BUTTE, Mont. -- The following is by the Montana Tech Athletic Department.

Montana Tech announced their 2012 football schedule Monday. The Orediggers will open the season at home against the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers at Alumni Coliseum on September 1st.

Frontier Conference fans will see a new type of schedule for fall. The upcoming football season will feature eight teams for the first time in conference history. Southern Oregon University and Dickinson State will officially join the conference for the 2012-13 school year. The Frontier Conference will now contain two divisions, East and West. Schools will play each team twice in their division and the rest of the conference only once.

Montana Tech is in the West Division with University of Montana Western, Eastern Oregon University and new comer Southern Oregon. The Orediggers have faced the Southern Oregon Raiders three times in school history. They are (2-1) against the Raiders with the most recent win coming last season in an exciting 50-47 double overtime win in Butte. Southern Oregon was an Independent school previously.

The Orediggers meet the Dickinson State Blue Hawks in Dickinson for the first time since 2004. That year, Tech lost to the Blue Hawks in the NAIA Playoffs. Dickinson State moves into the Frontier from the Dakota Athletic Conference that is no longer in existence.

The current rivalries with Carroll College, MSU Northern and Rocky Mountain will only come to Butte every other year. This season, Tech will face Carroll and Northern at home and go on the road to Billings.

All up to date information on Montana Tech football can be found at www.godiggers.com.

MONTANA TECH 2012 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:

Sept. 1 Eastern Oregon University

Sept. 8 Carroll College

Sept. 15 @ UM Western

Sept. 22 @ Rocky Mountain College

Sept. 29 Southern Oregon University

Oct. 6 @ Dickinson State University (Homecoming)

Oct. 13 BYE

Oct. 20 @ Eastern Oregon University

Oct. 27 Montana State Northern

Nov. 3 UM Western

Nov. 10 @ Southern Oregon University