Gardner-Webb
7-5 2025 finalGardner-Webb is the North Carolina Bulldog program that climbed from Division II to FCS in 2008 and won its first Big South championship in 2022, proving small-school relentlessness can build something.
The Bulldogs are patient.
Gardner-Webb is the North Carolina Bulldog program that climbed from Division II to FCS in 2008 and won its first Big South championship in 2022, proving small-school relentlessness can build something.
Gardner-Webb went 7-5 in 2025 in the Big South-OVC conference but faced a significant setback when head coach Cris Reisert stepped down in December 2025 after building the program to its 2022 championship. The program is now in a…
Offseason
69 days
until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC
The 2026 Outlook
The Pulse on Gardner-Webb
What moved it — offseason · last 30 days
Aspiration Ladder
Brief Part III §33.4 · Gardner-Webb
The baseline expectation.
The annual recruiting proof point.
Conference qualifier or at-large.
Championship weekend. Top-4 in the country.
Gardner-Webb · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Who We Are
Fanbase Health Index · Gardner-Webb · medium confidence
Stable (51)
Home-Field Advantage · Gardner-Webb · 2018-present
Elite
66% home win rate vs 36% on the road. margin runs +9.0 better at home.
Act IIILast Season Reviewed
2025 season · tap to expand
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Big South-OVC Standing · 2025
2nd in the Big South-OVC
Gardner-Webb is 2nd in the Big South-OVC at 7-5. 1 team above — that's the direct path to the title game.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee Tech | 11-2 |
| 2 | Gardner-Webb | 7-5 |
| 3 | Lindenwood | 6-6 |
| 4 | UT Martin | 6-6 |
| 5 | Charleston Southern | 5-7 |
| 6 | Southeast Missouri State | 4-8 |
| 7 | Western Illinois | 4-8 |
| 8 | Eastern Illinois | 3-9 |
| 9 | Tennessee State | 2-10 |
Schedule Strength · Gardner-Webb · 2025
Balanced
Average opponent win rate 47% across 12 finalized games. 1 FBS top-25 opponent played (Georgia Tech).
Moment of the Year · Gardner-Webb · 2025
Won 48-20 at Lindenwood
Week 9 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
Playoff History
Recent postseason (2023): 0-1
Most recent: 2023 — loss 17-7 (away). Last 5 postseason: 0-1.
From the Archive — Gardner-Webb
2021: Won 28-17 vs Robert Morris
In 2021, the program won 28-17 vs Robert Morris — a tight home result that left the 11-point margin on the books.
Bulldogs eat tonight.