Whether conference, nonconference, rivalry and beyond, here’s a guide to the best games from more than 850 overall in the 2025 FCS college football season.
FCS college football has long known it has an abundance of big games on the schedule, so it’s easy to see why there’s an ongoing push toward having a 12-game regular season annually.
An extra regular-season game – instead of the usual 11 – has only been allowed in years when the calendar has 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date in August through the last playing date in November.
Thanksgiving Day is late again (Nov. 27) this year, so it’s 14 weeks and 12 games again. Some happy coach in the FCS should give more of those turkeys a pardon.
Once again, the FCS will have 129 programs and 13 leagues, and they’re combining for over 850 regular-season games. Following is a guide to the best games on the schedule.
Graphic by Graham Bell.Week 0: UIW at Nicholls (Aug. 23)
Since Week 0 became an annual start to the FCS season in 2014, this is the first conference matchup, and it’s a doozy between the last two Southland champions. UIW, the 2024 champ, is particularly reloaded for even bigger aspirations. Two More Games: UC Davis vs. Mercer in Montgomery, Alabama, and North Carolina Central vs. Southern in Atlanta.
Week 1: Richmond at Lehigh (Aug. 30)
This is one of only two 2025 regular-season rematches from last season’s FCS playoffs (also North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State). Lehigh welcomes (relatively speaking) the Richmond squad it defeated on the road as a new member of the Patriot League. One More Game: Sacramento State at South Dakota State.
Week 2: South Dakota State at Montana State (Sept. 6)
This is the return game from SDSU holding off Montana State on the final play of a 20-16 home win in 2023. But they’ve met in even bigger games this decade, with each team winning at home in the national playoff semifinals. Two More Games: Rhode Island at Stony Brook and Chattanooga at Tennessee Tech.
Top 10 Nonconference Games of 2025 FCS Season
1. South Dakota State at Montana State (Sept. 6) 2. Sacramento State at South Dakota State (Aug. 30) 3. UC Davis vs. Mercer in Montgomery, Alabama (Aug. 23) 4. Southern Illinois at Southeast Missouri (Sept. 20) 5. Abilene Christian at UIW (Sept. 27) 6. North Carolina Central vs. Southern in Atlanta (Aug. 23) 7. Southern Illinois at UT Martin (Sept. 13) 8. North Dakota at Montana (Sept. 13) 9. UIW at Northern Arizona (Sept. 20) T10. Chattanooga at Tennessee Tech (Sept. 6) T10. Stephen F. Austin at Abilene Christian (Sept. 6)Week 3: Southern Illinois at UT Martin (Sept. 13)
The visiting Salukis do some of their best work out of conference, including an FCS-leading three wins over FBS opponents since 2019. The Skyhawks had an FBS win last season and went on to earn a fourth straight conference title (an active streak topped only by Holy Cross in the Patriot League). One More Game: North Dakota at Montana.
Week 4: Villanova at Monmouth (Sept. 20)
Behind quarterback Derek Robertson, Monmouth seeks its first breakout season since joining CAA Football in 2022. But its conference opener comes against a Villanova squad that has won 10 games and advanced to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. One More Game: Southern Illinois at Southeast Missouri.
10 Possible FCS vs. FBS Upsets to Know
Abilene Christian at Tulsa (Aug. 30) Sacramento State at Nevada (Sept. 6) Florida A&M at FAU (Sept. 6) Jackson State at Southern Miss (Sept. 6) UIW at UTSA (Sept. 13) Monmouth at Charlotte (Sept. 13) New Hampshire at Ball State (Sept. 13) UT Martin at Missouri State (Sept. 20) Idaho at San Jose State (Sept. 20) Rhode Island at Western Michigan (Sept. 27)Week 5: South Dakota at North Dakota State (Sept. 27)
Speaking of a pivotal conference opener, USD was the only FCS team to knock off NDSU’s national championship squad last season. Add in 2023 and the Coyotes have won the last two regular-season meetings within the Missouri Valley Football Conference (they have a new coach in Travis Johansen). Three More Games: Idaho at Montana; Southeast Missouri at UT Martin; and St. Thomas at San Diego.
Week 6: Stephen F. Austin at UIW (Oct. 4)
Each of the last three meetings have been decided by seven points, including UIW’s overtime win in the 2021 playoffs. Among returning FCS QBs, SFA’s Sam Vidlak was best last season in pass efficiency rating and points responsible per game. Richard Torres is taking over the UIW offense that has had three different QBs surpass 3,700 passing yards in a season this decade. Two More Games: North Dakota State at Illinois State and Chattanooga at Tennessee Tech.
Week 7: Central Connecticut State at Robert Morris (Oct. 11)
Robert Morris had the most shutouts (three) in the FCS last season. But not against CCSU, which beat the Colonials 35-33 in double overtime. All but one of the playoff-bound Blue Devils’ Northeast Conference games was decided by seven or fewer points (the exception was only a 10-point difference). One More Game: New Hampshire at Rhode Island.
Week 8: Abilene Christian at Southern Utah (Oct. 18)
The United Athletic was the breakout conference of the 2024 FCS season with champion Abilene Christian going 7-1 followed by three 6-2 teams. The one team from the foursome that didn’t earn a playoff bid? Yup, a motivated Southern Utah squad that seeks to soar above the radar. One More Game: ETSU at Chattanooga.
Week 9: North Dakota State at South Dakota State (Oct. 25)
The pre-eminent FCS programs have combined for the last four national titles (two each). NDSU beat SDSU in two of the best FCS games last season, but only after SDSU had handed the Bison an unfathomable five-game losing streak in the series. The winner claims the Dakota Marker trophy. Two More Games: Montana at Sacramento State (Oct. 24) and Grambling State vs. Jackson State in Las Vegas.
Week 10: Dartmouth at Harvard (Nov. 1)
Nine of the last 11 games between these rivals have been decided by seven or fewer points. They’ve been a part of three-team shares of the Ivy League title in each of the last two seasons, and this year’s champion will receive the first playoff bid in league history. Three More Games (Yeah, a Huge Week): Norfolk State vs. Delaware State in Philadelphia (Oct. 30); Jackson State at Florida A&M; and Tarleton State at Abilene Christian.
Week 11: Mercer at Western Carolina (Nov. 8)
Including Mercer last year, a different team has won the Southern Conference title for six consecutive seasons (an FCS record streak). Western Carolina has never won the title, but this year it’s a contender behind quarterback Taron Dickens, who surpassed 400 passing yards in two of his first four career starts last November. Two More Games: South Dakota State at South Dakota and North Dakota State at North Dakota.
Week 12: UC Davis at Montana State (Nov. 15)
Montana State swept through the Big Sky last season, handing UC Davis its only conference loss. The Aggies nearly overcame a 30-8 deficit in the final 6:21, scoring 20 straight points before being denied on a two-point attempt that would have tied the game with 34 seconds left. Two More Games: Illinois State at South Dakota State and Central Connecticut State at Duquesne.
Week 13: Montana State at Montana (Nov. 22)
The last two national runners-up have the fiercest rivalry in the FCS, and neither is shy about pouring on the points. The home team has won each of the last five meetings by 19 or more points (the average winning margin is 28 points). Three More Games: Lehigh at Lafayette; Harvard at Yale; and UT Martin at Tennessee Tech.
Week 14: Southern vs. Grambling State in New Orleans (Nov. 29)
The Bayou Classic – the most well-known HBCU rivalry game – gets a standalone spotlight to end both the SWAC and FCS regular season, annually drawing over 60,000 fans. Nearly as important: Who’s going to win the Battle of the Bands? More Games: The FCS playoffs begin.
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