That used to be based on the calendar in FCS football but will, starting in 2026, now be the norm. FCS will play 12 regular-season games every year; the Big Sky is moving to nine conference games and will use what is currently called “Week 0” in August for conference games.

What isn’t the norm, however, is Weber State’s travel this season.

The Wildcats open with four of the first five games on the road. According to the school, WSU is the only team in either Division I subdivision to play its first four road games in each of the continental United States’ four time zones, geographically.

Trips to Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, give Weber State two long hauls in the first three weeks of the season. WSU also plays at Portland State this season, a longer trip in league play — but the trip to James Madison in Virginia is three times as long, and to McNeese in Louisiana is twice as long.

Overall, Weber State will travel about 10,500 miles this season.

Based on travel and the strength of WSU’s schedule to start the season, it’s not unreasonable that even a team noticeably improved from 2024 might still start 2-4 to open this campaign. Kenneth Massey‘s strength of schedule metric has Weber State’s slate projected as the second-most difficult in FCS.

Here’s a look at each of WSU’s opponents for the 2025 season.

AUG. 30: at JAMES MADISON

2024 record: 9-4 (4-4 Sun Belt)

Predicted conf. finish: 1st

All-time: JMU 3-0

Last: JMU 37-24 (2021)

Four all-time meetings between JMU and WSU, counting 2025, will take place in the last nine years — even after WSU and JMU canceled a planned meeting in 2023. The Dukes will pay Weber State just $300,000 for the trip, marking the first matchup between the two after James Madison moved up to FBS.

On the field, James Madison is expected to be as good as always. The Dukes are 28-9 in three seasons since moving to FBS, including a 17-7 record in the Sun Belt.

The Dukes have a returning quarterback who passed for 2,598 yards and 26 touchdowns to just four interceptions last year while also rushing for 442 yards and seven more scores. But it’s unclear now if junior Alonza Barnett III will get the nod against Weber State.

Barnett is rehabbing an ACL injury suffered late last season and hasn’t been a full fall camp participant. Many might expect the Dukes to turn to sixth-year senior Matthew Sluka, who finished fourth in Walter Payton Award voting in 2023 at Holy Cross and then left UNLV in 2024 after three games over failed-and-bailed NIL disagreements.

But there’s plenty of talk around junior Camden Coleman looking like a potential starter; he transferred to JMU after starting for two seasons at Richmond. So whoever second-year head coach Bob Chesney goes with will have plenty of game experience, especially compared to which WSU QB gets the starting job.

SEPT. 6: at ARIZONA

2024 record: 4-8 (2-7 Big 12)

Predicted conference finish: 12th (via ESPN)

All-time: First meeting

WSU’s first meeting with Arizona gets them $625,000. The blue Wildcats are looking for a bit more than their two-win Big 12 debut last year in the second season under head coach Brent Brennan. Arizona beat lowly Houston and sprung a road upset on Utah for its two league wins.

Brennan turned over both coordinator spots in the offseason. The defense (allowed 31.8 points per game) said goodbye to Duane Akina and promoted linebackers coach Danny Gonzales, formerly head coach at New Mexico, to defensive coordinator.

Eight-year Syracuse head coach Dino Babers lasted just one year calling Arizona’s offense for Brennan. Dynamic quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 239.1 yards per game in 2023 with a 72.4% completion rate and 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions. That regressed to 246.5 yards (7 more yards but on eight more attempts per game) at a 60.5% clip with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions (tied for most picks among Big 12 QBs). Arizona’s offense dropped from averaging 34.6 points per game to 21.8.

So offensive reins now go to Seth Doege, an outside hire aimed at infusing young, up-and-comer energy into the offense. Doege had hands in getting Jaxson Dart to USC and later was on staff coaching Dart at Ole Miss. Most notably, perhaps, is that Doege had two 4,000-yard seasons as quarterback at pass-happy Texas Tech.

So that, and Doege’s one season as offensive coordinator at Marshall, could see Fifita return to form and give Weber State fits.

