Year two of the Cris Reisert coaching era at Gardner-Webb is locked and loaded. The OVC-Big South Football Association released its complete conference schedule on Jan. 14 and that completes the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 2025 calendar.
Gardner-Webb will play a challenging 12-game slate for the second year in a row, facing four non-conference opponents and eight foes from the OVC-Big South.
For the fifth year in a row, GWU will challenge two FBS opponents.
The season opens with a road trip to Western Carolina over Labor Day weekend. The Bulldogs and Catamounts have played five times since 2016, with Gardner-Webb winning the last two meetings in 2019 and 2021.
Western Carolina flirted with the top 25 much of the 2024 season, placing second in the Southern Conference with a 6-2 record (7-5 overall).
Gardner-Webb will then travel to an ascending ACC program, Georgia Tech on Sept. 6. The Bulldogs nearly knocked off the Yellow Jackets the last time they faced off in 2008. Tech escaped 10-7. Georgia Tech took playoff-bound Georgia to multiple overtimes and advanced to a bowl game this past season, finishing 7-6, 5-3 ACC.
The 2025 Gardner-Webb football home opener at Spangler Stadium will be Sept. 13 against The Citadel from the Southern Conference. This will be the first meeting between these two schools since The Citadel swept a pair of games in 2014 (37-14) and 2016 (31-24). The Bulldogs were 5-7 in 2024.
The final non-conference showdown will be against Ohio, an FBS opponent from the MAC. The Bobcats (11-3) are coming off a conference championship season but will be under new management in 2025. Coach Tim Albin left to take the head job at Charlotte. GWU also played Ohio in 2016, losing 37-21.
Gardner-Webb will host UT Martin, Southeast Missouri, Charleston Southern and Western Illinois in OVC-Big South play. Conference road games will come against Tennessee Tech, Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State.
The Charleston Southern match-up will again be designated the North/South BBQ Bowl. It will be played at Gardner-Webb’s Spangler Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 4.
All of GWU’s OVC-Big South games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Gardner-Webb, which won the Big South in 2022 and the Big South/OVC in 2023, finished 4-8 in 2024 in the first year under coach Cris Reisert. The Bulldogs went 3-5 in conference play and showed promise. Reisert and staff have recruited well.
(The OVC-Big South Football Association has rebranded heading into 2025. The first two seasons, the league – a combination of teams from the Ohio Valley Conference and the Big South – went by the moniker Big South/OVC Football Association).
2025 Gardner-Webb Football Schedule
| Date |  | Opponent | Time/Result | TV/Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 30 | at | Western Carolina | ||
| Sept. 6 | at | Georgia Tech | ||
| Sept. 13 | vs | The Citadel | ||
| Sept. 20 | at | Ohio | ||
| Oct. 4 | vs | Charleston Southern* | ESPN+ | |
| Oct. 11 | at | Eastern Illinois* | ESPN+ | |
| Oct. 18 | vs | UT Martin* | ESPN+ | |
| Oct. 25 | at | Lindenwood* | ESPN+ | |
| Nov. 1 | at | Tennessee Tech* | ESPN+ | |
| Nov. 8 | vs | Southeast Missouri* | ESPN+ | |
| Nov. 15 | at | Tennessee State* | ESPN+ | |
| Nov. 22 | vs | Western Illinois* | ESPN+ | |
| * denotes conference game |
Gardner-Webb Future Football Opponents
- 2026 – Chattanooga (Sept. 16)
- 2028 – at The Citadel (Sept. 2)
- 2030 – at Chattanooga (Sept. 14)
More 2025 FCS Football Schedules
2025 Campbell Football Schedule
2025 North Carolina A&T Football Schedule
2025 Western Carolina Football Schedule
