The 2026 HBCU homecoming schedule is officially underway, beginning this weekend with major classics in Chicago, Memphis, Durham and Huntsville.rom Memphis and Chicago this weekend to the Bayou Classic in November, HBCU Times has the dates, rivalries and homecoming weekends shaping the fall.
HBCU football’s biggest season of celebration is officially underway.
This weekend, Sept. 12-13, the culture travels from Chicago to Memphis, Durham and Huntsville for a run of major classics that sets the tone for the fall. The Chicago Football Classic will feature Lincoln (Pa.) and Mississippi Valley State at Soldier Field, while Alcorn State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff meet in Memphis for the Southern Heritage Classic. North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central will renew the Aggie-Eagle rivalry in Durham, and Tennessee State will face Alabama A&M in Huntsville as part of The Legacy Series.
The following weekend, homecoming season begins in earnest when Bethune-Cookman welcomes Virginia University of Lynchburg to Daytona Beach on Sept. 19. The 2026 HBCU homecoming schedule will carry alumni, students and fans from coast to coast through November.
But homecoming at an HBCU has never been just a game-day event. It is the return to the yard. It is the band warming up before the gates open, alumni reconnecting at the tailgate, students creating new traditions and local businesses benefiting from a full weekend of visitors, fellowship and school pride. It is also where athletic competition, institutional history, fashion, music, Greek life and community come together in a way that cannot be duplicated.
October will be the heart of the season, with multiple campuses hosting alumni and fans on the same weekends. The calendar includes high-profile homecomings at Howard, Jackson State, Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M, Morgan State, North Carolina Central and more.
Major classics to watch
- Sept. 12: Chicago Football Classic – Lincoln (Pa.) vs. Mississippi Valley State, Soldier Field, Chicago
- Sept. 12: Southern Heritage Classic – Alcorn State vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Memphis, Tennessee
- Sept. 12: Aggie-Eagle Classic – North Carolina A&T vs. North Carolina Central, Durham, North Carolina
- Sept. 12: The Legacy Series – Tennessee State vs. Alabama A&M, Huntsville, Alabama
- Sept. 19: Battle of the Bay – Hampton vs. Norfolk State, Norfolk, Virginia
- Sept. 26: State Fair Classic – Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State, Dallas
- Oct. 3: Truth & Service Classic, also known as the Battle of the Real HU – Howard vs. Hampton, Washington, D.C.
- Oct. 3: Tuskegee – Morehouse Classic, Montgomery, Alabama
- Oct. 31: Magic City Classic – Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State, Birmingham, Alabama
- Nov. 7: Fountain City Classic – Albany State vs. Fort Valley State, Columbus, Georgia
- Nov. 21: Florida Classic – Florida A&M vs. Bethune-Cookman, Orlando, Florida
- Nov. 26: Turkey Day Classic – Tuskegee vs. Alabama State, Montgomery, Alabama
- Nov. 28: Bayou Classic – Grambling State vs. Southern, New Orleans
2026 HBCU Homecoming Schedule: Dates by School
September
- Sept. 19: Bethune-Cookman vs. Virginia University of Lynchburg, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Sept. 20-26: Lincoln University of Missouri vs. Upper Iowa, Jefferson City, Missouri
October
- Oct. 1-4: West Virginia State vs. West Liberty on Oct. 3, Institute, West Virginia
- Oct. 3: Bluefield State vs. Johnson C. Smith, Bluefield, West Virginia
- Oct. 3: Grambling State vs. Alcorn State, Grambling, Louisiana
- Oct. 3: Livingstone vs. Fayetteville State, Salisbury, North Carolina
- Oct. 3: Miles vs. Lane, Fairfield, Alabama
- Oct. 3: Southern vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Oct. 10: Alabama State vs. Florida A&M, Montgomery, Alabama
