The Ohio Bobcats have added the Jacksonville State Gamecocks to their 2026 football schedule, the program announced Thursday.
Ohio will host Jacksonville State at Peden Stadium in Athens on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. The matchup will be just the second all‑time meeting between the two programs.
The first came in the 2024 StaffDNA Cure Bowl in Orlando, where the Bobcats edged the Gamecocks, 30-27.
With the addition of Jacksonville State, Ohio has now finalized its 2026 non‑conference slate. The Bobcats open the season on the road at Nebraska on Sept. 5, travel to South Alabama on Sept. 19, and return home to face FCS Stonehill on Sept. 26.
MAC opponents for the 2026 season have not yet been announced. The league will feature a reshaped lineup following Northern Illinois’ departure to the Mountain West and the arrival of Sacramento State.
Jacksonville State also completes its 2026 non‑conference schedule with the Ohio matchup. The Gamecocks open at home against Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 5, host Georgia Southern on Sept. 19, and visit San Jose State on Sept. 26.
Conference USA’s 2026 football schedule is expected to be released in the next few weeks.
Football Schedules
USC has no choice but to schedule NDSU or Sacramento State now.
They will probably just go play a FCS school like Cal Poly who has an open spot. NDSU and Sacramento State both have too many games scheduled
JohnK. Both NDSU and SacSt are joining FBS and will cancel most previously scheduled games versus FCS programs. However, both are ‘ineligible’ for playoffs or bowl so not restricted in number of FCS opponents they schedule. BTW, Buffalo and UMass both have TWO FCS opponents on their schedules. And UMass would like to get out of their home-home series with Hawaii. I suspect Sac St might want to fill in for UMass. USC had scheduled an FCS opponent a couple seasons ago but Trojan fans were upset so USC cancelled that game. I suspect USC will schedule Sac St in 2026. And possibly in 2027 too.
I would not mind USC hosting Cal Poly.
It’s only February, anything can happen.