Winston-Salem State’s 2025 football schedule has quietly landed. No splashy announcement on social media, but a full slate now lives on the Rams’ official website, and it packs plenty of intrigue.
The season kicks off with a national spotlight.
WSSU will take on Tuskegee in the annual Red Tails Classic on Sunday, Aug. 31 at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU, giving the Rams a high-profile stage to start the season. The annual event honors the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, and last year’s Classic featured another North Carolina HBCU, Johnson C. Smith, which claimed a thrilling win.
The Rams’ participation means North Carolina college football fans will have games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of opening weekend — a rare full-weekend feast.
🔥 Week Two Highlight: Mars Hill Showdown
WSSU stays on the road in Week 2 (Sept. 6), traveling to face Mars Hill, a perennial contender from the South Atlantic Conference. Both teams posted winning records in 2024, and this non-conference clash ranks among our top 10 D2 games to watch in 2025.
CIAA Play Starts Week 3
Conference play begins in Week 3 with a home matchup against Lincoln, one of four CIAA rivals that used to be “cross-divisional” opponents from out-of-state. The other three include Bowie State (away), Virginia State (home) and Virginia Union (home).
Virginia Union won the conference last season, also capturing two D2 playoff victories. Virginia State finished as the runners-up. Both the Virginia schools scored wins over the Rams in 2024.
October Brings the NC Rivalry Gauntlet
The back half of the schedule is packed with in-state CIAA matchups — and plenty of time away from home. The Rams will face:
- Shaw (road)
- Livingstone (home)
- Johnson C. Smith (road)
- Fayetteville State (road)
Only one of those — the Livingstone game — will be played in the friendly confines of Bowman Gray Stadium, and it’s a big one: “Forever Red” Homecoming and Senior Day on Oct. 18.
“We are looking forward to playing some great competition this year,” WSSU head coach Robert Massey said earlier this spring. “We cannot wait to welcome back all the fans and alumni for Homecoming, and we look forward to having everyone support us on our quest to a CIAA championship.”
The Outlook: Can WSSU Take the Next Step?
The 2024 Rams finished 7-3 (5-2 CIAA) and were on the playoff radar in the season’s final weeks. They return to a division-less CIAA structure in 2025 but still face a mix of traditional powerhouses and hungry rivals.
Winston-Salem State won four conference championships between 2011-16 but has not been back to the title game since then. Fayetteville State has dominated the North Carolina CIAA circuit over much of the last decade, and now Johnson C. Smith has staked its claim as the team to beat from our state. WSSU will be hungry to reassert itself.
More Than a Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium remains one of the most unique venues in North Carolina college football. Shared with a short-track auto racing circuit — including a recent NASCAR event back in February — the 17,000-seat venue doubles as a community landmark. WSSU fans continue to fill the stands, especially when local CIAA rivals come to town.
🏈 Winston-Salem State 2025 Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time/Result | TV/Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 31 | vs | Tuskegee# | 6 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Sept. 6 | at | Mars Hill | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Sept. 13 | vs | Lincoln* | ||
| Sept. 20 | vs | Virginia State* | ||
| Sept. 27 | at | Bowie State* | ||
| Oct. 4 | vs | Virginia Union* | ||
| Oct. 11 | at | Shaw | 1 p.m. | |
| Oct. 18 | vs | Livingstone* | 1 p.m. | |
| Oct. 25 | at | Johnson C. Smith* | 1 p.m. | |
| Nov. 8 | at | Fayetteville State* | 1 p.m. | |
| * denotes CIAA game | ||||
| # Red Tails Classic, Montgomery, Alabama |
🏈 Winston-Salem State 2024 Football Results
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Overall | Conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 31 | at | Bluefield State | W | 34-3 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Sep. 7 | at | North Carolina A&T | L | 20-27 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Sep. 14 | vs | Ohio Dominican | W | 19-13 | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Sep. 21 | at | Virginia State* | W | 15-14 | 3-1 | 1-0 |
| Sep. 28 | vs | Bowie State* | W | 28-14 | 4-1 | 2-0 |
| Oct. 5 | at | Virginia Union* | L | 13-31 | 4-2 | 2-1 |
| Oct. 12 | vs | Shaw* | W | 34-14 | 5-2 | 3-1 |
| Oct. 19 | at | Livingstone* | W | 31-17 | 6-2 | 4-1 |
| Oct. 26 | vs | Johnson C. Smith* | L | 15-24 | 6-3 | 4-2 |
| Nov. 2 | BYE | |||||
| Nov. 9 | vs | Fayetteville State*# | W | 37-31 | 7-3 | 5-2 |
