STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Football's start to its NCAA Division I era is unprecedented, and there is no end in sight. As the Texans move on to next season following a historic 2025 campaign, Tarleton State announced its 2026 schedule and promotional slate on Friday.
 
The Texans will play 12 regular season games for the third straight year, six at home at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, and six true road games. Their 2026 slate will begin at home on Aug. 29 vs. Prairie View A&M, and the regular season will conclude on Nov. 21 on the road at North Alabama.
 
"Our 2026 schedule features brand new opponents and some familiar faces, and we're ready to keep elevating this program," head coach Todd Whitten said. "We have never played four of our six non-conference opponents, so that will be fun for our team and fans this season. Then when we get to conference play, the United Athletic Conference is one of the toughest leagues in the FCS, and it will be another battle to compete for a championship. The 2025 season was historic in every way, and we have one of the best ranked portal classes incoming in the nation. I can't wait to see what 2026 has in store."
 
Last year, Tarleton State's season was one of the best in program history. The Texans won a United Athletic Conference co-championship and had the tied-most wins in Tarleton State Football history (12). The Texans finished 12-2 overall and 7-1 in UAC play, advancing to the FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals in just their second year of D1 postseason eligibility. Tarleton State became the first FCS team since 1993 (Troy) to make the quarterfinals in one of its first two seasons of playoff eligibility (8+ team format in FCS). The Texans are the first active FCS program to accomplish that feat since 1985 (Eastern Washington).
 
The 2026 campaign will mark the 11th time the Texans will play 12 or more games in a season. Season ticket renewals for 2026 will open on Feb. 9, with more information to follow.
 
Tarleton State will open the year against Prairie View A&M, the third overall meeting between the two programs and first since 1995. The Texans are 2-0 against the Panthers all-time, winning 44-6 at home in 1995 and 70-20 on the road in 1994. The Panthers are coming off of their best season in recent history, going 10-4 overall last season with a 7-1 SWAC mark. They won the SWAC championship and advanced to the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl HBCU National Championship against South Carolina State. The Aug. 29 game will be just the 11th time Tarleton State has played in August, and the seventh time they've hosted an August game at Memorial Stadium. Tarleton State is 9-1 all-time in the month of August, its lone loss coming at Baylor in 2024. The Aug. 29 date represents the tied-seventh earliest start day for Tarleton State, although later than each of the past two seasons, when the Texans played on Week 0 both years. It will be a Purple Out at Memorial Stadium that game, as fans are encouraged to don Tarleton State's signature color.
 
On Sept. 5, Tarleton State's first road game will be at Bowling Green, set for Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons are led by former NFL-great Eddie George and play in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Bowling Green finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in MAC play last season, 3-3 at home. This will be the first meeting between Tarleton State and Bowling Green.
 
Tarleton State has consecutive road games, as the Texans will then head back to McNeese on Sept. 12. The Texans and Cowboys are very familiar with each other, having matched up three times over the past six seasons. Tarleton State hosted McNeese in 2024 on Week 0, winning 26-23 in a game broadcast on ESPN2. In 2023, the Texans played in Lake Charles, Louisiana, winning 52-34. Out of the Southland Conference, McNeese went 5-7 overall and 4-4 in SLC play last year.
 
Tarleton State will then host Family Weekend and take on Merrimack on Sept. 19. The Texans and Warriors have never met before in football. Merrimack, from North Andover, Massachusetts, plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Warriors went 4-8 overall last season.
 
The Texans will have their open week on Sept. 26, then they'll be back at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 3 against Chicago State for their annual Legends Game. Tarleton State will also return its tradition of a Pink Out to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game. Chicago State has added football to its athletic slate for the first time, and this will be the Cougars' inaugural season.
 
United Athletic Conference play begins Oct. 10 for the Texans on the road, with Tarleton State back in Clarksville, Tennessee, to take on Austin Peay. The Texans and Governors ended the 2025 regular season in a thriller, with Tarleton State winning 45-44 in overtime to clinch a share of the UAC championship. The Governors were one of the "First Four Out" in barely missing the 24-team field for the FCS Playoffs, according to the NCAA committee in the selection show. The Governors finished 7-5 overall and 4-4 in UAC play last season. Tarleton State played at Austin Peay in 2024, the first meeting between the two, and won 27-17.
 
Tarleton State's Homecoming will be Oct. 17 vs. Central Arkansas. The Texans are 4-0 against the Bears all-time, including a 2-0 mark in Stephenville. UCA finished the 2024 campaign 3-9 overall, 2-6 in UAC play. The Texans have set new attendance records at recent Homecoming games, including a Memorial Stadium record crowd of 24,012 at last year's game.
 
On Oct. 24, Tarleton State will be back in Carrollton, Georgia, for the second time in three years to take on West Georgia. The Texans are 2-0 all-time against the Wolves, with a 45-10 win last season at home against a No. 23 ranked squad, and a 38-21 win on UWG's Senior Day in 2024.
 
Tarleton State's final two regular season home games will be back-to-back, against Eastern Kentucky on Halloween (Oct. 31) and then Abilene Christian on Nov. 7. The Texans earned their first win against EKU last season, 31-7 in Richmond, Kentucky. Halloween at Memorial Stadium will feature a fun game between the conference foes, and it will also be Military Appreciation in Stephenville. On Nov. 7, the Texans will face their biggest rival on Senior Day. The Wildcats advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs last season, finishing 9-5 overall and 7-1 in UAC play, sharing the UAC championship with Tarleton State.
 
The Texans will play their final two regular season games on the road, at Sacramento State on Nov. 14 and at North Alabama on Nov. 21. The Hornets finished 7-5 last season and 5-3 in the Big Sky, and this will be the first meeting between them and the Texans. Tarleton State is 5-1 all-time against North Alabama, including a 61-0 shutout win by the Texans last season. Tarleton State is 3-0 all-time in Florence, Alabama.
 
The full 2026 Tarleton State Football schedule can be seen below:
 

Date	Opponent	Theme	Location
Aug. 29	Prairie View A&M	Purple Out	Stephenville, TX
Sept. 5	Bowling Green		Bowling Green, OH
Sept. 12	McNeese		Lake Charles, LA
Sept. 19	Merrimack	Family Weekend	Stephenville, TX
Sept. 26	BYE
Oct. 3	Chicago State	Legends Game, Pink Out	Stephenville, TX
Oct. 10	Austin Peay*		Clarksville, TN
Oct. 17	Central Arkansas*	Homecoming	Stephenville, TX
Oct. 24	West Georgia*		Carrollton, GA
Oct. 31	Eastern Kentucky*	Military Appreciation	Stephenville, TX
Nov. 7	Abilene Christian*	Senior Day	Stephenville, TX
Nov. 14	Sacramento State		Sacramento, CA
Nov. 21	North Alabama*		Florence, AL

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