Ten Must-Watch Non-Conference FCS Games in 2026

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 13: Ryan Stubblefield #2 of the South Carolina State Bulldogs throws the ball against the Prairie View A&M Panthers at the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl during the fourth quarter Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) | Getty Images

College football is four months away and the schedules for most teams are all but set in stone. This year the FCS will again feature some notable non-conference games that will very likely determine the fates of several of its squads when the dust settles. It’s been seen several times before that early-season results can… and often do… make the difference in qualifying for the playoffs or not. These ten contests have those sort of stakes written all over them for one or both teams involved:

10. Eastern Washington at South Dakota (September 12)

Eastern Washington is not the team it used to be in the Big Sky but the Eagles have the chance to make an early statement this year when they travel to Vermillion to square off the Coyotes. South Dakota is the only FCS team to qualify for the quarterfinals in each of the last three seasons and again looks to be a player in the Missouri Valley. With guys like running back Charles Pierre Jr. and special teams ace Keyondray Jones-Logan back in the mix, USD is looking to make some noise again this fall. EWU, for all their recent struggles, is still one of the higher-profile opponents that the ‘Yotes will welcome in this year.

9. South Carolina State at Furman (September 19)

The defending Celebration Bowl champions will hit the road to take on Furman in Week 3 and this won’t be a pushover for either squad. The Paladins haven’t really been able to figure it out since their terrific 2023 season that saw them reach the quarterfinals and almost take out Montana on the road. Still, Clay Hendrix knows how to win and he’ll have his team ready. SC State, meanwhile, has now won two HBCU national championships in five seasons and Chennis Berry has done nothing but win since he took over the Bulldogs in 2024. A road game against a longtime SoCon power should be a great litmus test.

8. UT Martin at Austin Peay (September 26)

A popular sleeper pick this year, Austin Peay is in line to field one of the more talented FCS rosters in 2026. Quarterback Chris Parson again leads a unit that beat the breaks off of FBS Middle Tennessee last fall and put up a respectable showing against Georgia. The Govs, despite missing out on the playoffs last year, have high aspirations this fall and will welcome in UT Martin to close out September in Week 4. The Skyhawks, likewise, missed the postseason a year ago but have been a playoff team twice in the last five seasons under Jason Simpson and have at least shared a part of the Big South-OVC title in four of the last five. This will be a key game for both squads looking to prove themselves this year.

7. Southern Illinois at West Florida (August 27)

West Florida’s FCS era gets underway on the opening night of the college football season. The Argonauts, who are moving up from Division II this season to join the UAC, will host Southern Illinois to kick off their inaugural DI slate. The Argos were a DII power, winning the 2019 national title and qualifying for the playoffs several times. SIU is looking to be a postseason contender once more out of the Missouri Valley Conference and will bring with them one of the subdivision’s top quarterbacks in D.J. Williams to Pensacola. Between his electric play and the long-anticipated first home game as an FCS program, Darrell Gooden Stadium should be a packed house that Thursday night.

6. Incarnate Word at Northern Arizona (September 12)

This will be rematch of a game that sent the Cardinals tumbling from the rankings last fall and they haven’t been back since. The Walkup Skydome was a house of horrors for Incarnate Word in 2025 as Northern Arizona won 31-23 but now UIW will get its shot at redemption. NAU climbed as high as #13 in the polls a season ago, thanks in large part to that win, but also never reached the playoffs. That has not been an easy thing to do in a crowded Big Sky as of late but with one of the more talented arms out there in Ty Pennington on their sideline, the Lumberjacks have real postseason dreams. Beating the Cardinals on the same field again will go a long way in realizing those dreams.

5. Delaware State at William & Mary (September 5)

No HBCU team rose onto the scene as fast or as ferociously as Delaware State did in 2025. Head coach and former NFL star DeSean Jackson has ushered in a new era for the Hornets who finished as the runner up in the MEAC last fall after winning just one game the season prior. They’ll get tested right off the bat in Week 1 this year as they take on a William & Mary team that is gearing up for its first season in the Patriot League. The Tribe have not qualified for the playoffs since 2022 but are expected to make some waves now that they’re out of the CAA. If DSU can snag a road win here, the notion of them as a legitimate Celebration Bowl contender will gain some real traction.

4. Dartmouth at Lehigh (September 19)

Lehigh posted one of the best regular seasons last year, running the table to a perfect 12-0 record and landing the team’s first top-eight seed in school history with a Patriot League title. Although they were one and done in the playoffs, the Mountain Hawks should still be a team to watch this year. Running back Luke Yoder is one of the best in the country and with former defensive coordinator Rich Nagy leading the charge now, they should be just as formidable. Lehigh hosts Ivy League contender Dartmouth in Week 3 and the Big Green are coming off a good season in their own right after going 7-3. This will be a key matchup for both units who will be playoff hopefuls this fall.

3. Rhode Island at Yale (October 17)

Yale was one of the best stories in college football last year, winning the Ivy League title and earning the conference’s first-ever bid into the FCS playoffs. Once there they mounted an incredible comeback to beat Youngstown State and then gave eventual national champion Montana State all it could handle. The Bulldogs return quarterback Dante Reno and now last year’s Eddie Robinson Award winner Kevin Cahill is their newest head coach. They’ll host defending CAA champ Rhode Island in Week 7 in what should be a doozy of a game. The Rams also bring back some big names like signal caller Devin Farrell and receiver Marquis Buchanan. URI is a preseason Top 5 pick by several and this showdown in New Haven lines up to be a great one.

2. Stephen F. Austin at Abilene Christian (September 12)

It was a game that played out twice last season and will again this year as Abilene Christian hosts Stephen F. Austin in Week 2. The Wildcats got the better of the Lumberjacks last September but SFA returned the favor in the playoffs. This contest will also feature a pair of conference champions as Abilene Christian is gunning for its third consecutive UAC title and Stephen F. Austin is hoping to go back-to-back in the Southland. Both programs have done a lot of winning as of late but both have said goodbye to a fair amount of talent from last year. This will be a key non-conference game for the playoff resumes when they come due.

1. Prairie View A&M at Tarleton State (August 29)

The final Saturday of August will pit last year’s SWAC champion against playoff quarterfinalist Tarleton State in Stephenville. Year One of the Tremaine Jackson experiment at PVAM was a wild success as he guided the Panthers to their first Celebration Bowl appearance in program history and now expectation is to get back and win it. It will be a heck of a first test for Jackson’s team as they hit the road to take on a TSU squad that has national championship aspirations as well. The Texans finished last season as the #6-ranked team in the FCS polls and will likely enter 2026 around the same spot.