The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions and Alcorn State Braves will meet in the 2026 Southern Heritage Classic, it was announced Thursday.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alcorn State will square off on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., and the contest will count in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) standings. The game is slated to kickoff at 7:00pm ET / 6:00pm CT.
“We are very excited to have the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Alcorn State return to Memphis for a second straight year,” said Fred Jones Jr., Southern Heritage Classic founder. “It’s very pleasing to be able to present different schools while still maintaining a high standard of competition and entertainment at the same time. We look forward to the ever-present challenge of always improving our event, as it reflects on our great city, our unique culture, and the visibility of the competing institutions.”
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is currently undergoing renovations, which are expected to be completed in time for the 2026 college football season. Permanent seating is expected to be around 50,000 when the project is finished.
The Southern Heritage Classic is an annual historically black college football game that debuted in 1990 and was played most recently in 2025. In that contest last season, Arkansas-Pine Bluff defeated Alcorn State, 24-20.
The AutoZone Halftime Show will feature the marching bands from the University of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff, the Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South, and Alcorn State University’s the Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite.
Both schools have yet to reveal their entire football schedules for the upcoming season, but are expected to in the coming weeks.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
