Countdown to football: Mercer 2017 schedule includes two trips to Yellowhammer State
Yes, it’s still July, and we’re more than a month away from the start of the 2017 football season. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get ready for the upcoming season. To do that, we’ll have a series throughout the summer counting down to the season.
The series continues as we rank Mercer’s opponents this season.
11. Aug. 31 Jacksonville
The Bears open their season against their old Pioneer Football League rivals.
10. Sept. 30 VMI
The three Bears-Keydets matchups (two Mercer wins) have been decided by 13 total points.
9. Nov. 11 at Western Carolina
The Catamounts dropped from seven wins in 2015 to two in 2016.
8. Sept. 23 at East Tennessee State
The Buccaneers improved from two wins in 2015 to five in 2016.
7. Oct. 21 at Furman
The Paladins have a new head coach in Clay Hendrix.
6. Sept. 9 Wofford
The Terriers reached the FCS playoffs in 2016 and finished with 10 wins.
5. Nov. 4 Samford
Macon native Chris Hatcher’s Bulldogs earned an FCS playoff spot last season.
4. Oct. 14 Chattanooga
The Mocs have a new head coach in Tom Arth.
3. Oct. 7 at The Citadel
The Bulldogs won their first 10 games in 2016 under first-year head coach Brent Thompson and won the program’s second straight Southern Conference title.
2. Sept. 16 at Auburn
Having an SEC program on the schedule should make for an exciting early season trip for Bears fans.
1. Nov. 18 at Alabama
Two trips to the state of Alabama in one season? That’s taking on a lot for the team, but it also is a big step forward for this young program.
Previous stories in this series:
Georgia Southern opponent breakdown.
Fort Valley State opponent breakdown.
Southern Conference power poll.
Team-by-team schedules for ACC’s teams.
Weekly schedules for ACC’s teams.
Team-by-team schedules for Georgia’s Division I and Division II teams.
Weekly schedules for Georgia’s Division I and Division II teams.
Middle Georgia team-by-team GHSA schedules.
Middle Georgia weekly GHSA schedule.
This story was originally published July 9, 2017 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Countdown to football: Mercer 2017 schedule includes two trips to Yellowhammer State."