SEPT. 13: at McNEESE

2024 record: 6-6 (3-4 Southland)

Predicted conf. finish: 6th

All-time: McNeese 4-1

Last: McNeese 28-26 (2024)

McNeese has successfully left Ogden with wins twice (2024, 2012) and Weber State is now trying to snap a four-game skid against the Cowboys in a series that first played in 1990. In one of four such losses for WSU in 2024, McNeese capitalized on miscues and edged the Wildcats by two points.

But most everything’s different in Lake Charles this year. Last year’s 6-6 campaign was the best for three-year head coach Gary Goff, who was fired at season’s end. Former Montana QB Clifton McDowell has used his eligibility after starting for McNeese last year.

McNeese has turned back to Matt Viator, who was head coach for the Cowboys from 2006-15. His final campaign saw McNeese go 10-0 in the regular season, after which he left for an FBS job at Louisiana-Monroe, where he went 19-39 from 2016-20. Overall, he coached at McNeese for 17 seasons and is now back at the helm.

TV station KLPC reports Viator’s return and stadium renovations have season ticket sales up 70% in Lake Charles. So excitement abounds, even though little is known or expected for what the Cowboys will look like on the field.

SEPT. 20: vs. BUTLER

2024 record: 9-3 (5-3 Pioneer)

Predicted conf. finish: 4th

All-time: First meeting

Weber State finally opens the home slate in Week 4 with another first-time matchup in Butler, the Pioneer Football League (FCS nonscholarship conference) team from Indianapolis that WSU will pay $200,000 to make the trip.

The Bulldogs fared well enough last year, going 4-0 in nonconference (with three non-DI opponents) and finishing tied for third in the PFL.

Butler has leadership changes as well after Ball State hired away head coach Mike Uremovich. The two Indiana schools unofficially made a trade, with Butler hiring Ball State assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Kevin Lynch as its new head coach. He’s only the 10th head coach in the last 90 years at Butler.

The Bulldogs will have a starting returning QB in junior Reagan Andrew (1,717 yards, 11 touchdowns, six interceptions) on the roster, though Butler leaned on its run game last year at 214.4 yards per game, seventh best in FCS.

SEPT. 27: at UC DAVIS

2024 record: 11-3 (7-1 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 2nd/3rd

All-time: WSU 7-4

Last: UC Davis 17-16 (2023)

Dan Hawkins put his alma mater on a great foundation and Tim Plough ran with it in 2024, leading UC Davis to a school-record 11 wins in his first season at the helm. The Aggies tallied the program’s best win in terms of highest-ranked opponent (No. 5 Idaho), won at No. 7 Montana and also grabbed the program’s first-ever win over Eastern Washington.

And now the Aggies have seven players, most in the league, on the Big Sky’s preseason all-conference team.

That’s led by senior safety (and native of Pleasant Grove, Utah) Rex Connors, who was voted the Big Sky’s preseason defensive MVP. Connors led FCS last season with 74 solo tackles and has eight interceptions in the last three seasons.

UC Davis does have to replace two key seniors, though, in quarterback Miles Hastings (who led FCS with 4,493 passing yards last season) and 1,500-yard running back Lan Larison. Plough said in a press conference this week that redshirt freshman Caden Pinnick had won the quarterback job; he appeared in one game in 2024, recording no stats, though he should have four games of experience by the time Weber State visits The Farm.

OCT. 11: vs. SACRAMENTO STATE

2024 record: 3-9 (1-7 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 6th

All-time: WSU 16-10

Last: Sac 51-48 2OT (2024)

Why would a team that managed just one conference win in 2024 (a double-OT home win over Weber State) generate buzz as either a dark horse — or maybe even a favorite, depending on who you ask — in 2025?

Money, mostly. A reported infusion of support, including NIL money, saw the Hornets bring in 50 transfers to this year’s roster. Of those, 34 are FBS transfers. Hero Sports rated Sac State’s 2025 class, both high school alone and overall (preps and transfers) as the best in the country.

