STEPHENVILLE, Texas – After a season that felt a bit shorter than usual with no bye week, five home games and no playoff eligibility despite the Tarleton State football team going 8-3, that all changes next season. The reclassification period will be over, meaning Texan Football will be playoff eligible. Plus, the Texans will have six home games and 12 games overall with a bye week in the middle, making it their longest regular season in program history.
 
Tarleton State Football announced its 2024 schedule on Monday, which will begin Saturday, Aug. 31, going through Saturday, Nov. 23.
 
The Texans have 12 regular season games on the docket, six at home and six true road games. The 12 marks the most regular season games in program history. Tarleton State has played 12 or more games in a season nine times, with each of those times featuring 10 or 11 regular season games plus playoff games or bowl games. They last played 12 games overall in 2019, their final NCAA Division II campaign in which they went 11-1, won the Lone Star Conference and made the playoffs.

"Our four-year reclassification period was one of the most successful in modern college football history, and we are poised for great things as we head into being a fully-fledged D1 program with playoff eligibility. But it won't be easy," head coach Todd Whitten said. "We have our toughest strength of schedule ever and our longest regular season in program history. I'm confident we'll be up to the challenge, this upcoming group has enormous potential, and I can't wait to see how special we can make the 2024 season."

With 84 days separating Tarleton's season opener and regular season finale, this will be the longest regular season on record in program history. Since at least 1975 when dates started being recorded, and not including the 2020 season played in the spring of 2021, Tarleton's Aug. 31 season opener will be the seventh time they've started the season before September, and their Nov. 23 regular season finale will be the latest Tarleton regular season game, a day beyond their previous known latest game of Nov. 22, 1975.
 
Like last year, all games will be on Saturdays again this season. All 12 of Tarleton's opponents are NCAA Division I programs, the most the Texans will have ever played against in a single-season in program history, surpassing their 10 played last year.
 
Tarleton opens 2024 with back-to-back road games, starting Aug. 31 at Baylor at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. This will be the Texans' third straight year facing a Big 12 program on the road, also marking Tarleton's third Power Five conference opponent overall. On Sept. 7, the Texans will head to Houston for a battle at Houston Christian at Husky Stadium. Tarleton State and Houston Christian have only matched up once before, and it was a memorable one, as the Texans won 49-7 at home in their 2022 season finale.  
 
The Texans' home opener at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville will be a Purple Out, with the Freshman Run occurring pregame, on Sept. 14 against McNeese. The Texans and Cowboys have been part of some early season classics of late. This past season, Tarleton opened the year at McNeese and posted their most points in a season opener in 21 years, scoring 35 unanswered in the second half to win 52-34. In the 2020 season opener played in the spring of 2021, the Texans hosted McNeese for their first ever NCAA Division I game. It was a double overtime thriller which the Cowboys came away with 40-37.
 
On Sept. 21, the Texans will play their first conference game against brand new United Athletic Conference member West Georgia. This matchup will be in Carrollton, Georgia, at University Stadium. The Wolves are now the 11th UAC team, and the 10th participating this upcoming season, along with Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State and Utah Tech. UTRGV has one more season to get their football program ready to go before they begin play in 2025.
 
Family Weekend will be Sept. 28 in Stephenville, as the Texans host Southeastern Louisiana. Tarleton State upended the Lions this past season 14-13, which marked Whitten's 100th victory at the helm of the Texans. There were 22,251 fans at last year's Family Weekend game, which at the time was a new Memorial Stadium record.
 
On Oct. 5, the Texans will be back in Cedar City, Utah, for a conference matchup at Southern Utah at Eccles Coliseum. All three all-time meetings between the Texans and Thunderbirds have ended in chaotic fashion, with Tarleton winning 42-40 in Cedar City in 2022, and SUU winning 40-35 at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington in 2021 and 27-26 in Stephenville last year.
 
Homecoming at Tarleton State will be Oct. 12, as Tarleton State hosts conference foe Utah Tech. The Texans and Trailblazers have an all-time series mark of 2-2, and missed out on playing each other last year as UAC opponents. Last season at Tarleton's homecoming game, they set a new attendance record, seeing 23,042 fans through the turnstiles. They wowed the record crowd with a 42-0 shutout of Morehead State.

After a bye week on Oct. 19, the Texans will be on the road at the defending UAC champion Austin Peay Governors on Oct. 26 at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee. Austin Peay won the UAC last year with a perfect 6-0 record, although the Texans and Governors did not play each other, and Tarleton finished second in the conference. This will be the first ever matchup between the two programs.
 
Three of Tarleton's final four regular season games will be at home. They'll host Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 2 for their Legends Game, then Central Arkansas will make the trip to Memorial Stadium on Nov. 9 for Military Appreciation. The Texans had close finishes with each of those teams last season, barely falling on the road in double overtime at EKU 41-35, then winning a rainy game on the road at UCA 25-23 two weeks later against a No. 18 ranked Bears squad.
 
The Texans then head back to Nacogdoches on Nov. 16 to face Stephen F. Austin for their last regular season road game. Last year the Lumberjacks traveled to Stephenville for the first time since 1974, and the Texans enjoyed a 59-17 win in their home finale.
 
To conclude the 2024 regular season, the Texans will host Abilene Christian on Senior Day. The Texans and Wildcats season finale last year went down to the wire, with Tarleton State emerging victorious 31-30 by scoring 17 straight in the fourth quarter on the road.
 
The full schedule is below, and can be found here. Tickets will be available at a later date.
 

Date	Opponent	Theme	Location
Aug. 31	Baylor		Waco, TX
Sept. 7	Houston Christian		Houston, TX
Sept. 14	McNeese	Purple Out/Freshman Run	Stephenville, TX
Sept. 21	West Georgia*		Carrollton, GA
Sept. 28	Southeastern Louisiana	Family Weekend	Stephenville, TX
Oct. 5	Southern Utah*		Cedar City, UT
Oct. 12	Utah Tech*	Homecoming	Stephenville, TX
Oct. 19	BYE
Oct. 26	Austin Peay*		Clarksville, TN
Nov. 2	Eastern Kentucky*	Legends Game	Stephenville, TX
Nov. 9	Central Arkansas*	Military Appreciation	Stephenville, TX
Nov. 16	Stephen F. Austin*		Nacogdoches, TX
Nov. 23	Abilene Christian*	Senior Day	Stephenville, TX

 
Dates and times subject to change | Home games in bold | * UAC Game