Bethune-Cookman 2023 football schedule includes Miami

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Under the management of newly-appointed head coach Raymond Woodie, Jr., Bethune-Cookman football will embark on its third season as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference [SWAC] with a challenging 2023 schedule that includes a rematch with ACC foe Miami, a road matchup with 2022 SWAC Champions, Jackson State, and four games in the friendly confines of Daytona Stadium.

The Wildcats will open the 2023 slate with their first ever matchup with the American Athletic Conference’s University of Memphis. The Tigers finished 7-6 last season, including wins in three of their last four games and a victory over Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.

B-CU will open at Daytona Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9 against former SIAC and MEAC foe Savannah State. It will be the first meeting between the two squads since 2018.

Game three will see Bethune-Cookman heading south for the second straight season to take on the ACC’s Miami and head coach Mario Cristobal at Hard Rock Stadium. The Sept. 14 contest will be the Wildcats first Thursday night game since B-CU hosted Alabama A&M in 2021, and their first weekday road contest since the Wildcats defeated North Carolina Central on Oct. 10, 2019.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Wildcats will travel to face the 2022 SWAC Champions, Jackson State, as they attempt to navigate their first season following the departure of head coach Deion Sanders. The Wildcats hosted the Tigers at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Stadium a season ago.

Following a week five bye week, the Wildcats will travel to Montgomery to take on an Alabama State team that defeated B-CU on homecoming week last season.

The Wildcats will return home for Homecoming 2023 on Oct. 14 to host Texas Southern, whom they have not met since 1982. 

The Wildcats will open the second half of the schedule with a neutral site contest against Southern. The Jaguars finished with the best record in the SWAC’s West Division in 2022 before falling to Jackson State in the SWAC Championship. The site of that game is TBD.

Bethune-Cookman wraps up its road schedule on Oct. 28 in Grambling as they take on the Tigers and coach Hue Jackson. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers, 36-19 at Daytona Stadium last season.

The Wildcats will open November with back-to-back home games as they host Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M on Nov. 4 and 11.

The 2023 Florida Blue Florida Classic will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The Wildcats will look to retake their place on top after two straight losses at the annual event. Florida A&M will serve as the home team in this year’s contest