The UT Martin Skyhawks and Central Arkansas Bears have scheduled a four-game, home-and-home football series beginning in 2026, FBSchedules.com has learned. A copy of the football game contract with the University of Central Arkansas was obtained from the University of Tennessee at Martin via a state public records request.
In the first game of the series, UT Martin will host Central Arkansas at Graham Stadium in Martin, Tenn., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. The series will shift to Central Arkansas’s Estes Stadium in Conway, Ark., the following season on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2027.
The Skyhawks will visit the Bears in Conway for the third contest of the series on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2028 before the four-game series concludes in Martin on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2029.
All four games of the UT Martin-Central Arkansas series will be played in what is currently referred to as Week Zero, which will become the first available playing week for all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools next season. That change was made to allow FCS schools to play a maximum of 12 games every year.
UT Martin, a member of the Big South-OVC Association, and Central Arkansas, a member of the United Athletic Conference (UAC), have met a total of 14 times in a series that dates back to 1958. The Bears defeated the Skyhawks 26-24 in their most recent contest in 2014 in Conway to extend their advantage in the overall series to 9-5.
With the addition of Central Arkansas, UT Martin now has three non-conference opponents scheduled for the 2026 season. The Skyhawks are scheduled to play two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents on the road, first at the West Virginia Mountaineers on Sept. 12 and then at the Memphis Tigers two weeks later on Sept. 26.
Central Arkansas now has a total of four non-conference opponents docketed for 2026. The Bears are scheduled to host the North Dakota State Bison in Conway on Sept. 12 before traveling to face the Southeast Missouri Redhawks on Sept. 19 and the Florida State Seminoles on Sept. 26.
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I have a feeling these 2 will be in the same conference soon.
I hope that you’re right about that. Been waiting for another announcement. I wonder if there’s another OVC team coming as well.
Darn tootin, Scott!
And, I wouldn’t think they’d be great conference foes!
Now, I think this could work (hypothetically speaking)
Is this perfect, no, but I’m open to it.
Some would say it won’t work. We’d have to watch.
Another thing, both are underrated!
Neither are fbs quality, but have potential.
I think we will see them as FBS soon though!
Don’t count them out’
I think we will see many teams transition soon
Outside of that, I can see conferences disappearing soon.
Thanks for the insight, everyone!