Central Connecticut adds Merrimack, Fordham to future home-and-home schedule

Central Connecticut added two more long-range dates on June 25, and both fit the Blue Devils’ growing habit of building FCS schedules around repeat opponents, manageable travel and games with a built-in backstory. Merrimack will visit Arute Field in New Britain on Sept. 4, 2027, while Fordham will host CCSU on Sept. 23, 2028.

The Merrimack matchup is more than a placeholder on a calendar. It completes a home-and-home that started when the Warriors edged Central Connecticut 16-14 on Sept. 20, 2025, at Duane Stadium in North Andover. Merrimack’s own recap labeled it a dramatic last-second victory, which gives the 2027 game a ready-made edge: CCSU will get a chance to answer a loss that came down to the final moments, not a generic nonconference date that disappears into the schedule.

Fordham carries its own baggage, and its own value. The Rams and Blue Devils were already set to meet on Sept. 20, 2025 before the game moved to Sept. 23, 2028, preserving the home-and-home structure while stretching it across three seasons. Central Connecticut beat Fordham 33-3 on Sept. 7, 2024 at Arute Field, a result that turned lopsided after CCSU scored 19 points in the second quarter and 14 in the third. Fordham’s official box score listed the attendance at 3,784, a reminder that these regional FCS games can draw real local crowds when the opponent, the date and the stakes line up.

The wider shape of CCSU’s future slate shows how Northeast programs are trying to protect both identity and the budget. Merrimack will be the fourth scheduled nonconference opponent for 2027, joining a home game with Holy Cross on Sept. 9, a road trip to Marshall on Sept. 16 and a game with Dartmouth in the mix. Dartmouth’s home-and-home, which began Oct. 19, 2024 and ends Oct. 16, 2027, underscores how aggressively CCSU has worked to lock in regional series years ahead of time.

Fordham is already listed as CCSU’s third nonconference opponent in 2028, alongside Holy Cross at home and Marshall on the road. That kind of advance planning gives the Blue Devils a schedule with familiar Northeast footprints, a few higher-profile trips and fewer costly surprises, while turning future seasons into a set of known rivalry points rather than a scramble for open dates.