Five home games, homecoming on campus, the debut of the SWAC’s Florida schools and a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision opponents highlight the 2023 Texas Southern University football schedule.
The 2023 season kicks off once again on Labor Day Weekend as the Tigers will host SWAC rival Prairie View A&M for the 38th annual Labor Day Classic at the rebranded Shell Energy Stadium (formerly PNC Stadium) in Downtown Houston on Saturday, Sept. 2.
The Tigers will play away from their home confines as they’ll face a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents for the next two weekends. TSU will travel to the state of Ohio for the first time since 1993 as they’ll face the University of Toledo from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) on Saturday, Sept. 9 in Toledo, Ohio. One week later, TSU is back in Houston for a match-up at Rice University of the American Athletic Conference for the second time in three seasons on Saturday, Sept.16.
TSU steps back into SWAC play on Saturday, Sept. 23 as they’ll face Grambling State in Grambling, La. The Tigers will close out the month back in Houston as they’ll face Lincoln University (California) once again for Homecoming inside Durley Stadium.
Texas Southern will have a week off before returning to the gridiron on Saturday, Oct. 14 as the team heads to Daytona, Fla. for a match-up at Bethune-Cookman for the first time since 1982. The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 21 for a home match-up against Florida A&M as both teams will meet for the first time since 2017 while FAMU will play the Tigers in Houston for the first time since 1959.
TSU will play in the state of Louisiana twice next season for the first time since 2019 as they’ll head to Baton Rouge, La. for a contest at Southern on Saturday, Oct. 28. TSU will return to the capital city for the first time since 2016 as the series was played in neutral venues for the past five years.
A trip to Jackson, Miss. awaits Texas Southern to kick off the month of November as the Tigers will face Jackson State on Saturday, Nov. 4 in its road finale. After two straight road games, TSU closes out the month of November with back-to-back home games at Shell Energy Stadium as Alcorn State (Nov. 11) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 18) round out the schedule.
SCHEDULE FACTS
- Homecoming returns to campus for the fourth consecutive season
- TSU will play both Southern and Grambling State in Louisiana during the same year for the first time since 1991
- TSU’s annual SWAC East Alabama opponents have been replaced by Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman
- Bethune-Cookman returns to the schedule for the first time since 1982
- Florida A&M has not played TSU in Houston since 1959
- TSU will play Rice as a member of the American Athletic Conference
- Toledo is the reigning MAC Champion