One of those transfers is quarterback Jaden Rashada, a former four-star California prospect who spent one season at Arizona State and another at Georgia. He threw for 485 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in three games as a freshman at ASU and did not appear in a game for UGA.

It’s hard to know what to make of Sacramento State as the team arrives in Ogden following WSU’s bye. Many of those recruits were surely lured with the promise that the Hornets would be in FBS after 2025. Indeed, Sac State is leaving the Big Sky after this year, but for FCS independence; the school’s request to grant it an FBS transition without a conference invitation was denied.

Perhaps that’s why the Hornets were voted sixth in both Big Sky preseason polls (coaches and media) while also receiving one first-place vote in each: we’re all waiting to see if first-year head coach Brennan Marion can live up to the hype while also admitting that the Hornets could very well be a juggernaut.

OCT. 18: at PORTLAND STATE

2024 record: 3-8 (3-5 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 10th

All-time: WSU 24-15

Last: WSU 43-16 (2024)

The Vikings host Ogden after opening the season with games in six straight weeks, including Aug. 23 and “Week 0,” four of which are on the road. Oct. 18 probably brings a refreshed squad off a bye week as Weber arrives in Hillsboro.

Portland State always has a few top-end players and athletes who help the Vikings compete in most Big Sky games. Defensive back Isaiah Green (2024: 50 tackles, one interception) and tight end Tanner Beaman (257 yards, one touchdown) were voted to the Big Sky’s preseason all-conference team.

PSU’s defense got cooked for 40 points per game last season, though, which is something they’ll need answers for as head coach Bruce Barnum enters his 11th season leading the program.

Longtime dual-threat QB Dante Chachere is now done with his PSU career; he totaled 1,970 passing and 873 rushing yards last year, with 12 touchdowns in each category. Senior CJ Jordan (via Idaho and Northern Illinois) and sophomore John-Keawe Sagapolutele (transfer from Hawaii) seem like probable top choices to replace Chachere.

OCT. 25: vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON

2024 record: 4-8 (3-5 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 8th/9th

All-time: EWU 20-18

Last: EWU 31-23 (2023)

Eastern Washington is expected to be about as good as the expectations for Weber State, with both voted eighth in one Big Sky preseason poll and ninth in the other.

EWU’s offense has long been its calling card and, like many teams on this schedule, is going to break in a new quarterback this season. Kekoa Visperas (2024: 2,171 yards, 17 touchdowns) is off to Tennessee Tech as a likely frontrunner for that QB job over Richie Muñoz.

Most of those passing yards went to Efton Chism III (1,311 yards, 13 TD), who has impressed in camp for the New England Patriots this summer. The Eagles were more run-heavy last season than many are accustomed to, but leading rusher Tuna Altahir (718 yards) is also out the door.

Sixth-year senior Jared Taylor is back; he hurt WSU in 2023 as a run-package quarterback and, in 2024, he rushed for 708 yards and 10 touchdowns. Other than Taylor, the Eagles have a list of sophomores and freshmen with limited or no reps at QB.

EWU put defensive lineman Tylin Jackson, defensive back DaJean Wells and special teams player Trevor Thurman on the preseason all-Big Sky list.

NOV. 1: vs. MONTANA

2024 record: 9-5 (5-3 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 2nd/3rd

All-time: UM 41-18

Last: WSU 55-48 OT (2024)

With resources and pedigree, and a proven FCS coach in Bobby Hauck, count on Montana to always factor in the Big Sky race and make the playoffs.

Logan Fife is gone as QB but the Griz (speaking of pedigree) return Keali’i Ah Yat after a decent showing in part-time work as a redshirt freshman last season. Montana also brought in Utah native Jake Jensen, who graduated high school in 2019, for his final college season. He threw for 1,970 yards in one junior college season in 2021, spent three seasons on the bench at USC, and is now aiming to win a job with the Griz. Redshirt freshman Luke Flowers is also in the competition to start.

