Kent State Football Announces 2026 Schedule
3/24/2026 11:00:00 AM | Football
KENT, Ohio — Kent State football has unveiled its 2026 schedule, highlighted by a pair of Power Four road trips, a loaded MAC slate, and a Homecoming showdown that figures to bring Dix Stadium to life in October.
The Golden Flashes open the season on the road on Sept. 5 at South Carolina, marking just the second meeting in program history between the two schools, the first came in Columbia in 1995. One week later, Kent State welcomes Wofford to Dix Stadium for the first time, before the non-conference schedule culminates with a third road trip on Sept. 19 at Ohio State. The visit to Columbus will be the fourth all-time meeting between the programs and the first since 2014.
MAC play opens Sept. 26 with the 34th meeting against Ball State at Dix Stadium, before the Flashes host Ohio in the 78th chapter of one of the MAC's premier rivalries on Oct. 3, doubling as Homecoming. Kent State then hits the road for consecutive weeks at Western Michigan (Oct. 10) and at South Florida (Oct. 17), the latter a first-ever meeting between the schools.
The Flashes return home to host the school down the road on Oct. 24 for the Wagon Wheel, then head to Sacramento on Oct. 30, a Friday night game marking the first meeting with Sac State as the Hornets begin their inaugural season in the MAC. A bye week follows on Nov. 7.
Kent State closes the regular season with three MAC road/home games in 12 days, at Bowling Green on Nov. 10, home against Miami (OH) on Nov. 17, and a regular-season finale at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 24 in the 36th meeting between the schools. The MAC Championship is slated for Dec. 5.
2026 KENT STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
|
WK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
SERIES NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Sat., Sept. 5, 2026 |
at South Carolina |
Second meeting in program history (first meeting: 1995 at South Carolina) |
|
2 |
Sat., Sept. 12, 2026 |
vs. Wofford |
First meeting between the two programs |
|
3 |
Sat., Sept. 19, 2026 |
at Ohio State |
Fourth all-time meeting; last matchup was at Ohio State in 2014 |
|
4 |
Sat., Sept. 26, 2026 |
vs. Ball State* |
34th all-time meeting; Kent State's last win: 41-38 in 2019 at Dix Stadium |
|
5 |
Sat., Oct. 3, 2026 |
vs. Ohio* (Homecoming) |
78th all-time meeting; Kent State's last win: 31-24 in 2022 at Dix Stadium |
|
6 |
Sat., Oct. 10, 2026 |
at Western Michigan* |
59th all-time meeting; Kent State's last win: 32-14 in 2013 at Western Michigan |
|
7 |
Sat., Oct. 17, 2026 |
at South Florida |
First meeting between the two programs |
|
8 |
Sat., Oct. 24, 2026 |
vs. Akron* |
70th all-time meeting; Kent State won last meeting, 42-35 in 2025 at Akron |
|
9 |
Fri., Oct. 30, 2026 |
at Sacramento State* |
First meeting between the two programs; Sac State's first season in the MAC |
|
10 |
Sat., Nov. 7, 2026 |
BYE |
|
|
11 |
Tue., Nov. 10, 2026 |
at Bowling Green* |
94th all-time meeting; Kent State won last meeting, 24-21 in 2025 at Dix Stadium |
|
12 |
Tue., Nov. 17, 2026 |
vs. Miami (OH)* |
72nd all-time meeting; Kent State's last win: 48-47 (OT) in 2021 at Dix Stadium |
|
13 |
Tue., Nov. 24, 2026 |
at Eastern Michigan* |
36th all-time meeting; Kent State's last win: 27-23 in 2020 at Dix Stadium |
|
14 |
Sat., Dec. 5, 2026 |
MAC Championship |
*Â MAC game
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