The Southern Utah Thunderbirds have added the Chicago State Cougars to their 2026 football schedule, according to Chicago State’s official athletics website.
Southern Utah will host Chicago State at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah, on Saturday, November 21. The game will mark the regular-season finale for both schools.
#Chicagostate adds a new game to the schedule and will play Southern Utah University on Nov 21st. #chistatefb pic.twitter.com/NhaiI81yCb
— Chicagostatefbfan (@Chicagostatefbf) May 27, 2026
Chicago State will be playing its first-ever season of football this fall. The Cougars will compete as an Independent in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2026, before fully transitioning to the Northeast Conference (NEC) beginning with the 2027 season.
Leading the Cougars in their inaugural season is Bobby Rome III, who previously led Florida Memorial from 2022 through 2024. Rome recorded a 15-15-1 record in three seasons at Florida Memorial and holds a 19-36-1 mark in seven seasons as a head coach.
Chicago State opens the 2026 season with a home contest against Roosevelt University at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., on Saturday, August 29. Southern Utah is scheduled to open its season on the same date on the road against the Montana Grizzlies.
Below is Chicago State and Southern Utah’s complete schedules for the 2026 season, plus a link to their schedule pages which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:
2026 Chicago State Football Schedule
08/29 – Roosevelt
09/05 – at UT Martin
09/12 – Kentucky Christian
09/19 – at Butler
09/26 – Norfolk State
10/03 – at Tarleton State
10/10 – OFF
10/17 – at North Carolina A&T
10/24 – at Lindenwood
10/31 – UFTL
11/07 – OFF
11/14 – Virginia-Lynchburg
11/21 – at Southern Utah
2026 Southern Utah Football Schedule
08/29 – at Montana*
09/05 – Weber State (non-conference)
09/12 – at Colorado State
09/19 – at St. Thomas
09/26 – Idaho State*
10/03 – at Utah Tech*
10/10 – OFF
10/17 – UC Davis*
10/24 – at Idaho*
10/31 – Northern Arizona*
11/07 – Northern Colorado*
11/13 – at Portland State* (Fri.)
11/21 – Chicago State
