The 2025 Leatherneck Football schedule has been released, along with the full OVC-Big South Football Association schedule for the 2025 season. The third year of the Association features nine league teams each playing an eight-game conference schedule. The league slate starts Saturday, September 13, and Association games will primarily take place between Weeks 5 and 13.
The Leathernecks will open their season on the road against the University of Illinois on August 30, before heading up to take on another Big Ten opponent in Northwestern in week two. September 13, 2025, marks the home opener at Hanson Field against Valparaiso. On September 20, the ‘Necks will head west to take on Eastern Washington before opening conference play at home against EIU on September 27.
“Our 2025 schedule is a challenging one featuring two Big Ten teams and a traditional power from the Big Sky,” said Head Coach Joe Davis. “Our football program is excited for the opportunity to compete as we begin the off season portion of our calendar.”
Below is the full 2025 Leatherneck Football schedule:
Saturday, August 30
at Illinois
Saturday, September 6
at Northwestern
Saturday, September 13
vs. Valparaiso
Saturday, September 20
at Eastern Washington
Saturday, September 27
vs. Eastern Illinois
Saturday, October 4
at Tennessee Tech
Saturday, October 11
at UT Martin
Saturday, October 18
vs. Charleston Southern
Saturday, October 25
at Tennessee State
Saturday, November 1
Bye Week
Saturday, November 8
vs. Lindenwood
Saturday, November 15
vs. Southeast Missouri
Saturday, November 22
at Gardner-Webb
ABOUT THE OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE-BIG SOUTH ASSOCIATION
In February 2022, the Ohio Valley Conference and the Big South Conference announced the creation of an association of their football member institutions, which began in the 2023 NCAA Division I football season and has an initial term of at least four years. In June 2024 the Presidents and Chancellors solidified their commitment to each other with a new enhanced agreement that will provide an opportunity to extend the original partnership through 2030 and beyond.
This agreement, which strengthens the structure between the FCS-committed institutions, is intended to provide all members access to the automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Playoffs, long-term stability, and a competitive league schedule. In creating the association, presidents from each of the multisport conferences pointed to the similarities of the OVC and the Big South, with their complementary geographies and intercollegiate athletic philosophies, as key to making this association possible.
Schools comprising the Association are Charleston Southern University (Charleston, SC), Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, IL), Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC), Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO), Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, MO), Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN), Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville, TN), University of Tennessee at Martin (Martin, TN) and Western Illinois University (Macomb, IL).
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***Courtesy of Western Illinois University Athletics***
