Five FCS Teams Add Future FBS Opponents

Five FCS schools from three different FCS conferences have added an FBS opponent for the 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029 seasons. Over 430 future FCS-FBS games are scheduled for the 2025 through 2034 season. A full list of those matchups can be found here.

The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (NEC) have added the Toledo Rockets (MAC) for the 2026 season, according to FBSchedules. CCSU will play at Toledo on Saturday, September 12, and receive $325,000 for the game. FBSchedules also reported that the Blue Devils will play at the Montana State Bobcats (Big Sky) a week later on September 19. It will be the first time CCSU has faced Toledo or Montana State in football.

The Blue Devils will face Connecticut (FBS Independent) in 2025, Toledo in 2026, Buffalo (MAC) in 2027, and Marshall (Sun Belt) in 2028. Toledo only has matchups against Morgan State (MEAC) in 2025 and CCSU in 2026 for future FCS opponents.

The Eastern Kentucky Colonels (UAC) will face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (C-USA) on Saturday, September 5, 2026, as reported by FBSchedules. EKU will receive $325,000 for the matchup. The two teams were frequent opponents when both schools were members of the Ohio Valley Conference through the 2020-21 season. Jacksonville State holds an 11-8 lead in the series that started in 2003, including the 42-17 win in 2022.

Eastern Kentucky will take on Louisville (ACC) and Marshall (Sun Belt) in 2025, Jacksonville State in 2026, and Vanderbilt (SEC) in 2027. Jacksonville State has two future matchups against FCS teams: Murray State (MVFC) in 2025 and EKU in 2026.

The Nicholls Colonels (Southland) will face the Tulane Green Wave (American) on Saturday, September 25, 2027, per FBSchedules. Nicholls will receive $400,000 for the game. The two schools have met twice, once in 2018 and again in 2023, with Tulane winning both games. Nicholls is the first FCS opponent added to Tulane’s future schedules.

Nicholls has a double dip of FBS opponents for the next three years. In 2025, Nicholls will face the Sun Belt duo of Troy and Texas State. In 2026, they’ll play at Kansas State (Big 12) and Sam Houston State (C-USA). In 2027, they’ll take on Louisiana Tech (C-USA) and Tulane. Nicholls has played at least two FBS teams each season since 2018, except for the 2020-21 COVID-impacted season.

The East Texas A&M Lions (Southland) will take on the North Texas Mean Green (American) on Saturday, September 16, 2028, courtesy of FBSchedules. The two schools haven’t met since 1951, when North Texas (then known as North Texas State College) defeated the Lions (then known as East Texas State Teachers College). UNT holds a 19-6-1 advantage in the series that began in 1916.

East Texas A&M has at least one FBS opponent scheduled for the next four seasons. The Lions will face a pair of ACC teams this season in SMU on August 30 and Florida State on September 6. ETAMU will play at Tulsa (American) in 2026, at Louisiana (Sun Belt) in 2027, and at North Texas in 2028. North Texas has an FCS opponent scheduled for each of the next five years. The Mean Green will face Lamar (Southland) in 2025, Houston Christian (Southland) in 2026, Tarleton State (UAC) in 2027, ETAMU in 2028, and North Alabama (UAC) in 2029.

The Houston Christian Huskies (Southland) have added a second game against the Rice Owls (American) on Saturday, September 1, 2029. The two teams haven’t previously matched up in football, but will meet twice in four years. The first meeting will occur on Saturday, September 5, 2026.

HCU will face six FBS teams over the next five seasons beginning with Nebraska (Big Ten) in 2025. The Huskies will take on the American Athletic duo of Rice and North Texas in 2026, followed by UTEP (Mountain West) and Colorado State (Pac-12) in 2027. HCU also has the second game against Rice in 2029. Rice also has an FCS team scheduled each year through the 2029 campaign, with a Southland flavor. They’ll host Prairie View A&M (SWAC) in 2026, HCU in 2026, Lamar (Southland) in 2027, UTRGV (Southland) in 2028, and HCU again in 2029.

Photo Credit to Nicholls State University Athletics