The Patriot League has announced its 2026 football schedule, which kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 29 with all ten teams in action.
For the 2026 season, the Patriot League welcomes the Villanova Wildcats and William & Mary Tribe from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). Villanova and William & Mary join eight returning football-playing members — Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Richmond.
Beginning in 2026, each Patriot League team will play a nine-game conference schedule with up to three non-conference opponents for a total of 12 games per season.
Six previously unannounced non-conference matchups involving Patriot League teams were revealed by the schedule release today and are listed below:
Delaware State at William & Mary – Sept. 5
Dartmouth at Lehigh – Sept. 19
Penn at Bucknell – Sept. 19
Villanova at LIU – Sept. 19
Lehigh at Penn – Sept. 26
William & Mary at NC Central – Oct. 10
2026 Patriot League Football Schedules
- 2026 Bucknell Football Schedule
- 2026 Colgate Football Schedule
- 2026 Fordham Football Schedule
- 2026 Georgetown Football Schedule
- 2026 Holy Cross Football Schedule
- 2026 Lafayette Football Schedule
- 2026 Lehigh Football Schedule
- 2026 Richmond Football Schedule
- 2026 Villanova Football Schedule
- 2026 William & Mary Football Schedule
2026 Patriot League Football Schedule
Saturday, Aug. 29
Bucknell at Richmond
Colgate at Fordham
Lafayette at Georgetown
Lehigh at Holy Cross
William & Mary at Villanova
Saturday, Sept. 5
Villanova at Bucknell
Holy Cross at Colgate
Lehigh at Georgetown
Fordham at CCSU
Delaware State at William & Mary
Richmond at Howard
Lafayette at UConn
Friday, Sept. 11
Villanova at Louisville
Saturday, Sept. 12
Bucknell at VMI
William & Mary at Lehigh
Colgate at Central Michigan
Fordham at Coastal Carolina
Holy Cross at Miami (Ohio)
Marist at Lafayette
Richmond at NC State
Saturday, Sept. 19
Penn at Bucknell
Georgetown at Richmond
Cornell at Colgate
Yale at Holy Cross
Lafayette at Columbia
Dartmouth at Lehigh
Villanova at LIU
Fordham at William & Mary
Saturday, Sept. 26
Bucknell at Pittsburgh
Holy Cross at Lafayette
Colgate at Villanova
Lehigh at Penn
Columbia at Georgetown
Stony Brook at Fordham
Furman at Richmond
William & Mary at Duke
Saturday, Oct. 3
Colgate at Harvard
Fordham at Lehigh
Holy Cross at William & Mary
Richmond at Lafayette
Cornell at Georgetown
Morgan State at Villanova
Saturday, Oct. 10
Bucknell at Georgetown
Richmond at Fordham
William & Mary at NC Central
Saturday, Oct. 17
Lafayette at Bucknell
Georgetown at Colgate
Villanova at Fordham
Holy Cross at Harvard
Lehigh at Cornell
Saturday, Oct. 24
Bucknell at Holy Cross
Colgate at Richmond
Georgetown at William & Mary
Lafayette at Fordham
Lehigh at Villanova
Saturday, Oct. 31
Bucknell at Lehigh
William & Mary at Colgate
Richmond at Holy Cross
Villanova at Lafayette
Saturday, Nov. 7
Fordham at Bucknell
Colgate at Lehigh
Holy Cross at Georgetown
Lafayette at William & Mary
Richmond at Villanova
Saturday, Nov. 14
Bucknell at William & Mary
Lafayette at Colgate
Georgetown at Fordham
Villanova at Holy Cross
Lehigh at Richmond
Saturday, Nov. 21
Colgate at Bucknell
Fordham at Holy Cross
Georgetown at Villanova
Lehigh at Lafayette
William & Mary at Richmond
Welcome to Patriot League Villanova Wildcats Footbal.
Hope for lots of success.
Again, please stop posting unnecessary comments on every article.
Georgetown has no business remaining in the Patriot League. They are still non-scholarship while everyone else plays full scholarship football. They need to join the PFL.
Z-Man You are NOT acting like a 35 year old person instead you are acting like big 5 year old child.
Also, Z-Man if you are going to watch college football you are going to accept current state of sports rivalries like Oklahoma State-Oklahoma & Missouri-Kansas are dead, nine game conference schedules will be the new norm, CFP wants best teams not north-south Mason-Dixon crap, Michigan-Ohio State continues its traditional noon kickoff & OOC games like Notre Dame-USC & UCLA-California to be scheduled during first four weeks into regular season.
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I am intrigued by the new members–Villanova espcially. They just reached the FCS semifinals in what used to be the high-level CAA. Now that they are moving to the Patriot, will they still be able to recruit and retain the same level of players, or will they drop off a bit.
That said, the PL looks stable and strong with 10 football members. Just a few years ago, they were teetering with just seven.
As for Georgetown, they may be a better fit for the non-scholarship Pioneer, but they have managed to hold their own in the Patriot and as long as they wants them, why should they move?
The PFL has 11 members currently, which makes scheduling difficult.
Georgetown would make it 12 members, allowing a move to divisional play with the Northeast and Southeast schools in the East Division, and the Midwest schools and San Diego in the West Division.
Z-Man College Football DO NOT need divisions they are HISTORY.
Georgetown is excellent with Patriot League my friend.