Minium: ODU's 2025 Football Schedule Will Again Be Challenging and Exciting
By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion will once again play one of the most exciting football schedules among the Group of 5 in 2025, and many of ODU’s biggest games will be played at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
The Monarchs open at Indiana, a College Football Playoff participant last season, on Aug. 31, and then host North Carolina Central a week later on Sept. 6. And while N.C. Central is an FCS school, the Eagles have a rich history.
The Eagles have won 28 games in the last three years, tied for two MEAC titles and defeated Jackson State, then coached by Deion Sanders, in the 2022 Celebration Bowl. N.C. Central garnered an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA FCS playoffs.
“We have a lot of respect for North Carolina Central and what they have accomplished,” said Ricky Rahne, ODU’s head coach.
The Monarchs then travel to Virginia Tech on Sept. 13, its second game against a Power 4 conference school, and although the Monarchs have beaten the Hokies twice, they’ve never won in Blacksburg.
ODU then has a bye week before returning to S.B. Ballard Stadium on Sept. 27 to take on in-state foe Liberty University.
Liberty is two years removed from a 13-1 season in which the Flames went to the Fiesta Bowl.
The challenge doesn’t get any easier with the gauntlet that is known as the Sun Belt Conference.
“Last year, for the third year in a row, the Sun Belt Conference claimed the most bowl bids in FBS,” said Bruce Stewart, ODU’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer.
The Sun Belt sent eight of its 14 members to bowl games in 2024 after sending a record 12 to bowl games in 2023. The Sun Belt had four victories over the Power 4 in 2022, including ODU’s upset 20-17 victory over Virginia Tech; won four against the Power 4 again in 2023 and defeated three Power 4 schools in 2024.
The Monarchs open their Sun Belt home slate against Coastal Carolina on Oct. 4, host App State on Oct 25, meet Troy on Thursday, Nov. 13, and then close out their home schedule against Georgia State on Saturday, Nov 29.
ODU has never met Troy and ESPN officials instantly recognized that the first meeting between the Monarchs and Trojans could be a great TV matchup.
Troy has a terrific football tradition. The Trojans won two Division II and one NAIA national title before moving to FBS in 2001. Since joining the Sun Belt in 2004, the Trojans have won eight Sun Belt titles, including 2022, when they finished the season ranked 19th nationally.
The contest will be televised on an ESPN platform on a Thursday night, which guarantees ODU a wide national TV audience. The Monarchs hosted Georgia Southern last season on a Thursday night and nearly 500,000 viewers in more than 200,000 homes watched the Monarchs defeat the Eagles, 47-19.
It was the first Thursday night game for ODU in its first 16 football seasons and drew a crowd of 18,821, much larger than most weeknight games draw.
ODU’s Sun Belt road schedule is also challenging: Oct. 18, at defending Sun Belt champion Marshall; Oct. 25, at James Madison; Nov. 1, at Louisiana-Monroe and Nov. 16, at Georgia Southern.
ODU and ULM have never met.
While the transfer portal and NIL have made preseason prognosticating all that much more complicated, there is reason for optimism at ODU.
Significantly, the Monarchs return all three coordinators – Kevin Decker (offense), Blake Seiler (defense) and Kevin Smith (special teams) for the third year in a row. ODU hired only one assistant coach in the offseason – cornerbacks coach Dwike Wilson.
ODU Cornerbacks Coach Dwike Wilson Has Wisdom Learned from His Ancestors
“That’s big because, you know, you are going to have a lot of new players, right?” Rahne said.
“So having the same system, and knowing how to teach the system well, learning how to practice all together, it’s really beneficial.”
ODU’s class of incoming high school players is generally ranked the best in Rahne’s tenure at ODU.
ODU also returns quarterbacks Colton Joseph and Quinn Henicle, who have signed NIL deals with the Pride of ODU, the University’s collective. Rahne said they give the Monarchs their best quarterback tandem heading into spring practice since he came to ODU in 2019.
Two young quarterbacks give ODU a ton of optimism as Monarchs head into spring practice
“I think we have positioned ourselves favorably for a special season and are poised to make that next step,” Stewart said.
“I say that always with some hesitation because there are inherent variables such as injuries, depth and things of that nature, that can change a trajectory.”
“We recognize there is work to be done, but going into the spring, I believe we have some significant pieces in place and have established some continuity in an environment in which there isn’t much stability around the country.”
“A lot of years you go into a season wondering who you are. I think we know who we are right now,” Stewart added. “We have a clear identify. We’re tough and we play extremely hard. I like the intentionality of our recruiting class as it addressed several areas of need.
“You must bring your ‘A’ game every day to win in the Sun Belt. “The parity throughout the league is very stout.”
ODU’s non-conference scheduling shifts in 2026.
ODU’s schedules through 2025 were done years ago when the Monarchs were members of Conference USA. ODU was paid $1.5 million to play at South Carolina last season and receives $1.3 million from Indiana this season.
Now that ODU is in the Sun Belt, and with the rigor of the league schedule, there are no more “buy” games on the docket for the foreseeable future
ODU’s non-conference schedules for the next few years are focused on local schools.
ODU opens against Norfolk State in both 2026 and 2027, and the Spartans have always sold out S.B. Ballard Stadium. The Monarchs also travel to Virginia Tech and host East Carolina in 2026.
In 2027, ODU hosts Virginia Tech and Norfolk State and in 2028, the Monarchs open at home against Virginia, travel to Virginia Tech and then host Hampton.
In 2029, ODU opens at home against William and Mary and also hosts Virginia Tech. In 2030, ODU begins a two-game series against Army on Aug. 31 at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
“The landscape of college football is changing,” Stewart said. “And our future non-conference schedules give us better balance to meet our goals and objectives.”
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Minium is ODU’s senior executive writer. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram