image via Tennessee State football
Wednesday afternoon Tennessee State released their 2025 football schedule. The 12-game tilt features a renewal of football acquaintances and an 8-games within the Big South-OVC.
Courtesy of Tennessee State Athletics
The defending Co-OVC Big South champion Tennessee State University football team has officially announced its 2025 schedule, featuring an exciting slate of matchups, including the annual John Merritt Classic, the Legacy Series, and a total of eight home games.
The fifth year of the Eddie George era kicks off on Aug. 30 with the prestigious John Merritt Classic, hosting North Carolina A&T. The Tigers hold a 19-6-1 record against the Aggies, who will make their JMC debut. This will not be the first “classic” battle between the foes, with the Aggies holding a 3-2 edge. This matchup has been featured in the Capitol Classic, Riverfront Classic and the Circle City Classic. TSU won the previous meeting in 2010 in Indianapolis.
Week 2 pits the Tigers in a challenging matchup against 2025 FCS national champion North Dakota State on Sept. 6. The Bison defeated TSU last season in Fargo.
The highly anticipated Legacy Series finds the Tigers at home for the third straight game for the first time since the 1978 season when Alabama A&M treks up I-65 to face the Tigers in the first of a four-year series. The Tigers and Bulldogs share a storied rivalry, with TSU leading the all-time series 21-8 since their first meeting in 1930. Their last matchup was in 2010, with TSU claiming a 27-14 victory.
Following a bye week, TSU opens conference play at home on Sept. 27 against Tennessee Tech. The Tigers will then hit the road for back-to-back away games against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 4) and Southeast Missouri (Oct. 11).
The 2025 version of Homecoming will see the Howard Bison return to Nashville after a sea of blue cascaded down on Washington, D.C., last season. The Tigers and Bison will conclude their two-game series on Oct. 18.
The homestand continues with Western Illinois (Oct. 25) and Lindenwood (Nov. 1) before the Tigers travel to UT Martin on Nov. 8. TSU will then play its final home game of the regular season against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 15 before closing out the season on the road at Charleston Southern on Nov. 22.
