The Central Arkansas Bears have announced their 2021 football schedule, which features four home games and 10 contests overall.
Central Arkansas is leaving the Southland Conference and will begin play as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) this fall.
Five of Central Arkansas’ games in 2021 were scheduled as part of an alliance between the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). All ASUN vs. WAC contests, except those against Dixie State and Tarleton State, will be dubbed the ASUN-WAC Challenge and the team with the highest winning percentage in those games will receive an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, pending NCAA approval.
Central Arkansas will open the 2021 season with back-to-back non-conference contests on the road, beginning on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Arkansas State. The Bears then travel to play Missouri State on Sept. 11.
UCA opens its home slate at Estes Stadium in Conway, Ark., on Sept. 18 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Bears then welcome Sam Houston State to Conway one week later on Sept. 25.
The Bears then travel to take on Abilene Christian on Oct. 2 before their first open date of the season on Oct. 9. A game at home against Eastern Kentucky follows on Oct. 16.
Next, Central Arkansas travels for consecutive road contests at Lamar on Oct. 23 and at Jacksonville State on Oct. 30. The Bears then host Texas Wesleyan on Nov. 6 and Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 13 at Estes Stadium.
The Bears are scheduled to close out the 2021 regular-season on the road against Tarleton State on Nov. 20.
Below is Central Arkansas’ complete schedule for the 2021 season, plus a link to their schedule page which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:
2021 Central Arkansas Football Schedule
- 09/04 – at Arkansas State
- 09/11 – at Missouri State
- 09/18 – Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- 09/25 – Sam Houston State*
- 10/02 – at Abilene Christian*
- 10/09 – OFF
- 10/16 – Eastern Kentucky*
- 10/23 – at Lamar*
- 10/30 – at Jacksonville State*
- 11/06 – Texas Wesleyan
- 11/13 – Stephen F. Austin*
- 11/20 – at Tarleton State
* ASUN-WAC Challenge games.
Central Arkansas played a nine-game non-conference schedule last fall and finished the season 5-4 overall. The Bears played those games rather than compete in the spring Southland Conference season.