- Oct. 10: Albany State vs. Lane, Albany, Georgia
- Oct. 10: Alcorn State vs. Arkansas Baptist, Lorman, Mississippi
- Oct. 10: Central State vs. Tuskegee, Wilberforce, Ohio
- Oct. 10: Delaware State vs. Franklin Pierce, Dover, Delaware
- Oct. 10: Elizabeth City State vs. Lincoln (Pa.), Elizabeth City, North Carolina
- Oct. 10: Kentucky State vs. Miles, Frankfort, Kentucky
- Oct. 10: Morehouse vs. Savannah State, Atlanta
- Oct. 10: Morgan State vs. Robert Morris, Baltimore
- Oct. 10: Norfolk State vs. Virginia University of Lynchburg, Norfolk, Virginia
- Oct. 10: North Carolina Central vs. William & Mary, Durham, North Carolina
- Oct. 10: Spelman – campus homecoming, Atlanta
- Oct. 10: Texas Southern vs. Mississippi Valley State, Houston
- Oct. 10: Virginia State vs. Livingstone, Ettrick, Virginia
- Oct. 11-17: Langston vs. Wayland Baptist on Oct. 17, Langston, Oklahoma
- Oct. 17: Alabama A&M vs. Grambling State, Huntsville, Alabama
- Oct. 17: Benedict vs. Edward Waters, Columbia, South Carolina
- Oct. 17: Clark Atlanta vs. Allen, Atlanta
- Oct. 17: Fayetteville State vs. Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville, North Carolina
- Oct. 17: Howard vs. Morehouse, Washington, D.C.
- Oct. 17: Jackson State vs. Florida A&M, Jackson, Mississippi
- Oct. 17: Johnson C. Smith vs. Lincoln (Pa.), Charlotte, North Carolina
- Oct. 17: Mississippi Valley State vs. Bethune-Cookman, Itta Bena, Mississippi
- Oct. 17: Prairie View A&M vs. Alcorn State, Prairie View, Texas
- Oct. 17: Savannah State vs. Fort Valley State, Savannah, Georgia
- Oct. 17: Tennessee State vs. Morgan State, Nashville, Tennessee
- Oct. 17: Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Alabama State, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
- Oct. 18-25: Harris-Stowe State – campus homecoming, St. Louis
- Oct. 18-25: Wiley University – campus homecoming, Marshall, Texas
- Oct. 21: Dillard – campus homecoming, New Orleans
- Oct. 24: Bowie State vs. Johnson C. Smith, Bowie, Maryland
- Oct. 24: Edward Waters vs. Clark Atlanta, Jacksonville, Florida
- Oct. 24: Florida A&M vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Tallahassee, Florida
- Oct. 24: Florida Memorial vs. Thomas University, Miramar, Florida
- Oct. 24: Fort Valley State vs. Lane, Fort Valley, Georgia
- Oct. 24: Hampton vs. Monmouth, Hampton, Virginia
- Oct. 24: Lincoln (Pa.) vs. Winston-Salem State, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania
- Oct. 24: South Carolina State vs. Norfolk State, Orangeburg, South Carolina
- Oct. 24: Virginia Union vs. Shaw, Richmond, Virginia
- Oct. 31: Allen vs. Morehouse, Columbia, South Carolina
- Oct. 31: Lane vs. Tuskegee, Jackson, Tennessee
- Oct. 31: North Carolina A&T vs. Elon, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Oct. 31: Shaw vs. Bluefield State, Raleigh, North Carolina
November
- Nov. 1-8: Fisk – campus homecoming, Nashville, Tennessee
- Nov. 1-8: Rust – homecoming celebration week, Holly Springs, Mississippi
- Nov. 7: Talladega – campus homecoming, Talladega, Alabama
- Nov. 7: Tuskegee vs. Miles, Tuskegee, Alabama
- Nov. 7: University of Maryland Eastern Shore – campus homecoming, Princess Anne, Maryland
- Nov. 7: Winston-Salem State vs. Fayetteville State, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Nov. 7: Xavier University of Louisiana – campus homecoming, New Orleans
- Nov. 7-14: Huston-Tillotson – campus homecoming, Austin, Texas
Whether you are returning to the place that raised you, planning your first HBCU homecoming experience or following the football story from afar, this fall offers no shortage of reasons to come home.
Editor’s note: Dates, opponents, venues and associated activities can change. HBCU Times recommends confirming tickets, game times and full homecoming-week programming directly with each institution before traveling.
