HBCU Football 2025: Every Classic and Homecoming in the FCS

2025 HBCU football classics and homecomings

A “classic” matchup has been a top event in HBCU football for many years. HBCU homecomings can be even more extravagant, bringing alumni together to celebrate. Rivals can frequently face off in classics and homecomings, and both have historical significance. These games elicit excitement from players, fans, alumni, and others.

At least one FCS-level HBCU team will be present at several homecomings and classics in 2025. The schedule for these games, as well as a few other premier HBCU football games, such as the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and the Celebration Bowl, will be provided below.

Every HBCU homecoming and classic that is planned for 2025 is listed below:

2025 HBCU homecoming schedule

Date	Homecoming Host	Opponent	Location
Oct. 4	Alabama State	Bethune-Cookman	Montgomery, AL
	South Carolina State	Savannah State	Orangeburg, SC
Oct. 11	Alabama A&M	Mississippi Valley State	Hunstville, AL
	Alcorn State	Lincoln (CA)	Lorman, MS
	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	Westgate University	Pine Bluff, AR
	Delaware State	Southern Connecticut State	Dover, DE
	Grambling State	Texas Southern	Grambling, LA
	Jackson State	Alabama State	Jackson, MS
	Morgan State	Virginia-Lynchburg	Baltimore, MD
	North Carolina A&T	South Carolina State	Greensboro, NC
Oct. 18	Florida A&M	Alcorn State	Tallahassee, FL
	Mississippi Valley State	Lincoln (CA)	Itta Bena, MS
	Southern	Prairie View A&M	Baton Rouge, LA
	Tennessee State	Howard	Nashville, TN
	Texas Southern	Virginia-Lynchburg	Houston, TX
Oct. 25	Bethune-Cookman	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	Daytona Beach, FL
	Hampton	Monmouth	Hampton, VA
	Howard	Morgan State	Washington, DC
	Norfolk State	South Carolina State	Norfolk, VA
	North Carolina Central	Delaware State	Durham, NC
	Prairie View A&M	Lincoln (CA)	Prairie View, TX

Some notable DII homecoming games we’ll be tracking include:

Oct. 11 | Fayetteville State | Opponent: Livingstone
Oct. 18 | Morehouse | Opponent: Lane
Oct. 18 | Winston-Salem State | Opponent: Livingstone
Oct. 18 | Virginia Union | Opponent: Lincoln (PA)
Oct. 25 | Clark Atlanta | Opponent: Edward Waters
Oct. 25 | Virginia State | Opponent: Bluefield State
Oct. 25 | Lincoln (PA) | Opponent: Elizabeth City State
Oct. 25 | Savannah State | Opponent: Morehouse
Nov. 1 | Bowie State | Opponent: Elizabeth City State
Nov. 1 | Tuskegee | Opponent: Lane

2025 HBCU classic schedule

Classic	MAtchup	Date	Location
MEAC/SWAC Challenge	Southern vs. North Carolina Central	Aug. 23	Atlanta, GA
John Merritt Classic	North Carolina A&T @ Tennessee State	Aug. 30	Nashville, TN
Labor Day Classic	Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern	Aug. 30	Houston, TX
Orange Blossom Classic	Florida A&M vs. Howard	Aug. 30	Miami Gardens, FL
Louis Crews Classic	Alcorn State @ Alabama A&M	Sept. 6	Hunstville, AL
Battle for Greater Baltimore	Towson @ Morgan State	Sept. 6	Baltimore, MD
Pete Richardson Classic	Alabama State @ Southern	Sept. 6	Baton Rouge, LA
The Legacy Series	Alabama A&M @ Tennessee State	Sept. 13	Nashville, TN
W.C. Gorden Classic	Tuskegee @ Jackson State	Sept. 13	Jackson, MS
HBCU New York Football Classic	Morehouse vs. Howard	Sept. 13	East Rutherford, NJ
Aggie-Eagle Classic	North Carolina A&T @ North Carolina Central	Sept. 20	Greensboro, NC
Battle of the Real HU — Truth and Service Classic	Hampton vs. Howard	Sept. 20	Washington, D.C.
Boombox Classic	Jackson State @ Southern	Sept. 27	Baton Rouge, LA
Southern Heritage Classic	Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Alcorn State	Sept. 27	Memphis, TN
State Fair Classic	Grambling State vs. Prairie View A&M	Sept. 27	Dallas, TX
Circle City Classic	Morgan State vs. Miles	Sept. 27	Indianapolis, IN
Gulf Coast Challenge	Alabama A&M vs. Jackson State	Oct. 4	Mobile, AL
Georgia Football Classic	Florida A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State	Oct. 4	Atlanta, GA
Battle of the Bay	Norfolk State @ Hampton	Oct. 4	Hampton, VA
Las Vegas HBCU Classic	Grambling State vs. Jackson State	Oct. 25	Las Vegas, NV
Magic City Classic	Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State	Oct. 25	Birmingham, AL
Port City Classic	Alabama State vs. Mississippi Valley State	Nov. 15	Mobile, AL
Soul Bowl — Capital City Classic	Alcorn State @ Jackson State	Nov. 22	Jackson, MS
Florida Classic	Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M	Nov. 22	Orlando, FL
Turkey Day Classic	Tuskegee @ Alabama State	Nov. 27	Montgomery, AL
Bayou Classic	Grambling State vs. Southern	Nov. 29	New Orleans, LA
SWAC Championship	SWAC East Champ vs. SWAC West Champ	Dec. 6	TBD
Celebration Bowl	MEAC Champ vs. SWAC Champ	Dec. 13	Atlanta, GA

Here are some notable classics featuring DII schools that we’ll be tracking:

Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic | Virginia Union vs. Miles | Aug. 31 | Location: Canton, OH
Red Tails Classic | Tuskegee vs. Winston-Salem State | Aug. 31 | Location: Montgomery, AL
Essence HBCU Classic | Morehouse College vs. Johnson C. Smith | Aug. 21 | Location: Boston, MA
Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic | Morehouse vs. Tuskegee | Oct. 4 | Location: Montgomery, AL
Fountain City Classic | Fort Valley State at Albany State | Nov. 8 | Location: Albany, GA
CIAA Championship | Nov. 15 | Location: Durham, NC

Regular season MEAC vs. SWAC contests

In addition to the MEAC-SWAC Challenge played in Week Zero, there are four regular season games where MEAC and SWAC teams will meet on the gridiron.

**Every MEAC vs. SWAC regular season game**
Date	MEAC Team	SWAC Team	Location
Aug. 23	North Carolina Central	Southern	Atlanta, GA
Aug. 30	Howard	Florida A&M	Miami, FL
Sept. 13	South Carolina State	Bethune-Cookman	Orangeburg, SC
Oct. 11	North Carolina Central	Florida A&M	Tallahassee, FL