None of the above will have Junior Bergen (2024: 542 yards, punt-return savant) or Keelan White (628 yards) to throw to, but whoever wins the job will have Eli Gillman (1,104 yards, 15 TD) in the backfield with them.

The all-time series is severely lopsided, but Weber State has won three straight against Montana overall and five of the last six, including three straight in Ogden.

NOV. 8: at MONTANA STATE

2024 record: 15-1 (8-0 Big Sky), national runner-up

Predicted conf. finish: 1st

All-time: MSU 34-23

Last: MSU 40-0 (2023)

Playing Montana and Montana State back to back is yet another tough facet of WSU’s schedule. WSU’s series with MSU is the opposite of UM: the Wildcats were more competitive in the past but the Bobcats have won four straight and seven of the last 10. That’s because Montana State has become a juggernaut and rattled off 15 straight wins in 2024 before losing to North Dakota State in the national title game.

With what has been a great offensive line even with consistent turnover via outgoing FBS transfers, the Bobcats have put up gaudy rushing numbers (295 yards per game last year). MSU had three 1,000-yard rushers in 2024, but two are gone. QB Tommy Mellott was drafted by the Raiders (2,759 passing yards, 31 TD; 1,050 rushing yards, 15 TD) and Scottre Humphrey (1,386 yards, 16 TD) transferred to New Mexico to create a killer RB duo with WSU’s Damon Bankston.

Who is back, though, is running back Adam Jones, voted as the Big Sky’s preseason offensive MVP after rushing for 1,172 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman.

Stanford transfer Justin Lamson may very well step into Mellott’s shoes. Jim Plunkett no longer has Stanford’s record for rushing TDs by a quarterback in one season after Lamson ran for eight last year as a part-time QB. A fifth-year college player, Lamson is listed as a junior on MSU’s roster. In two seasons at Stanford, he passed for 804 yards and four touchdowns with four interceptions; he also rushed for 428 yards and 13 touchdowns.

NOV. 15: at IDAHO STATE

2024 record: 5-7 (3-5 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 7th

All-time: WSU 49-16

Last: ISU 43-35 (2024)

Weber State ends the 2025 slate with both its yearly rivalries, starting with the one we can perhaps now call a rivalry since the Bengals have tallied a win (WSU was 37-3 in the last 40 matchups before 2024) to claim the newly reinstated Train Bell Trophy.

And hopes are high for the Bengals in the second year under Cody Hawkins. Hawkins got ISU’s offense to 32 points per game last year, though the Bengals are yet another team starting over at QB after Kobe Tracy (3,077 yards, 24 TD) and Hunter Hays (longtime run-package QB) are gone. ISU brought in junior college QBs Jordan Cooke and Logan Gonzalez to vie for the job.

Hawkins also pulled Idaho native Grant Duff out of his longtime role at Weber State (along with defensive linemen Bronson Childs and Jagger Childs) to run the Bengals’ defense, so the Pocatello squad should see improvement there (allowed 37.8 points per game in 2024).

NOV. 22: vs. NORTHERN ARIZONA

2024 record: 8-5 (6-2 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 4th/5th

All-time: NAU 29-28

Last: NAU 27-6 (2024)

If hopes are good for Idaho State, they’re even better for Northern Arizona, who edged ahead in the all-time series against Weber State with last season’s home win and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 under first-year coach Brian Wright.

The Lumberjacks enter the season ranked No. 19 with the return of quarterback Ty Pennington, voted as the Big Sky’s preseason all-conference QB. He threw for 2,288 yards and 13 touchdowns last year while adding 437 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Only one of his top receiving targets returns (Kolbe Katsis, 498 yards, two TD) but leading rusher Seth Cromwell (681 yards, nine TD) is back.

NAU placed defensive lineman Micah Carreon (46 tackles, 7.0 TFL), linebacker Brandon Wong (43 tackles, 4.5 TFL, one forced fumble) and punter Ben D’Aquila (46.7 yards per punt, 30 of 40 punts fair caught or inside 20) on the preseason all-conference team.