Jacksonville State drew one of the most fascinating openers in college football: a Week 0 trip to the Fargodome on Saturday, August 29 to face North Dakota State in the Bison’s first game as an FBS program. Charles Kelly’s second season follows a year in which the Gamecocks won the Conference USA regular-season title but lost the championship game at home to Kennesaw State — and the revised 2026 CUSA slate hands them the rematch in October.
Kickoff times for most conference games are announced about 12 days out based on TV selections, so check back weekly — this page is updated as times, networks, and results come in.
Games That Will Decide Jacksonville State’s Season
| Aug 29 at North Dakota State | The Fargodome’s FBS christening, on national TV. Spoiling the Bison’s debut in one of the sport’s loudest buildings would be a statement opener. |
| Oct 7 at Kennesaw State | The rematch of the 2025 CUSA Championship Game, on a Wednesday night in Kennesaw. The Owls took the title at AmFirst — this is the answer game. |
| Nov 7 vs Sam Houston | A November home date against one of the league’s most physical outfits — usually a game with direct title-game seeding stakes. |
| Nov 28 at Delaware | The regular-season finale in Newark against a bowl-tested Blue Hens team — potentially an elimination game for the Dec 4 championship. |
How the Schedule Sets Up
The nonconference month is quietly demanding — Fargo, Eastern Kentucky, a trip to Ohio, and the Georgia Southern return game — before the CUSA opener against Middle Tennessee. The season’s hinge is the midweek stretch: Kennesaw on a Wednesday, FIU on a Tuesday, then the long trip to Las Cruces. Navigate that and the November home dates set up a run at the Dec 4 title game; for the sport’s bigger stakes, here’s how the College Football Playoff works. The FBS structure is governed by the NCAA.
The Bottom Line
A history-adjacent opener in Fargo, a title-game rematch under the Wednesday lights, and a finale with championship stakes — Jacksonville State’s 2026 schedule is built around one goal: finishing what 2025 started. Bookmark this page — times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.