The McNeese Cowboys have added the Texas Wesleyan Rams to their 2026 football schedule, according to McNeese’s official athletics website.
McNeese will host Texas Wesleyan at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, La., on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
Texas Wesleyan, located in Fort Worth, Texas, is a member of the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Rams advanced to the NAIA Football Championship last season, but dropped a 42-33 decision to Benedictine College (Kan.) in the second round.
Texas Wesleyan is the third scheduled non-conference opponent for McNeese’s slate in 2026. The Cowboys are also scheduled to host the Tarleton State Texans on Sept. 12 and will make an in-state road trip to face the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, La., on Oct. 3.
With the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) now able to play 12 games each season, McNeese can add one additional non-conference opponent. However, the Southland Conference is reportedly moving to a nine-game league slate next season, which would give McNeese 12 games total.
In 2024, the McNeese State Cowboys football team was led by head coach Gary Goff, who was in his third year with the program before being replaced by Matt Viator late in the season. The team finished with a 6-6 overall record and a 3-4 record in the Southland Conference, marking their best season since 2019.
Who was it that said this team should move to C-USA? Must’ve been Z-man.
Here’s proof they aren’t doing anything but continuing to slide backward. Why would you schedule an NAIA opponent this far in advance?
Way to act like your name sake in Dallas, cowgirls!
“Not cowmen, not by a damn sight, nothing but cowboys, just like the name says.” – John Wayne, The Cowboys
He said they should move to the Sun Belt!
I thought he wanted all the Louisiana teams in the same conference, probably so they can play a round robin on Thanksgiving. Even still, not much difference between the two, but these guys aren’t ready.
McNeese is still excellent with FCS Southland.
Sorry Dan, they are not excellent.
They got Clifton McDowell last year who QB’d Montana to the 2023 championship game and they went 6-6 in 2024. They haven’t been good for a few years now and I have them going 5-7 this year. They play two FBS teams, Louisiana-Lafayette and Utah State so they will lose both those. They also play Louisiana Christian, which won’t count toward the playoffs. Basically, they will need to go 7-2 over the rest of their schedule to make the post season, which isn’t going to happen.
Lake Charles has been hit hard by hurricanes the last few years, so if you want to think that has something to do with it, okay, but they still finish no better than 5th in the SLC. The conference hasn’t been as strong since Sam Houston State moved to the WAC before they moved up, but UIW is going to be the best team there in 2025.
I don’t get this either—–Texas Wesleyan—never heard of them. NAIA—I like when NAIA schools play NAIA schools.
I only know about Texas Wesleyan because I live in Fort Worth, where the university is located.
Texas Wesleyan is most likely moving up a class. They barely added football in 2017. Just a guess.
I don’t know. I looked up their history, they were briefly in D2 around the turn of the century. Otherwise, they’ve been in NAIA. Could they move up to the Lone Star Conference (an NCAA D2 league) in the near future? Perhaps. I don’t know if they have the budget for that right now though. I think they’re happy as an NAIA school for the time being.
If UTRGV is in the Southland on a straight dive, why not join them up too.
Actually, Paul is closer to correct on their football program. This is from their media guide:
Texas Wesleyan’s football program returned in 2017 after a 76-year hiatus. The program began in 1902. The Rams of Polytechnic College competed until 1914 when PC became Texas Women’s College.
In 1934, men were readmitted to Texas Wesleyan College, and the Rams once again took to the gridiron from 1935-41. The team won a conference co-championship in 1941, just weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
In 1942, many of Texas Wesleyan’s athletes, including its football players, enlisted and served the U.S. Armed Forces with distinction during World War II.
Intramural football later returned, but varsity football did not return until it was announced in February 2016 that a new coach would be hired and a leadership class recruited for the fall of 2016 with an eye on resuming intercollegiate competition in 2017.
I wouldn’t say that two games in consecutive seasons indicates an intention to move up to even D-II. I would expect them to win against UTRGV however, since their roster indicates one senior and just five juniors. Nothing to get excited about winning a game over a virtual JC roster.
JM I enjoy reading story about Texas Wesleyan Football.
Fantastic Post!!!
They (Texas Wesleyan) were 10-1 last year. They ran the table in the regular season and then received a first roubnd bye in the NAIA playoffs. They then lost 42-33 in their secnd round game to Benedictine (KS) in round two.
https://ramsports.net/sports/football/schedule/2025