Courtesy of BCU Athletics
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Football is set to begin its third season of the Raymond Woodie Jr. era with a challenging 2025 football schedule that includes five home contests at Daytona Stadium, six away games, concluding with the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic matchup against its fiercest HBCU football rival, the Florida A&M Rattlers.
The Wildcats will open the 2025 football schedule on August 30 at Pitbull Stadium against Florida International. The last matchup between the Wildcats and the Panthers occurred in 2014 when B-CU claimed a 14-12 win over the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent – the second of its kind in as many years against the Panthers. The Panthers are looking for a fresh start under new head coach Willie Simmons. Before spending the 2024 season as an assistant coach at Duke, Simmons spent six years (2018-23) at the helm of Florida A&M, where he owned a record of 45-13 overall, culminating with a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Cricket Celebration Bowl title in 2023.
Week two sees the Wildcats return to Miami for the second time in as many weeks. They will take on the University of Miami in what will be the eighth installment of the series against the Hurricanes since 2011. The last time the Wildcats played the Hurricanes was in 2023.
Bethune-Cookman stays on the road in week three for a trip to the “Palmetto State”—facing an old HBCU foe in the form of South Carolina State for the first time since 2022. B-CU has a storied history with former conference mate South Carolina State, dating back to their time in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The teams have played 58 times since 1959, with SCSU owning a 34-24 edge all-time.
Schedule breakdown
The 2025 home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 20, against the Tigers of Edward Waters. The last time the Wildcats faced off against EWU was back in 2010, ending in a 70-10 win for the Wildcats at home.
The Cats open SWAC play the following week, hosting the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M. Bethune-Cookman claimed a 31-14 win over AAMU in the Bulldogs’ last trip to Daytona Stadium in 2023.
After a bye week, B-CU plays seven consecutive weekends to close the campaign, beginning with a visit to Alabama State (October 4).
On October 11, Southern (La.) will come to Daytona Beach for the first time since 1988 when the Jaguars descend upon Daytona Stadium. Last season, the two teams participated in the second-longest game in Wildcats history—a five-overtime thriller that saw the Cats fall 25-23 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Homecoming 2025 features Bethune-Cookman hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff (October 25) to Daytona Beach for the first time as a member of the SWAC and the first time since 2005, when the Cats downed the Golden Lions, 31-17.
B-CU opens the month of November with a visit from Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 1) and new head coach Terrell Buckley. The Wildcats have won three consecutive contests against the Delta Devils, with a pair of victories coming on the road in Itta Bena, Mississippi, including last year’s 20-10 triumph on an MVSU Homecoming weekend.
The HBCU football season concludes with trips to Grambling State (November 8) and defending SWAC and Cricket Celebration Bowl champion Jackson State (November 15). The Florida Blue Florida Classic against FAMU is scheduled for November 22 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Click HERE to view the complete 2025 football schedule. Ticket information will be released in the coming weeks.