The Rhode Island Rams and Yale Bulldogs have scheduled a home-and-home football series for the 2026 and 2029 seasons, FBSchedules.com has learned.
The series will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, when Rhode Island travels to face Yale at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Conn. That matchup, revealed in December with the release of the Coastal Athletic Association’s 2026 schedule, will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
A copy of the contract, obtained from the University of Rhode Island through a state public records request, confirms that the return game is set for Saturday, Oct. 13, 2029, when the Rams will host the Bulldogs at Meade Stadium in Kingston, R.I.
Rhode Island’s 2026 slate also includes three additional non-conference contests. The Rams are set to open the season with consecutive road games against Merrimack on Friday, Aug. 28 and Temple on Sept. 5 before later hosting Brown on Oct. 3.
Yale is the second scheduled non-conference opponent for Rhode Island for the 2029 season. The Rams are also set to host Brown at Meade Stadium on Sept. 29.
Rhode Island is the second known non-league opponent for Yale next season and first in 2029. The Bulldogs are currently scheduled to open their fall 2026 slate on the road against Holy Cross on Sept. 19.
Football Schedules
Great regional game between two playoff teams
Yale has played football since 1872. URI has played football since 1895. The two schools sit 82 miles apart from one another. How in the world have they never played one another in football? That is crazy….
I agree with your sentiment and thought the same.
I suspect there are several culprits:
1. Truncated Ivy seasons — nine games forever and now only ten;
2. Provincial Ivy scheduling weighted toward Patriot League and in-state games against the flagship if in the same weight class;
3. Yale’s long series against UConn before the latter moved up to 1-A / FBS.
Maybe other reasons, too. But, yes, crazy in the context you’ve outlined.
@Jesper Likewise for URI’s long-standing rivalry with Brown taking away an OOC scheduling opportunity for the schools to work around.
There is nothing like good old Eastern football. The East and Northeast is full of FCS programs and this is a logical scheduling agreement. I think it’s good that schools spread the games out; there is no need to play back to back, nor is there the need to schedule a 10-year series.
I’d like to see UAlbany–which just hired a new coach–schedule Marist. On paper, it’s probably a mismatch, because UAlbany gives scholarships, Marist doesn’t, but the schools are less than 100 miles apart and Marist would probably get a guarantee of some sort.
Do we know the Pioneer League is so solow at getting their 2026 schedules out?
Hang in there John please give Pioneer League time to figure out its 2026 schedule & they are doing the very best they can to.