Tribe Football’s schedule for next season was OFFICIALLY released today. William & Mary will play 6 away games and 5 home games next season. In an interesting twist, the Green and Gold will start the season on the road against an FCS opponent, and will go on to play at UVA in week two. The home opener won’t come until week 3 of the regular season, against Stony Brook at Zable Stadium.

Another interesting bit to note is the fact that William & Mary opens the season with 4 out of 5 games on the road. It looks like we’ll see what this team is made of very early in the season. This daunting road stretch is followed by almost an entire month of games played at home–as the Tribe will host three games in the month of October alone.

Mark your calendars! Homecoming next season will be October 24 vs. MEAC opponent and cross-town rival, Hampton! The following week, William & Mary takes on JMU on Halloween day, which should make for a pretty awesome Fall football atmosphere. Let us know what you think about the schedule in the comment section below! Roll Tribe.

Tribe 2015-2016 Schedule

September 5 at Lafayette: W&M came away with the victory last season in a game that seemed too close for comfort. The Green and Gold actually trailed at the end of the first half, and things were not looking good. Thankfully, the team would pull away in the second half and come away with the victory. Will the Tribe be able to do it this year on the road, in what will be Lafayette’s season opener?

September 12: BYE WEEK

September 19 at UVA: the Tribe was clobbered the last time the two teams met in Charlottesville. But we all remember what happened when the Tribe played them the game before that. Either way, it’ll be awesome opportunity to visit Charlottesville, poke some fun at UVA fans, and play against an in-state FBS opponent.

September 26 vs. Stony Brook [Home Opener]: If not for Sean Ballard’s miraculous touchdown in the fourth quarter last season, the Tribe surely would have lost the game. Stony Brook will likely be one of the most improved teams in the CAA next season, and will look to avenge last season’s nail biter. This will be a good matchup for William & Mary in its Home Opener at Zable Stadium.

October 3 at Delaware: the Green and Gold came away with a 31-17 victory a season ago, but many CAA fans also see Delaware as a possible team on the rise. The series between the two teams has been pretty evenly split over the last several years, and this coming season, the Tribe will have to go on the road in order to secure the victory. Should be another solid CAA matchup.

October 10 at Villanova: Villanova has been a serious contender in the CAA these last few years. Their quarterback, John Robertson, might just be the best QB in the CAA. This will be his senior season, and the Tribe will have to work hard the entire game in order to slow him down. W&M barely lost last season in a shoot-out, and this coming season’s contest may very well turn into another offensive show.

October 17 vs. New Hampshire: following the matchup at Villanova, the Tribe will take on New Hampshire, who has been another contender in the CAA year in and year out. The Tribe offense only put up a meager 3 points against this team last season, and will surely need to do better in Williamsburg this coming season on the offensive side of the ball if they want to knock out the Wildcats.

October 24 vs. Hampton [HOMECOMING]: W&M will take on the Hampton Pirates for 2015’s Homecoming game. It’s been a little while since the Tribe played a non-CAA opponent for Homecoming, but we think this is a good idea. William & Mary has beaten Hampton pretty handily in the recent past, and we expect this game to be no different. Plan on traveling to Williamsburg on October 24, alums!
Update [April 4, 2015]: Former UVA Quarterback David Watford transferred to Hampton over the offseason. Should make this game a lot more interesting.

October 31 vs. James Madison [Halloween]: Another tough QB matchup for the Tribe in this one, as do-it-all QB Vad Lee will also be in his senior season next year. The Tribe blew the lead this year in Harrisonburg on a cold and windy day, and will look to come away with the win this season. As mentioned, this game will be played on Halloween day, which will surely add to an already awesome atmosphere for this in-state rivalry.

November 7 at Elon: This will mark the first time that the two will meet on Elon’s campus as CAA opponents. Last season was Elon’s first year in the CAA, and with each year we project the Phoenix to get that much better. It’s only a matter of time before they put together a solid squad that will hang with most CAA teams. Last season, the Phoenix were clearly still figuring things out. Look for this matchup to be much better than it was a year ago, when the Tribe handily defeated the Phoenix.

November 14 vs. Towson: William & Mary handled the Tigers pretty well in Maryland a season ago, but Towson will retain star running back Darius Victor next season. As a sophomore this year, Victor challenged William & Mary’s own Mikal Abdul-Saboor for the CAA rushing title, narrowly losing out to Abdul-Saboor. Nonetheless, both running backs would go on to earn First Team All-CAA honors. Containing the Towson run game will again be paramount in this game next season.

November 21 at Richmond: LET’S BEAT RICHMOND. We’re sick and tired of losing to the arch-rival when the season is on the line. The Tribe will need to overcome our recent deficiencies against the Spiders, and get over the hump. No need to explain how hungry the Green and Gold will be in this one; Laycock knows we need to get back in the win column here. It’ll be another heated matchup between the two teams.

Looks like it’ll be another interesting season, to say the least! Starting out the season with several road games will be a tough challenge, but if the Tribe can overcome it, the team will have an advantage when it plays three straight home games in October. LET’S GO TRIBE!!!