Six teams, a single round robin that does not begin until the last week of October, and a season pointed at one game in Atlanta. Here is the whole MEAC season, week by week.
Times are Eastern. Conference games are in bold. TBA means the networks have not set the window.
Two months before a game counts
No league in Division I waits longer to start. The MEAC plays forty-two games between late August and mid-October, and not one of them counts in the standings. Conference play opens on Friday, October 23, and lasts five weeks.
With six football members, the league schedule is exactly one round robin — fifteen games, each team playing the other five once. Nothing is repeated, nothing is padded, and a single result can decide the title. What everyone is playing for is the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, where the champion meets the SWAC.
The two months before that are spent on the road: Virginia, Rutgers, Indiana, Arizona State, South Florida, East Carolina and Penn all host MEAC teams before the league games begin.
Week 1 — August 27 to September 6
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Stony Brook at Delaware State | Thu Aug 27 | 6:00 | Pick → | |
| Savannah State at South Carolina State | Sat Aug 29 | All day | Pick → | |
| Morgan State at North Carolina A&T | Sat Aug 29 | 6:00 | Pick → | |
| Winston-Salem State at Norfolk State | Sat Aug 29 | 6:00 | MEAC Network | Pick → |
| North Carolina Central at Texas Southern | Sat Aug 29 | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| Howard at Alabama A&M | Sat Aug 29 | 7:30 | Pick → | |
| Elizabeth City State at North Carolina Central | Sat Sep 5 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Delaware State at William & Mary | Sat Sep 5 | 6:00 | Pick → | |
| Richmond at Howard | Sat Sep 5 | 6:00 | Pick → | |
| Norfolk State at Old Dominion | Sat Sep 5 | 6:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Morgan State at Arizona State | Sat Sep 5 | 9:00 | Pick → | |
| South Carolina State at Florida A&M | Sun Sep 6 | All day | Pick → |
Twelve games, none of them conference games. South Carolina State and Florida A&M meet in Miami on the Sunday.
Week 2 — September 11 and 12
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Norfolk State at Virginia | Fri Sep 11 | 7:00 | ACC Network / ESPN | Pick → |
| Virginia State at South Carolina State | Sat Sep 12 | All day | Pick → | |
| North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central | Sat Sep 12 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Howard at Indiana | Sat Sep 12 | 12:00 | Pick → | |
| Bowie State at Delaware State | Sat Sep 12 | 3:00 | Pick → | |
| Virginia University of Lynchburg at Morgan State | Sat Sep 12 | 6:00 | Pick → |
Week 3 — September 19
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| South Carolina State at Furman | All day | Pick → | |
| North Carolina Central at Gardner-Webb | TBA | Pick → | |
| Hampton at Norfolk State | 4:00 | MEAC Network | Pick → |
| Morgan State at Towson | 6:00 | Pick → | |
| Delaware State at South Florida | 7:00 | Pick → |
Week 4 — September 25 and 26
| Matchup | Date | Time | Pick |
| Howard at Rutgers | Fri Sep 25 | 7:00 | Pick → |
| South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman | Sat Sep 26 | All day | Pick → |
| North Carolina Central at East Carolina | Sat Sep 26 | TBA | Pick → |
| Towson at Delaware State | Sat Sep 26 | 6:00 | Pick → |
| Norfolk State at Chicago State | Sat Sep 26 | 6:00 | Pick → |
Week 5 — October 3
| Matchup | Time | Pick |
| The Citadel at South Carolina State | All day | Pick → |
| Campbell at North Carolina Central | TBA | Pick → |
| Morgan State at Villanova | 1:00 | Pick → |
| Norfolk State at Robert Morris | 2:00 | Pick → |
| Howard at Hampton | 3:00 | Pick → |
| Delaware State at UAlbany | 3:30 | Pick → |
All six teams playing, none of them each other.
Week 6 — October 10
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| South Carolina State at Charleston Southern | All day | Pick → | |
| Howard at Penn | TBA | Pick → | |
| William & Mary at North Carolina Central | TBA | Pick → | |
| Robert Morris at Morgan State | 12:00 | Pick → | |
| Franklin Pierce at Delaware State | 1:00 | Pick → | |
| Virginia-Lynchburg at Norfolk State | 2:00 | MEAC Network | Pick → |
Week 7 — October 17
| Matchup | Time | Pick |
| Morehouse at Howard | 3:30 | Pick → |
| Morgan State at Tennessee State | 6:30 | Pick → |
Two games, and four of the six teams idle. The last Saturday before the standings begin.
Week 8 — October 23 and 24
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| North Carolina Central at Delaware State | Fri Oct 23 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Norfolk State at South Carolina State | Sat Oct 24 | All day | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Howard at Morgan State | Sat Oct 24 | 3:00 | Pick → |
Conference play begins on the fourth Friday of October — later than any other league in Division I. Three games, six teams, and every result matters from here.
Week 9 — October 29 and 31
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| South Carolina State at Morgan State | Thu Oct 29 | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| Howard at North Carolina Central | Sat Oct 31 | TBA | Pick → | |
| Delaware State at Norfolk State | Sat Oct 31 | 2:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
Delaware State and Norfolk State play their conference game in Philadelphia.
Week 10 — November 5 and 7
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| South Carolina State at Howard | Thu Nov 5 | 5:00 | Pick → | |
| North Carolina Central at Norfolk State | Sat Nov 7 | TBA | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Morgan State at Delaware State | Sat Nov 7 | 1:00 | Pick → |
Week 11 — November 14
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| North Carolina Central at South Carolina State | TBA | Pick → | |
| Norfolk State at Morgan State | 12:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Delaware State at Howard | 1:00 | ESPNU or ESPN+ | Pick → |
Week 12 — November 21
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Delaware State at South Carolina State | All day | Pick → | |
| Morgan State at North Carolina Central | TBA | Pick → | |
| Howard at Norfolk State | 12:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
The round robin closes. Fifteen conference games in five weeks, and the champion goes to Atlanta.
Celebration Bowl — December 12
Saturday, December 12 in Atlanta. The MEAC champion meets the SWAC champion.
Dig deeper
- Make your picks — week by week, +20 points each
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- Read the rest — the 2026 SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and American schedules
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