The Mercer Bears have announced their 2026 football schedule, which features six home games and 12 contests overall.
The Bears open the season in Week Zero on Saturday, August 29 against an opponent to be announced. The game will be played at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga.
Mercer then hosts Presbyterian on September 5 before beginning SoCon play on September 12 against Furman at Five Star Stadium. The Bears step out of conference action on September 19 for a road trip to Georgia Tech, their lone FBS opponent of the season, before concluding non‑conference play on September 26 at Abilene Christian.
League action resumes on October 3 when Mercer travels to VMI, followed by an October 10 home matchup against Western Carolina. The Bears then head back on the road October 17 for a SoCon contest at Samford before entering their open date on October 24.
Mercer then hosts The Citadel on October 31 to before consecutive road trips at Chattanooga on November 7 and Tennessee Tech on November 14. The Bears close the regular season on November 21 at home against ETSU.
Below is Mercer’s complete schedule for the 2026 season, plus a link to its schedule page which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:
08/29 – Opponent TBA
09/05 – Presbyterian
09/12 – Furman*
09/19 – at Georgia Tech
09/26 – at Abilene Christian
10/03 – at VMI*
10/10 – Western Carolina*
10/17 – at Samford*
10/24 – OFF
10/31 – The Citadel*
11/07 – at Chattanooga*
11/14 – at Tennessee Tech*
11/21 – ETSU*
* SoCon contest.
Mercer won the SoCon championship last season for the second year in a row. The Bears advanced to the FCS Playoffs for the third consecutive season, but lost to South Dakota in the second round, 47-0.
The 2026 season will be the first for the Bears under head coach Joel Taylor, who previously led West Georgia for the last two seasons.