2025 GAC Schedules

[OldBison]

Harding’s 2025 schedule is posted.

https://hardingsports.com/sports/football/schedule/2025

Bisons start the season on road against NWOSU. We have SAU and the Purple Tigers back to back in the last two weeks of September.

How do the other GAC teams’ schedules look?

[Tech Boys]

Might as well have a schedule thread like other conferences.

Just flip the location, change the order every 2 years, and keep the rival game last. Boring.

Is no one willing to move a game to week 0 to get an off week. I like the idea of having the rival game in week 10.

[OldBison]

Might as well have a schedule thread like other conferences.

Just flip the location, change the order every 2 years, and keep the rival game last. Boring.

Is no one willing to move a game to week 0 to get an off week. I like the idea of having the rival game in week 10.

That would shake things up. With our silo scheduling everyone would have to play 0 week and not play in Week 11. That would give teams seeded in the PO an extra week to heal up before POs start.

Back in Harding’s NAIA days Central Arkansas was our big rivalry. In the late 60s and early 70s ATU was a big rivalry game as well.

[Tech Boys]

That's a good idea. I was going with moving a random mid-season game to week 0, school's choice. Have the rival game in week 10 and week 11 would be another in-state opponent.

Why do we still play everyone in pairs? Tech and Harding start with SWOSU and NWOSU in weeks 1 and 2. Let's play one in week 1 and the other in week 7. Same for baseball and softball. I like that baseball and softball play opposite home/road each weekend but let's play different schools. Basketball and volleyball are the only sports where travel partners is really used and that's only when we cross the state line.

A bit of a tangent there but we've had a decade now (12th member OKBU joined in 2015) of predictable schedules in many sports; it's time to change things up.

OT question: The GAC has 5m/7w Track & Field Indoor teams; is the conference going to add a championship for that sport? A T&FI athletes of the week is being awarded this season.

[OldBison]

I guess I’m not understanding what you are advocating for. Are you trying to propose ideas for GAC football that would allow teams to play out-of-conference opponents using the new zero week for this purpose? It was my understanding that in silo scheduling everyone has to everyone once and with the extra room created by the zero week teams still could play an OOC opponent because they cannot play more than 11 opponents.

[Tech Boys]

No OOC. Tech-ECU game is moved to week 0 giving both teams week 6 off. We now have 12 weeks to play 11 games. Use week 0 to have an off week anywhere in the season. Although I am for ending the silo.

[OldBison]

Ah … thanks for the clarification. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part about using zero week somehow to work in an OCC opponent for GAC football. Based on the vote by the GAC school representatives at their last meeting I don’t see silo scheduling for GAC football ending any time soon. I do like the idea of using zero week to pick up an off week somewhere on the schedules. All it would take would be two teams willing to do it and conference approval.

[ctrabs74]

Ah … thanks for the clarification. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part about using zero week somehow to work in an OCC opponent for GAC football. Based on the vote by the GAC school representatives at their last meeting I don’t see silo scheduling for GAC football ending any time soon. I do like the idea of using zero week to pick up an off week somewhere on the schedules. All it would take would be two teams willing to do it and conference approval.

Or, if the GAC were so inclined, have everyone play in Week 0, then rotate the open dates through the middle of the season (ideally, Weeks 4-through-7, or Weeks 5 and 6).

[BisonBones]

Or, if the GAC were so inclined, have everyone play in Week 0, then rotate the open dates through the middle of the season (ideally, Weeks 4-through-7, or Weeks 5 and 6).

I’d much prefer something like this implemented by the conference. Giving the schools a choice would lead to most of them trying to get an extra week to practice for the flexbone by getting their open week to be the week before playing Harding.

[Tech Boys]

I’d much prefer something like this implemented by the conference. Giving the schools a choice would lead to most of them trying to get an extra week to practice for the flexbone by getting their open week to be the week before playing Harding.

SHH! Don't tell everyone the plan. It's only for Tech.

[OldBison]

When it comes to stopping the Flexbone having extra time to prepare is only part of what it takes. Having the personnel is the bigger challenge for most teams. Some teams are not going to be able to stop it no matter how many weeks they have to prepare. No practice squad can simulate it in all phases at full speed.

[BisonBones]

When it comes to stopping the Flexbone having extra time to prepare is only part of what it takes. Having the personnel is the bigger challenge for most teams. Some teams are not going to be able to stop it no matter how many weeks they have to prepare. No practice squad can simulate it in all phases at full speed.

Agreed. I'm not sure everyone in the conference would take advantage, but OBU, HSU, and SAU would almost certainly would. And a season of facing multiple teams fresh from a bye week has the potential to take its toll in terms of injury.