The Ivy League has announced their 2025 football TV schedule, which includes six games on the ESPN linear networks.
The Ivy League football TV schedule on ESPN kicks off on Friday, Oct. 3 with the Columbia Lions traveling to face the Princeton Tigers. The game, which was moved up one day from Saturday, Oct. 4, will be televised live by ESPNU at 7:30pm ET.
Four additional Ivy League contests in 2025 have been moved to Fridays for television — Cornell at Harvard (Friday, Oct. 10), Columbia at Dartmouth (Friday, Oct. 24), Brown at Penn (Friday, Oct. 31), and Harvard at Columbia (Friday, Nov. 7). All four contests will be televised by ESPNU.
Ivy League action on ESPN will conclude with the 141st Playing of the Game, which features Yale hosting Harvard on Saturday, Nov. 22. The game will kickoff at noon ET on ESPNU.
This will mark the seventh consecutive season that all eight Ivy League programs will make at least one appearance on a linear ESPN network.
As part of the Ivy League’s agreement with ESPN, all remaining home football games will stream live on ESPN+, while select games will also air on regional sports networks. Remaining kickoff times will be announced in the coming weeks.
2025 Ivy League Football TV Schedule
* All times Eastern.
Friday, Oct. 3
Columbia at Princeton – 7:30pm, ESPNU
Friday, Oct. 10
Cornell at Harvard – 7pm, ESPNU
Friday, Oct. 24
Columbia at Dartmouth – 6pm, ESPNU
Friday, Oct. 31
Brown at Penn – 7pm, ESPNU
Friday, Nov. 7
Harvard at Columbia – 7pm, ESPNU
Saturday, Nov. 22
Harvard at Yale – 12pm, ESPNU
Three games for Harvard and Columbia, and one game each for the other six schools. Seems equitable.
Well–you gotta be willing to play Friday–personally, I don’t like FCS games on Friday. FCS football is best enjoyed in person, easier to get to games on Saturdays IMO
But what do I know.
I do wonder; with FCS going to permanent 12-game schedules in 2026, will the Ivy be forced to schedule at least an 11th. It would benefit them, but they are the Ivy. That said, they took ESPN $$$ to play Fridays and they’re joining the FCS playoffs this year.
I don’t feel it likely that the Ivy League would add an 11th game, but it’s a possibility.
@John, the recommendation from the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Oversight Committee only states that FCS team MAY play 12 games every year if the proposal is approved. That does not mandate that any team needs to play 12 games, it is optional.
Still, with a conference that calls all teams that finish with the same record co-champion and does not participate in the post-season, who cares if they play and on what day.
I really would like to see Harvard-Yale on regular TV like ABC & continue its traditional Saturday Noon Kickoff.
@JM–deep down, you and we care. We like FCS football and we want as fair a playing field that we can have. I have read that FCS schools will be required to play 12; I have read that it won’t be mandated. Many Division II schools only play 10 when they can play 11 and a handful of Division III schools only play 9 games.
I’m sure the Ivy will use head to head for playoff purposes.
Keep up the excellences on your articles John.
You have me all confused John.
If you read that FCS teams will be REQUIRED to play 12 games, that would be a MANDATE. If there is no mandate, you and I are saying the same thing, a team MAY play 12 games in any year if they choose.
I don’t recall anything I said that would be unfair, and the other divisions are irrelevant to this, but D-II and D-III start their playoffs a week before the FCS.
As for the Ivy League, they are what they are and will remain the same, a 10 game schedule and no participation in the post season, see also Ivy League Presidents’ Agreement of 1954. The Ivy league has not played a post-season game under this agreement, and they don’t even start their season until week 3 or week 4 depending on the start of the season for the rest of the FCS.
Well you’re wrong. Let me clarify. I’ve read that they will allow and they expect FCS schools to play 12 regular season games.
Some sources say they will require others say no requirement but an expectation
You definitely got the Ivy playoff thing incorrect. They are participating this year
They will get an AQ into the field
I do apologize John, I found the story that broke on this Dec 18 on this.
As for the 12 games, I definitely believe that most schools will pay the 12th game if given the option. What I fear is that this will add a lot more lower division games, but we’ll have to see how that all works itself out.
I am very happy that the Ivy League is going to participate in the playoffs though. It was almost like they had themselves on an island that way and as far as the league champion in a tie breaker, your right there as well. The Big Sky has that co-champion nonsense (and some others as well), but the head to head and other things go into play to determine the automatic bid.
I forgive you JM we all get confused sometimes buddy you did nothing wrong.
Good. I enjoy these games. The Ivies are perhaps the last bastion of college football as it
should be with the emphasis on games played by real students. I would include the service
academies in that category, too.
I would agree there Don—that’s why I like FCS football—it seems to be that way. The Ivy League has always done it their way. 10 games, no byes, kids home for Thanksgiving. That will change for one team with the conference champ heading to the FCS playoffs for at least one game.
It (FCS playoffs) is something they had to do. All the other Ivy sports let their teams participate, but for many reasons, the football team was forbidden. The coaches, the players and yes, the student bodies wanted a change. And, as we know (not trying to be political here, but I live in the real world), students are listened to on campus. They wanted FCS (playoff) participation.
There is one conference that doesn’t allow football members to participate in the NCAA playoffs–the Division 3 NESCAC–the Little Ivy if you will. Williams and Amherst are the Harvard and Yale of that conference.
The play 9 games–all conference games and that my friends, is it!
I’ve been to Williams for a game—no regrets–fun time.