The 2026 Conference USA football schedule has been released, and it features a program whose future in the league remains unsettled.
Conference USA was expected to drop to 10 members in 2026 following the planned departures of two schools. One of those moves is confirmed: UTEP is headed to the Mountain West. The status of the second program, Louisiana Tech, is far less certain.
Louisiana Tech announced last year that it would join the Sun Belt Conference “no later than July 1, 2027,” but the school has been working to accelerate that transition to 2026. The Bulldogs have already begun adjusting their non‑conference slate in anticipation of an earlier move.
Additionally, the Louisiana Tech and Conference USA are mired in two separate lawsuits over the move, both of which to date are unresolved.
Despite that effort, the 2026 schedule released today still lists Louisiana Tech as a Conference USA member. That inclusion could change depending on the outcome of ongoing legal negotiations. A comparable scenario played out in 2022, when CUSA initially released a schedule featuring Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, only to later revise it once their departures were finalized.
Returning CUSA members include Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, and WKU.
Top non-conference games for each CUSA team in 2026 include Delaware at Vanderbilt, FIU at USF, Georgia Southern at Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State at Tennessee, Liberty at James Madison, Louisiana Tech at LSU, Middle Tennessee at Kansas, Missouri State at Texas A&M, New Mexico State at Florida State, Sam Houston at Texas Tech, and WKU at Georgia.
The 2026 Conference USA Championship Game will be played on Friday, Dec. 4 and will be televised by CBS Sports Network (CBSSN).
All 2026 game dates are subject to change. The Conference USA TV schedule for the 2026 season will be announced later this spring.
2026 CUSA FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
2026 Conference USA Football Schedule
Saturday, Aug. 29
Jax State at North Dakota State
NM State at Florida State
Thursday, Sept. 3
Merrimack at Delaware
West Georgia at Kennesaw State
Saturday, Sept. 5
FIU at South Florida
Eastern Kentucky at Jax State
Liberty at James Madison
Northwestern State at LA Tech
Murray State at MTSU
Missouri State at Texas A&M
Mercyhurst at NM State
Sam Houston at Troy
WKU at Nevada
Saturday, Sept. 12
Delaware at Vanderbilt
Buffalo at FIU
Jax State at Ohio
Georgia State at Kennesaw State
Gardner-Webb at Liberty
LA Tech at LSU
MTSU at Marshall
Lindenwood at Missouri State
NM State at Hawaii
Tulsa at Sam Houston
WKU at Georgia
Saturday, Sept. 19
Coastal Carolina at Delaware
FIU at Florida Atlantic
Georgia Southern at Jax State
Kennesaw State at Tennessee
Ball State at Liberty
LA Tech at Baylor
Nevada at MTSU
Marshall at Missouri State
Nicholls at Sam Houston
WKU at Indiana
Thursday, Sept. 24
Liberty at Coastal Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 26
Delaware at Virginia
Long Island at FIU
Kennesaw State at Arkansas State
MTSU at LA Tech
Missouri State at SMU
New Mexico at NM State
Sam Houston at Texas Tech
Mercyhurst at WKU
Thursday, Oct. 1
FIU at Jax State
NM State at Sam Houston
Friday, Oct. 2
Liberty at Delaware
Missouri State at WKU
Saturday, Oct. 3
Army at LA Tech
MTSU at Kansas
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Delaware at Missouri State
Jax State at Kennesaw State
WKU at NM State
Thursday, Oct. 8
LA Tech at FIU
Sam Houston at Liberty
Tuesday, Oct. 13
NM State at Delaware
Kennesaw State at MTSU
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Liberty at WKU
Missouri State at LA Tech
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Delaware at Kennesaw State
MTSU at FIU
Sam Houston at Missouri State
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Jax State at NM State
LA Tech at Liberty
Tuesday, Oct. 27
NM State at MTSU
WKU at Sam Houston
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Missouri State at Jax State
Kennesaw State at LA Tech
Saturday, Oct. 31
FIU at Liberty
Saturday, Nov. 7
Delaware at MTSU
Sam Houston at FIU
LA Tech at Jax State
WKU at Kennesaw State
Liberty at NM State
Saturday, Nov. 14
FIU at Delaware
Jax State at WKU
Kennesaw State at Sam Houston
MTSU at Liberty
NM State at Missouri State
Saturday, Nov. 21
Delaware at LA Tech
FIU at NM State
Sam Houston at Jax State
Kennesaw State at Missouri State
WKU at MTSU
Saturday, Nov. 28
Jax State at Delaware
Missouri State at FIU
Jax State at Delaware
Liberty at Kennesaw State
LA Tech at WKU
MTSU at Sam Houston
Friday, Dec. 4
CUSA Championship (CBSSN)
In a likely preemptive move, CUSA relases its 2026 football schedule with Louisiana Tech on it. Sun Belt was reported to be releasing its own version Friday. pic.twitter.com/FrmPwRUAAW
— FBSchedules.com (@FBSchedules) March 13, 2026
Conference USA Football Schedule