A&T, Chicago State Agree Two-Game Home-and-Home for 2026-27

North Carolina A&T and Chicago State agreed to a two-game home-and-home series for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, opening Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, when A&T will host Chicago State at Truist Stadium in Greensboro and concluding with a 2027 return at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview on a date to be determined. The series gives Chicago State a high-visibility road date during its first-ever football season in fall 2026 and gives A&T a fourth non-league opponent to round out its slate.

A&T’s published 2026 non-league slate now reads Aug. 29 home vs Morgan State, Sept. 5 at Georgia State, Sept. 12 at North Carolina Central and Oct. 17 vs Chicago State, with FBSchedules noting the Chicago State game "rounds out their non-league slate." The Aggies’ Coastal Athletic Association opponents are listed as home games vs Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Elon and UAlbany and road trips to Campbell, Bryant, Monmouth and Hampton, setting a competitive CAA run after the non-conference stretch.

Chicago State’s inaugural schedule, as released by the school and reported by FBSchedules and HBCU Gameday, opens at SeatGeek Stadium on Aug. 29 against Roosevelt University. The Cougars’ release also lists a home date vs Norfolk State on Sept. 26 and shows Chicago State traveling to North Carolina A&T on Oct. 17, positioning the program as an FCS Independent in 2026 before joining the Northeast Conference in 2027.

The Oct. 17 listing created an apparent scheduling conflict because North Carolina A&T’s earlier-published schedule had shown Norfolk State on that date. HBCU Gameday reported the discrepancy with this observation: "Chicago State’s official schedule says ‘North Carolina A&T’ on Oct. 17, while North Carolina A&T’s official schedule still says ‘Norfolk State.’ But expect that to change soon." FBSchedules treated the A&T–Chicago State agreement as authoritative and noted the previously scheduled A&T–Norfolk State Oct. 17 contest "will likely be rescheduled for another season."

On the question of how the conflict was resolved, HBCU Gameday reported an unnamed source saying Norfolk State "decided to pull out of the Oct. 17 game" and that HBCU Gameday has reached out to NSU for a statement. At the time of the reporting, no on-the-record confirmation from Norfolk State appeared in the published material and the 2027 SeatGeek Stadium date remained "to be determined."

For Chicago State the business impact is tangible: a first-ever FCS season that includes a Truist Stadium road date and a SeatGeek Stadium home opener positions the Cougars for early HBCU visibility and ticketing opportunities. For North Carolina A&T the addition of Chicago State fills out non-league preparation before A&T’s CAA schedule; for Norfolk State the reported pullback would shift a planned home-and-home sequence that had included a Sept. 18, 2027 return leg. With several pieces still to be finalized, the Oct. 17, 2026 matchup represents an immediate litmus test for Chicago State’s program-building and a scheduling pivot that could ripple across HBCU non-conference calendars.