DAYTON – The University of Dayton football team will open the 2025 season on the road when the Flyers travel to face Eastern Illinois on Thursday, Aug. 28.  

"We have an interesting schedule this season."  Flyer coach Trevor Andrews said.  "It will be exciting to be one of the handful of teams playing on the first date that games are allowed this year when we play Eastern Illinois on Aug. 28.  And we close the season against the two teams that have represented the Pioneer Football League in the FCS playoffs the last four years – Drake (in 2023 and 2024) and Davidson (2021 and 2022). 

"While historically our football program has played all of the teams on our 2025 schedule in the past,  eight of our opponents will be unfamiliar to our current staff.  Five of the teams -- Eastern Illinois, Thomas More, Robert Morris, Stetson and Drake – are programs we will be playing for the first time since our staff has been here.  The other three – Valparaiso, Butler and Davidson – have new coaching staffs."    

After opening on the road at Eastern Illinois on Aug. 28, the Flyers will host Thomas More on Sept. 6 for their home opener, followed by a bye week.  UD finishes the non-conference portion of the schedule at Robert Morris on Sept. 20.

Dayton begins its quest for a 13th Pioneer Football League championship on Sept. 27, hosting Stetson. The Flyers then visit Morehead State on Oct. 4 and Valparaiso on Oct. 11 before returning home to face Butler on Oct. 18. They wrap up October with a home game against Presbyterian on Oct. 25. UD opens November at San Diego on Nov. 1, followed by a bye week. The Flyers play their final home game against Drake on Nov. 15 before closing the season at Davidson on Nov. 22.

All Flyer home games kickoff at 12 Noon ET.  The game times for UD's road games will be announced at a later date.

The first round of the FCS playoffs will be on Saturday, Nov. 29.

UD will play five home games and six on the road this fall.  UD has three non-conference games on the schedule and eight games in the Pioneer Football League. With 11 members in the PFL, the two teams Dayton will not play this year are St. Thomas and Marist. 

Dayton was 6-5 in Coach Trevor Andrews's second season, going 4-4 in the PFL. That was a two-game improvement over 2023. The Flyers have had 44 winning seasons in the last 47 campaigns.