The Mercer Bears and UC Davis Aggies will play in the season-opening 2025 FCS Kickoff, FBSchedules.com has learned.
A copy of the athletic contest agreement with Mercer University was obtained from the University of California, Davis via a state public records request. The contract was signed on May 17, 2024.
Mercer and UC Davis will square off in Week Zero on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025 at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The contest will be televised on one of the ESPN networks and Mercer will be designated the home team.
As part of the agreement, Mercer will pay UC Davis a $25,000 guarantee for the game and ESPN will provide the Aggies with 400 complimentary tickets. The contest, which has not yet been officially announced by ESPN, can be moved to Macon, Ga., if it cannot be played in Montgomery.
Per NCAA rules, FCS games that are nationally televised (not internet only) can be played in Week Zero, which is the nickname for the games played on the Saturday prior to Labor Day weekend.
Mercer, a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), and UC Davis, a member of the Big Sky Conference, have never met on the gridiron in their history.
The 2025 contest will mark the seventh time that the FCS Kickoff will be played at the Cramton Bowl. FCS Kickoff games from 2014 through 2016 were played on campus.
Past FCS Kickoff Results
2014 – Eastern Washington 56, Sam Houston State 35
2015 – Montana 38, North Dakota State 35
2016 – North Dakota State 24, Charleston Southern 17
2017 – Jacksonville State 27, Chattanooga 13
2018 – North Carolina A&T 20, Jacksonville State 17
2019 – Youngstown State 45, Samford 22
2020 – Central Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 17
2022 – Jacksonville State 42, Stephen F. Austin 10
2023 – Mercer 17, North Alabama 7
2024 – Southeast Missouri 37, North Alabama 15
Football Schedules