FOOTBALL Football schedule released

[SpaceRaider]

2025 football schedule announced by CUSA - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee's 2025 football schedule includes six home games, three mid-week contests ("Weekday CUSA"), and a non-conference

goblueraiders.com

 

[SpaceRaider]

FB: CUSA Announces 2025 Football Schedule

DALLAS – Conference USA has announced its football schedule for the 2025 season. A total of 144 games are scheduled over 15 regular season playing weeks, kicking off with a week zero contest between Sam Houston and WKU.

conferenceusa.com

 

[SpaceRaider]

not sure if the last month of the schedule is not tougher than the first month

 

[MidTennMtneer]

We avoid Liberty, UTEP, and LaT. Play both new members with Delaware away.
Judy still can't get the WKU game right.

 

[TrueBlue147]

Love the OOC part. The conference schedule looks to be very favorable for us. Mason wont have much of an excuse this year if there is not a lot of progress this season.

 

[mtfblue]

really the OOC is a toss up with Marshall getting a new coach and all the players leaving, Wisconsin is a mess right now, this schedule is setup for a 8 to 10 win season if they can fix the defense and play for a conference title. If they get everything fixed cold be in play for a playoff spot, it's not far off.

 

[ewglenn]

VERY manageable schedule so no excuse for CDM this year. CUSA actually helped us out for a change and set us up to be in the conference championship hunt late this season.

 

[RaiderDoug]

This looks a lot easier than 2024. There's no one on the schedule that looks like unbeatable on any given Saturday.

Time for the rubber to meet the road here for Mason.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Half of our conference games and five total have a new HC. Marshall, Jax, KSU, SHSU, and FIU. And four of those five are first time head coaches.
Between that, the well spaced out games, only one P4, two first year FBS teams (although I think Delaware will be better than decent), and CDM having a full off season to set things up, there is zero reason not to go to a bowl. At a minimum. If we don't, ruh roh.

 

[ewglenn]

Half of our conference games and five total have a new HC. Marshall, Jax, KSU, SHSU, and FIU. And four of those five are first time head coaches.
Between that, the well spaced out games, only one P4, two first year FBS teams (although I think Delaware will be better than decent), and CDM having a full off season to set things up, there is zero reason not to go to a bowl. At a minimum. If we don't, ruh roh.

Anything below a bowl is a failure. Honestly I feel like anything below 8-4 is a let down. Outside of Wisconsin, we should be able to match up with every other team. I wouldn’t want to be CDM because he isn’t going to be able to talk his way around it if they struggle this season.

 

[Hop45]

8-4 is the goal for me. Realistically, probably 7-5, but 8-4 would be a good season. I agree that going to a bowl this year should be the floor of expectations for the season

 

[RaiderDoug]

I agree with a bowl being a reasonable expectation.

AP should be cake. We have 2 newbs on the schedule (Missouri State and Delaware), 4-teams in year 1 of their new coaches (Marshall got obliterated by the portal and has a new staff and Jax, FIU, SHSU all cleaned house), and 1 team we alredy managed to beat (Kennesaw).

We possibly have the conference's best QB as well.

We should be able to find 5 wins there.

A second year coach can and should do it.

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[MIDTENN05]

Delaware is in our conference now? What a joke. Should have jumped to the Mac when we had the chance. This “regional” conference USA is basically a flaming bag of %#*%.

 

[ewglenn]

Delaware is in our conference now? What a joke. Should have jumped to the Mac when we had the chance. This “regional” conference USA is basically a flaming bag of %#*%.

Delaware has more to offer than everyone in the MAC outside of Toledo and Ohio imo. We have two major outliers with NMSU and FIU. If those two weren’t in CUSA we’d have a decent footprint. I’m good with both of them they are just on islands.

 

[jakeboldenbrp]

View embedded media

Never realized how soft Liberty's schedule is missing WKU and Sam Houston along with a P4-less OOC schedule. Path of least resistance to a G5 playoff spot. That $2 billion endowment sure is nice.

 

[MTTim]

Never realized how soft Liberty's schedule is missing WKU and Sam Houston along with a P4-less OOC schedule. Path of least resistance to a G5 playoff spot. That $2 billion endowment sure is nice.

Their weak schedule will not help at the end of the season. A 1 or 2 loss Boise, or another 1 loss team from the AAC or Sumbelt would probably get the g5 slot.
With Libertys weak schedule they will need to go undefeated and beat teams by several points just to be in the conversation.
Wish we had a $2b endowment but not with the current leadership.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

Delaware is in our conference now? What a joke. Should have jumped to the Mac when we had the chance. This “regional” conference USA is basically a flaming bag of %#*%.

Delaware has more to offer than everyone in the MAC outside of Toledo and Ohio imo. We have two major outliers with NMSU and FIU. If those two weren’t in CUSA we’d have a decent footprint. I’m good with both of them they are just on islands.

I think Delaware is going to be better than a lot of people are giving them credit for. Distance wise they are less than 300 miles from Liberty. Closer than we are to LaT.

Judy probably is regretting NMSU now that UTEP is leaving, but it made sense at the time.
If we had to choose two FCS jumps to add, Delaware and Missouri St are some good choices. While Delaware would make more sense in the MAC, I'll take them over some of the other options.

