The Northern Colorado Bears have announced their 2026 football schedule, which features six home games and 12 contests overall.
The 2026 season will be the first for Big Sky Conference teams with a nine-game league schedule following the addition of Southern Utah and Utah Tech to the conference. Additionally, Sacramento State departs the Big Sky for FCS independence.
Northern Colorado will open the 2026 season on Saturday, Aug. 29 at home with a Big Sky contest against the Weber State Wildcats at Nottingham Field in Greeley, Colo. The Bears will then shift to non-conference action for three consecutive weeks, beginning on Sept. 5 at home against the South Dakota Coyotes.
A road trip to face the Wyoming Cowboys looms on Sept. 12, and then Northern Colorado returns home to host the Northeastern State RiverHawks on Sept. 19, which was previously unannounced. Northeastern State currently competes as an independent in Division II.
Northern Colorado was previously scheduled to host the Stephen F. Lumberjacks on Sept. 19, 2026, but that game has been removed from the schedule. The two schools began a home-and-home series on Sept. 21, 2024 in Nacogdoches, Texas.
There appears to have been a three-team swap, however, as Northeastern State is now scheduled to visit Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 26, 2026, according to NSU’s official website.
The Bears then return to league play when they welcome the Utah Tech Trailblazers to Nottingham Field on Sept. 26. Remaining home contests include Cal Poly on Oct. 17 and Montana State on Nov. 14.
Northern Colorado will travel to face Big Sky foes Montana on Oct. 3, Eastern Washington on Oct. 10, UC Davis on Oct. 24, Southern Utah on Nov. 7, and Northern Arizona on Nov. 21.
Below is Northern Colorado’s complete schedule for the 2026 season, plus a link to their schedule page which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:
2026 Northern Colorado Football Schedule
08/29 – Weber State*
09/05 – South Dakota
09/12 – at Wyoming
09/19 – Northeastern State
09/26 – Utah Tech*
10/03 – at Montana*
10/10 – at Eastern Washington*
10/17 – Cal Poly*
10/24 – at UC Davis*
10/31 – OFF
11/07 – at Southern Utah*
11/14 – Montana State*
11/21 – at Northern Arizona*
* Big Sky contest.
Northern Colorado is 3-8 overall and 1-6 in Big Sky action with one game remaining this season. The Bears, who moved up to the FCS in 2006, have yet to win a conference championship or make a playoff appearance.
Kevin
Why do some schools release their schedules early and others wait until spring
Just depends on the conference. Big Sky had their conference schedule w/ dates released for several seasons, but realignment scrapped them. Other leagues have their conference schedules set, but don’t release them (Ivy League, Patriot League).
And then many FCS schools wait until Q1 or Spring to schedule their non-conference opponents.
FBS manages their schedules and it filters down to impacted teams in FCS and then DII. Perhaps the teams N Colorado will play are not impacted by FBS teams.
There is no controlling entity (well ESPN has influence) for college football scheduling. Conferences control scheduling within the conference, but non conference games are controlled by individual teams as to who, when, and where those non conference games are played.
SEC is alleged to release their teams schedules within the next couple of weeks.
Northern Colorado is in a tough spot in the Big Sky. Their football team would be better off in a less challenging FCS conference, but I can’t see the UAC or Southland having much interest in adding Northern Colorado.