The Butler Bulldogs have added the Hanover Panthers to their 2025 football schedule, according to the official athletics website of Hanover College.
Butler will travel to face Hanover College at Alumni Stadium in Hanover, Ind., on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. The game will mark the 25th overall meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
Butler and Hanover first met on the gridiron in 1887 and squared off most recently on Sept. 14, 2024 in Indianapolis, Ind. The Bulldogs won that contest, 53-0, and now lead the overall series 22-1-1.
Hanover College University is a member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) in Division III. The Panthers finished the 2024 season 8-3 overall (5-3 HCAC) and won the inaugural ForeverLawn Bowl over Wabash, 13-10.
In other non-conference action this fall, Butler will travel to face the Northern Iowa Panthers in their season-opener on Saturday, Aug. 30. The Bulldogs will also visit the Weber State Wildcats on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Butler can scheduled a fourth non-conference opponent this season under current NCAA bylaws.
Butler’s Pioneer Football League eight-game slate was previously announced. The Bulldogs are scheduled to host Marist, Presbyterian, Drake, and Valparaiso and will visit St. Thomas, Dayton, Morehead State, and San Diego.
This now means that all Division I schools have scheduled enough games for the 2025 season. I’m also kind of surprised that Butler is playing a road game at Weber State, that’s quite far away for a PFL team to travel for a non-conference game.
There are only 15 FCS schools that could schedule one more game if they wish, but there’s only a few that I could see doing so. I could see Albany scheduling a D2 school on 9/13 to get a 6th home game. I could see LIU hosting Merrimack on 10/25 to get a 5th home game. I could also see Morgan State scheduling St. Francis on 10/18 to get a 5th home game as well. I don’t think the remaining 10 FCS schools will schedule any more games.
I would not mind Valpo playing at Montana State.
You would think Butler would add a home game, they only have four.
I know, right? This game against Hanover is AT a D3 school.
They played in Indy last season, so probably a home-and-home.
@Evan That’s not completely out of character for Butler as they travelled to Montana back in 2023.
I know the Hanover rivalry is intercity and historical but I can’t think of the last time an upper division school travelled to a lower division school in the last several decades given how much of a rarity it is. The only game that really sticks out is 2014’s Yale vs Army matchup at the Yale Bowl.
I think Mississippi Valley played at Delta State (a D2 school) last year or a couple years back.
@Evan You’re absolutely correct, was 2023.