 

[jakeboldenbrp]

I think Delaware is going to be better than a lot of people are giving them credit for. Distance wise they are less than 300 miles from Liberty. Closer than we are to LaT.

Judy probably is regretting NMSU now that UTEP is leaving, but it made sense at the time.
If we had to choose two FCS jumps to add, Delaware and Missouri St are some good choices. While Delaware would make more sense in the MAC, I'll take them over some of the other options.

Would love for CUSA to drop NMSU and FIU from a geography stand point. Also would help the competitive landscape across all sports.

To move the conversation out of football, both schools (Missouri State and Delaware) offer great competition in other sports. Missouri State will improve WBB tremendously as a potential two-bid league. Both have above average baseball programs. Delaware's softball has won two CAA titles in the last 3 years, just missed at-large LY.

 

[MT Glenn]

I thought Missouri State would be a good MBB addition but Cuonzo has them in last place in the MVC

 

[ewglenn]

I thought Missouri State would be a good MBB addition but Cuonzo has them in last place in the MVC

It’s his first year back so I’d give him some grace. He’s coached there before and improved each year.

11-20
24-12
26-9

 

[RaiderDoug]

Would love for CUSA to drop NMSU and FIU from a geography stand point. Also would help the competitive landscape across all sports.

To move the conversation out of football, both schools (Missouri State and Delaware) offer great competition in other sports. Missouri State will improve WBB tremendously as a potential two-bid league. Both have above average baseball programs. Delaware's softball has won two CAA titles in the last 3 years, just missed at-large LY.

I do think we could stand to nudge a couple of teams out.

I like having a presence in Florida, but FIU is waaay out there. NMSU brings nothing to us and was only added so that the conference bureaucrats could keep their jobs. At the very least, they're still a travel partner for UTEP though.

I like the Delaware and Missouri State ads. Delaware has some FCS succcess and it's always good to add a state flagship.

 

[BRaiderDave]

Delaware and MO State were the two best expansion options for us. Only the second FBS school in the State of Missouri and well within our footprint, and Delaware being a flagship school in the Philly area.

 

[SpaceRaider]

A recent posting on the CUSA board posted about NET rankings of various conference, about Men's basketball, I know, but still..., I have no desire to revisit the MAC or such conference realignment scenarios. Just a reminder MT profited far better in deciding to remain than the other options presented themselves.


Conference ranking and Average conference comps

6 - Mountain West 124
7 - Atlantic 10 133
8 - CUSA 146
10 - MVC 154
11 - The American 161
15 - WAC 210
20 - Sun Belt 223
23 - MAC 236

 

[blueraider315]

A recent posting on the CUSA board posted about NET rankings of various conference, about Men's basketball, I know, but still..., I have no desire to revisit the MAC or such conference realignment scenarios. Just a reminder MT profited far better in deciding to remain than the other options presented themselves.


Conference ranking and Average conference comps

6 - Mountain West 124
7 - Atlantic 10 133
8 - CUSA 146
10 - MVC 154
11 - The American 161
15 - WAC 210
20 - Sun Belt 223
23 - MAC 236

We are also above the sunbelt too. I don't hate this conference and the way it is. I think we could actually get left behind again if we don't start getting better. Need to find a way to brand so people don't care who we play.

 

[sWiley]

I think we could actually get left behind again if we don't start getting better. Need to find a way to brand so people don't care who we play.

Quoted for emphasis

 

[MidTennMtneer]

A recent posting on the CUSA board posted about NET rankings of various conference, about Men's basketball, I know, but still..., I have no desire to revisit the MAC or such conference realignment scenarios. Just a reminder MT profited far better in deciding to remain than the other options presented themselves.


Conference ranking and Average conference comps

6 - Mountain West 124
7 - Atlantic 10 133
8 - CUSA 146
10 - MVC 154
11 - The American 161
15 - WAC 210
20 - Sun Belt 223
23 - MAC 236

Staying when we did was absolutely the right decision. I fully admit I was wrong pushing for the MAC.

Now that being said, I agree with 315. There are some more G5(6) changes coming with the PAC and MWC not done yet, not to mention what will happen in the 2030s with the new CFP deal and near the end of the ACC's deal.

We have a VERY small window to get our ducks in a row with consistent winning in the revenue sports or we will 100% be left behind.

 

[BRaiderDave]

We most definitely get left behind at that time if the current powers that be at MT are still there.

 

[mtfblue]

left behind?? No one else is moving to the P4/3, there will be some shuffling in G5/6, the PAC will not have a auto playoff bid, they will be fighting just like every G5/6 school to get in. The TV deals will level out for the G's.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

left behind?? No one else is moving to the P4/3, there will be some shuffling in G5/6, the PAC will not have a auto playoff bid, they will be fighting just like every G5/6 school to get in. The TV deals will level out for the G's.

I agree no one else is going P4 and the PAC will absolutely become a G6. But there still will be drastic ranges in the G6 media deals.

The PAC is still predicted at around $8-12m with the MWC around $4-6m. We are barely $1m, the SBC just over, and the MAC under.
And if any AAC teams jump to the PAC, CUSA could become even more watered down. That is what I mean by left behind. From a money standpoint.