The Florida A&M football team won’t be in action during college football’s Week 6 as initially planned.
Entering the 2025 season, the Rattlers were scheduled to face Southwestern Athletic Conference foe Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in the Georgia Football Classic on Saturday, Oct. 4.
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The FAMU versus Mississippi Valley game was to be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons and the site of the Rattlers’ 2023 Celebration Bowl victory over Howard to claim the program’s 16th Black College Football National Championship trophy.
However, questions surrounding an unpaid and past-due $25,000 payment to FAMU from the Georgia Football Classic promoters, AAA Automotive and Logistics Partners, and other issues ultimately led to the cancellation of the neutral-site game on Sept. 30.
The Rattlers versus Delta Devils is rescheduled for a Thanksgiving weekend SWAC matchup on Saturday, Nov. 29, and will be played at Mississippi Valley’s 10,000-seat Rice-Totten Stadium at 3 p.m.
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III speaks with an official during an Week 3 NCAA football game versus the Albany State Golden Rams on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
Now on an unplanned bye week, FAMU (1-3, 0-1 in SWAC) is using the extra time off to hit a ‘hard reset’ before returning to action for its final non-conference game versus North Carolina Central (4-2) next Saturday, Oct. 11, at 3 p.m.
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The game on FAMU’s Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium will be on HBCU GO and 96.1 JAMZ.
Under second-year head coach James Colzie III, the Rattlers are off to their worst start since 2016, having lost to Alabama State 42-14 in the SWAC opener, marking FAMU’s worst home loss since 2018.
After facing North Carolina Central, FAMU will be on an exclusively SWAC schedule versus Alcorn State (Oct. 18/Homecoming), Southern (Oct. 25), Jackson State (Nov. 1), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 8), Alabama A&M (Nov. 15), Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 22/Florida Classic), and the makeup game versus Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 29).
Florida A&M Football’s Remaining 2025 Schedule
All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.
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Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central, 3 p.m., HBCU GO
Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming), 4 p.m., ESPN Plus
Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC), 5 p.m., SWAC TV
Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC), 7 p.m., ESPN Network
Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium), 3:30 p.m., ESPN Plus
Makeup Game: Saturday, Nov. 29 ― at Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary)
Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary)
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: Florida A&M Rattlers schedule after Georgia Football Classic cancellation