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FAMU football's 2025 schedule won't get any easier. What to expect from Rattlers moving forward
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- FAMU football's 2025 schedule won't get any easier. What to expect from Rattlers moving forward
Business is picking up for Florida A&M football.
This Saturday, Sept. 27, the Rattlers (1-2) host their Southwestern Athletic Conference opener versus the Alabama State Hornets (2-1) on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
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Kickoff is at 3 p.m. and will be televised on HBCU GO and broadcast on Tallahassee radio station 96.1 JAMZ .
Fresh off a bye week , FAMU's SWAC showdown versus Alabama State marks the first of nine straight games for the Rattlers.
"We've got to take care of this week right here. But also, look ahead," FAMU head coach James Colzie III told local media on his game-week press conference on Monday, Sept. 22.
Health is also top of mind for FAMU's second-year head coach.
As always, FAMU versus Alabama State is expected to be a testy and hotly contested game. The SWAC foes last met a season ago when the Rattlers escaped the Hornets' homecoming football game with a hard-fought 28-13 triumph.
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"Just trying to make sure they take care of their bodies," Colzie said. "You're facing an Alabama State team this week that's going to come in and try to be physical."
Following the Alabama State matchup, FAMU will face Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, Oct. 4, for the Georgia Football Classic in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"You're trying to prepare for next week based on the things you're doing this week," Colzie said.
Jackson State Tigers' wide receiver Ja'Naylon Dupree (2) is tackled by Florida A&M Rattlers' linebacker Nay'Ron Jenkins (45) during the game in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
Afterwards, FAMU will host North Carolina Central (Oct. 11) then Alcorn State (Oct. 18/Homecoming), travel to Southern (Oct. 25), have its home finale versus Jackson State (Nov. 1), play away at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 8) and Alabama A&M (Nov. 15), and wrap up the regular season at Orlando's Florida Classic versus rivals Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 22).
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North Carolina Central (3-2), an HBCU football powerhouse, is FAMU's only non-conference opponent remaining on its 2025 schedule.
Since FAMU joined the SWAC in 2021, the prevailing team of the Rattlers versus the Jackson State Tigers has won the league title.
Jackson State defeated FAMU in 2021, 2022, and 2024. The Rattlers bested the Tigers in 2023.
Jackson State (2-1) won the SWAC title and Celebration Bowl to claim the Black College Football National Championship last season.
"We've got to take care of home," Colzie laid out FAMU's roadmap to a successful 2025 season. "You look at our schedule, and if we take care of our home games, it puts us in a great situation in regard to the SWAC."
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Surviving the gauntlet could have the Rattlers in play as a SWAC Championship contender.
The SWAC title game is on Saturday, Dec. 6, as the East versus West division winners face off. The SWAC champion then moves on to play for the Black College Football National title in the Celebration Bowl versus the winner of the fellow NCAA Division I HBCU league, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The Celebration Bowl is at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 13.
The Rattlers claimed the program's first and only SWAC and Celebration Bowl trophies in 2023, defeating Prairie View A&M for the league title and Howard to cement themselves as the top team in Black College Football.
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"We understand what's at stake," said Colzie, who was an assistant coach on FAMU's championship team two seasons ago.
Florida A&M (1-2) vs. Alabama State (2-1) ― SWAC
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When: Saturday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m.
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Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
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TV/Radio: HBCU GO, 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: FAMU football faces tough schedule, starting with SWAC opener vs Alabama State
