SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri State has finalized a pair of non-conference football series for its inaugural season as a Division I FBS program in 2025, the university announced Thursday.
The Bears have inked exciting home-and-home series against Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Marshall University. Both series will begin in 2025 with reciprocal games in 2026.
The program’s first-ever home game against an FBS opponent will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 when the Bears host SMU at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. The game is expected to be a night contest and will kick off the university’s official home debut at its reclassified level.
MoState will return the game in Dallas on Sept. 26, 2026.
Likewise, the Bears have signed a home-and-home set with Marshall. The 2025 slate will feature a Sept. 6 game in Huntington, W.Va. against the Thundering Herd. The teams will also square off in Springfield in a rematch on Sept. 19, 2026.
It will mark Missouri State’s first-ever games against both foes.
For 2025, previously-announced games at Arkansas (Aug. 30) and at home vs. UT Martin (Sept. 20) will round out Missouri State’s inaugural BCS non-conference schedule. Next season will also including eight games in Conference USA. Those dates and opponents have yet to be announced by MSU’s new league.
