The Mercer Bears and East Texas A&M Lions will meet in the season‑opening 2026 FCS Kickoff, both schools announced Wednesday.
The matchup is set for Week Zero on Saturday, August 29, 2026. Unlike recent editions of the FCS Kickoff, the game will not be held at the historic Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., after the venue ended its partnership with the event.
Instead, Mercer will host East Texas A&M on campus at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm ET / 6:00pm CT, with national television coverage on ESPN.
“Once again, the country will have its eyes on Macon, and we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend for it to happen,” says Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller. “This will be another Macon Moment, and, thanks to Mercer Football and ESPN, the whole world can take part.”
Mercer, a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon), and East Texas A&M, a member of the Southland Conference, have never met on the gridiron in their history.
“We are very excited to get another opportunity to not only showcase our football program, but also the City of Macon and the Mercer University campus,” said Mercer athletics director Jim Cole. “I am proud of what our football team has been able to accomplish over the last few seasons, and am excited that we continue to set our goals higher and higher each year.”
With the addition of the FCS Kickoff game, both East Texas A&M and Mercer have now completed their football schedules for the 2026 season. Each school will play 12 total contests.
“We are excited to be featured in this year’s FCS Kickoff, and grateful to ESPN and Mercer for partnering in this opportunity to showcase our university and football program in primetime on the opening weekend of the college football season,” said East Texas A&M Director of Athletics Jim Curry. “This marks the third-straight year that Northeast Texas’ only Division I football program will open the season on a national linear broadcast, highlighting the momentum of the East Texas A&M brand and the growth of our reach across the country.”
Past FCS Kickoff Results
2014 – Eastern Washington 56, Sam Houston State 35
2015 – Montana 38, North Dakota State 35
2016 – North Dakota State 24, Charleston Southern 17
2017 – Jacksonville State 27, Chattanooga 13
2018 – North Carolina A&T 20, Jacksonville State 17
2019 – Youngstown State 45, Samford 22
2020 – Central Arkansas 24, Austin Peay 17
2022 – Jacksonville State 42, Stephen F. Austin 10
2023 – Mercer 17, North Alabama 7
2024 – Southeast Missouri 37, North Alabama 15
2025 – Mercer vs. UC Davis (no contest due to lightning)
Football Schedules
