northern Illinois.

The schedule is tentative, with the possibility that Conference USA telecast partners could move selected games to Thursdays or Fridays.

Currently, all 12 Marshall games are slated for Saturdays.

“The fact that we will host a Big Ten team for the first time in our history speaks volumes about our approach to scheduling,” Marshall Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick said.

“Five of our six road games are very drivable for our fan base, which — given our support — is a plus. We also host three games in October, something that hasn’t happened around here since 1998.”

Following Purdue’s visit, the Herd has a Sept. 12 date at Ohio in the 59th meeting in what is now the “Battle for the Bell” rivalry, a home date with Norfolk State on Sept. 19 and a road game at Kent State on Sept. 26.

Marshall’s eight conference games include six against East Division foes (Old Dominion, FAU, Charlotte, Middle Tennessee, FIU and Western Kentucky), with two crossover games against the West Division — and both are home games, against Southern Miss and North Texas.

As was the case last season, C-USA will play with seven teams in the East and six in the West. New football member Charlotte plays host to the Herd in the schools’ first meeting on Oct. 31.

The Herd’s Nov. 28 visit to Western Kentucky will be Marshall’s first trip there since a 47-13 1950 victory.

The Oct. 24 game with North Texas will be the schools’ only meeting since a 7-0 Herd win in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in 1988.

The league’s 11th annual championship game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, is scheduled Saturday, Dec. 5 and will be televised by ESPN or ESPN2.

The 2015 Marshall football schedule (tentative; TV, times TBA):

Marshall Thundering Herd

2015 Football Schedule

Sept. 5 PURDUE

Sept. 12 at Ohio

Sept. 19 NORFOLK STATE

Sept. 26 at Kent State

Oct. 3 OLD DOMINION#

Oct. 10 SOUTHERN MISS#

Oct. 17 at Florida Atlantic#

Oct. 24 NORTH TEXAS#

Oct. 31 at Charlotte#

Nov. 7 at Middle Tennessee#

Nov. 14 FIU#

Nov. 21 Open date

Nov. 28 at Western Kentucky#

#—Denotes C-USA game