For the second time in three years, East Carolina will open the season at a power conference program when it travels to NC State (Aug. 28). The two programs squared off last year in the Go Bowling Military Bowl in Annapolis with the Pirates claiming their 11th bowl championship after an exciting 26-21 win. The Pirates home opener is slated for Sept. 6 when they welcome in Campbell.
ECU will travel to Coastal Carolina (Sept. 13) for the first ever regular season meeting between the schools. The two programs did face off against one another in the 2022 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl with ECU coming out on top, 53-29. The Pirates will close out the non-conference portion of their schedule at home against BYU (Sept. 19 or 20). It will be the fourth meeting all-time with the Pirates holding a 2-1 advantage in the series.
The Pirates 12th campaign in The American will officially begin when they host 2024 league champion Army (Sept. 25 or 27). ECU leads the all-time series 8-1 dating back to 1995. Following the first of two open weeks, the Pirates will play consecutive Thursday contests at Tulane (Oct. 9) and in Greenville against Tulsa (Oct. 16). After another bye week, ECU opens the month of November at Temple (Nov. 1) before playing two straight weeks at home versus Charlotte (Nov. 8) and Memphis (Nov. 15). Consecutive road games at UTSA (Nov. 22) and at Florida Atlantic (Nov. 29) close out the regular season schedule.
ECU game day designations and color games will be announced once finalized, while broadcast determinations will be made once completed by the league office and the networks.
New season ticket orders are on sale now with packages starting as low as $115 each. The priority deadline to order is April 1. Purchases may be made via ECU’s Online Ticket Center or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at (252) 737-4500.
The Pirates will open spring drills March 25 and conclude work with the annual Purple-Gold Spring Game inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on April 26.
2025 SCHEDULE NOTABLES
COMPOSITE RECORDS
ECU’s 2025 opponents posted a combined 79-74 (.516) record in 2024. The Pirates’ four non-conference foes were 26-25 (.510), while the eight AAC squads tallied a collective 52-49 (.520) mark. Four programs had nine or more wins – Army (12), BYU (11), Memphis (11) and Tulane (9).
SEVEN BOWL TEAMS
In all, East Carolina’s schedule features contests against seven teams which advanced to bowl games a year ago. In addition to Army (Independence Bowl), BYU (Alamo Bowl), Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach Bowl), Memphis (Frisco Bowl), NC State (Military Bowl), Tulane (Gasparilla Bowl) and UTSA (Myrtle Beach Bowl) each made FBS postseason appearances last December. Of ECU’s six home games, three will be against 2024 bowl qualifiers, while four of the six road games will be against postseason teams.
PLAYING 2024 CONFERENCE TITLE GAME TEAMS
ECU will play the two AAC members that squared off the 2024 AAC Championship Game. ECU will host AAC Champs Army and will travel to Tulane, who has appeared in three-straight title games, winning in 2022 against UCF.
IN THE FINAL POLLS
Three of ECU’s 2025 FBS opponents finished ranked in the two major polls (Associated Press, AFCA Coaches) to end the 2024 season – BYU (13/14), Army (21/21) and Memphis (24/23). All three also finished in the final CFP Poll as well (BYU No. 17, Army No. 22 and Memphis No. 25).
NON-SATURDAY ACTION
ECU will have a minimum of four non-Saturday contests in 2025. For the sixth consecutive season (and seventh in the last eight years), ECU will play at least one weeknight contest. Three have been confirmed to be played on a Thursday night (at NC State/Aug. 28; at Tulane/Oct. 9; home vs. Tulsa/Oct. 16), while the BYU (Sept. 19/20) and Army (Sept. 25/27) contests have yet to be determined. Since 2000, ECU is 25-32 (.439) on non-Saturday games (8-17/home, 17-15/road) after posting a 2-1 record in 2024.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
The American Conference will conduct its championship game the first weekend of December (5/6) and will be conducted on the home field of the highest-seeded team (by order of its regular season finish).
KICKOFF TIMES & TELEVISION PICKS
Kickoff times and television selections for the first three weeks of the season and most non-Saturday games will likely be announced around June 1st, while the remainder will be through the traditional 12-day/6-day process.
2025 ECU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Aug. 28 – at NC State
Sept. 6 – CAMPBELL
Sept. 13 – at Coastal Carolina
Sept. 19/20 – BYU
Sept. 25/27 – ARMY*
Oct. 9 – at Tulane*
Oct. 16 – TULSA*
Nov. 1 – at Temple*
Nov. 8 – CHARLOTTE*
Nov. 15 – MEMPHIS*
Nov. 22 – at UTSA*
Nov. 29 – at Florida Atlantic*
Dec. 5/6 – AAC Championship Game (highest-seed campus site)
Home games in ALL CAPS; *American Athletics Conference game; Dates are subject to change pending finalization of television scheduling.
This content is reposted from the source: https://ecupirates.com/news/2025/2/28/ecu-announces-2025-football-schedule.aspx
