Howard Unveils 2026 Football Schedule Under First-Year Coach Ted White

Howard will open its 2026 season in a nationally televised showcase, facing Alabama A&M in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Centre Parc Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 29, a matchup Howard’s release says will air live on ABC and marks the program’s first neutral‑site season opener since 2021. The ABC telecast restores national visibility for the Bison to begin Ted White’s first season as head coach.

Howard published the full 2026 slate on March 4, laying out a 12‑game schedule that mixes high‑profile nonconference tests and a late start to MEAC play. The Bison come off a 2025 season in which they went 5–7 overall and 2–3 in MEAC games; the new schedule includes two trips to Big Ten stadiums — Memorial Stadium at Indiana on Sept. 12 and SHI Stadium at Rutgers on Sept. 26 — both listed as road dates on the respective Big Ten teams’ schedules.

The early portion of the schedule is otherwise anchored by a Sept. 5 home opener at Greene Stadium that Howard’s announcement and FBSchedules list as Richmond, but that date is in conflict with a separate team page that shows Maryland hosting Howard on Sept. 5. Howard’s official release and FBSchedules both list Richmond at Greene Stadium for the Sept. 5 opener; the Sept. 5 opponent and site remain an unresolved discrepancy between sources and warrant confirmation from Howard Athletics.

After the Big Ten trips and an off week on Sept. 19, Howard returns to the Washington, D.C., area for the Truth & Service Classic on Oct. 3, meeting Hampton at Audi Field. The nonconference stretch continues Oct. 10 with a road trip to Penn in Philadelphia before the centerpiece Homecoming matchup Oct. 17, when Howard hosts Morehouse at Greene Stadium. Howard’s announcement frames the Morehouse game as a renewal of the HBCU New York Classic and says the Homecoming atmosphere is expected to draw thousands of alumni from Howard, Morehouse, and Spelman College.

Conference play begins late in the season, with Howard scheduled to open MEAC play at Morgan State in Baltimore on Oct. 24, travel to North Carolina Central in Durham on Oct. 31, host South Carolina State at Greene Stadium on Nov. 7, host Delaware State on Nov. 14, and close the regular season at Norfolk State on Nov. 21. FBSchedules notes the Bison’s MEAC slate places several significant road tests in a compact window late in the season, which will test depth and continuity for a program under new leadership.

Broadcast details beyond the Aug. 29 ABC telecast and kickoff times for individual games have not been finalized; FBSchedules indicates Howard’s schedule page will be updated as networks and kickoff times are announced. The mix of national exposure, Big Ten road games, an Audi Field classic, and a campus Homecoming against Morehouse sets a visible, high‑stakes opening term for Ted White’s first year as head coach.