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How many more games will FAMU football win? Predictions for Rattlers remaining 2025 schedule
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- How many more games will FAMU football win? Predictions for Rattlers remaining 2025 schedule
Six games remain on Florida A&M football's 2025 schedule .
Under second-year head coach James Colzie III, the Rattlers have a 2-4 overall record and a 1-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference mark at the halfway point of the season.
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Last Saturday, Oct. 18, FAMU earned its first SWAC win of the season at homecoming versus Alcorn State (33-28) and ended a two-game losing streak.
Next, the Rattlers are off to Baton Rouge to visit the Southern Jaguars this Saturday, Oct. 25, for a Week 9 SWAC game at A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Kickoff is at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on SWAC TV.
Despite a slow start, FAMU statistically has a shot to end the season with the SWAC East division's best record .
But will the Rattlers pull it off?
Let's predict the result of the second half of FAMU's season based on where things stand.
Week 9: at Southern , Oct. 25
The Florida A&M Rattlers take on Southern University, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Win― FAMU should beat the spiraling Southern, which recently fired its coach Terrence Graves this week . Fred McNair is now the interim head coach. Southern is near the bottom in the SWAC statistics. Saturday's game will be FAMU's first game outside of Florida . The deciding factor is how FAMU can perform on the road and whether the coaching change will rejuvenate Southern enough to end its current five-game slide.
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Week 10: vs. Jackson State , Nov. 1
Jackson State Tigers' linebacker Jaeden Ward (8) tackles Florida A&M Rattlers' running back Thad Franklin, Jr. (23) during the game in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
Loss― Jackson State has been a thorn in FAMU's side since the Rattlers joined the SWAC in 2021. The Tigers have beaten the Rattlers three out of their four meetings. Each season, the FAMU versus Jackson State winner won the SWAC Championship and appeared in the Celebration Bowl, the de facto Black College Football National title game. Last year, Jackson State hosted and defeated FAMU 35-21 en route to reaching the HBCU football mountaintop. FAMU gets to host Jackson State this time, with a possibility of overtaking the No. 1 spot in the SWAC East standings. But Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium hasn't looked like sacred ground recently, with FAMU suffering back-to-back blowout losses there this season. Jackson State is still the top SWAC and HBCU football team, led by head coach TC Taylor and quarterback JaCobian 'Thee General' Morgan .
Week 11: at Arkansas-Pine Bluff , Nov. 8
Win― The Rattlers should defeat the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions. Arkansas-Pine Bluff has sometimes shown flashes, such as posting 79 points in its homecoming game versus Westgate Christian, a non-NCAA college football program. However, in four Football Championship Subdivision games, Arkansas-Pine Bluff only scores 16 points per game, going 1-3. FAMU can keep up with that and possibly even exceed that number if its offense improves and defense stymies any explosions, especially by Golden Lions' top wide receiver Kareem Burke , a former FAMU Rattler.
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Week 12: at Alabama A&M , Nov. 15
Win― FAMU is just one spot above Alabama A&M in the SWAC East standings. So, this should be a good matchup in Huntsville. Both teams have had inconsistencies and are amidst challenging schedules, including the top two division teams, Jackson State and Alabama State. The Rattlers can string together another consecutive winning streak versus the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on the road.
Week 13: vs. Bethune-Cookman (Florida Classic), Nov. 22
Loss― FAMU's four-game Florida Classic winning streak over Bethune-Cookman is in jeopardy this season. The Wildcats look more cohesive than the Rattlers right now. Led by quarterback Cam'Ron Ransom, Bethune-Cookman's offense is fourth in SWAC scoring average with 29.9 points per game. That jumps to 40.5 in FCS games. Though the Bethune-Cookman defense allows 38.8 points per game, can FAMU score that many points? The Rattlers average 15.6 in FCS games. So, signs don't point to that right now.
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Makeup Game: at Mississippi Valley State , Nov. 29
Win― After the Georgia Football Classic's cancellation , FAMU must make the SWAC's toughest road trip to Mississippi Valley State in Itta Bena. Mississippi Valley isn't necessarily a tough place to play, but it's a lengthy commute. Pair that with a Delta Devils team that will fight, which could spell trouble for the Rattlers. FAMU learned the hard way last year when the Delta Devils marched into Bragg Memorial Stadium and left with a 24-21 victory, snapping the Rattlers' 23-game home winning streak . That shocking upset may lead FAMU to exact retribution on Mississippi Valley to complete the 2025 regular season. FAMU has more talent than Mississippi Valley, but it will be a close game.
Is a 6-6 season good enough for FAMU football, coach James Colzie III?
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III looks on as his team faces the North Carolina Central Eagles in a Week 7 NCAA college football game on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
No.
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FAMU is predicted to finish the 2025 season with a 6-6 overall record and 5-3 in the SWAC. That's a one-win drop from the 2024 season and identical to the Rattlers' SWAC mark a year ago.
One side can argue it was a midseason turnaround after the Rattlers began the season 1-4, their worst start since 2016.
But a 6-6 record doesn't cut it at FAMU, which finished with winning records for six straight seasons, dating back to 2018 (2020 season cancelled/COVID).
In theory, FAMU defeated all the teams it was supposed to in the second half of the season.
However, it lost every key game, such as the Jackson State matchup with SWAC title implications and Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Classic for the first time since 2019.
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A 6-6 record would call for some tough conversations about the direction of the FAMU football program under Colzie's leadership as he enters a contract year, the 2026 season.
Florida A&M (2-4, 1-1 in SWAC) at Southern (1-6, 0-3 in SWAC)
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When: Saturday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time
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Where: A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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TV/Radio: SWAC TV, 96.1 JAMZ
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida A&M football predictions for final six games of 2025 season
