UNH 2026 Football Schedule Features Syracuse Trip, Big Sky and CAA Matchups

The University of New Hampshire football program will travel to Syracuse on Sept. 5, 2026, for the first meeting in the history of the two programs, with HERO Sports reporting the trip will net UNH a $550,000 guarantee. That marquee nonconference date anchors a 12-game schedule that UNH Athletics announced in December, featuring six home games, eight CAA contests, and a Week 0 road opener at UAlbany on Aug. 28.

The Wildcats will carry momentum from an 8-5 campaign into next season, though under new leadership. Former head coach Rick Santos, who guided UNH to that record before a first-round FCS playoff exit, was announced as the University of Pennsylvania's new head football coach and introduced in a press conference shortly after. Interim head coach Scott James, who served as Santos's associate head coach and defensive coordinator last season, now steers the program heading into 2026.

After the Syracuse trip, UNH's home opener arrives Sept. 12 against Stonehill College. Harvard then makes its first trip to Durham on Sept. 19 for what will be the ninth overall meeting between the programs. The two schools' 2024 encounter at Harvard, a 28-23 UNH loss, was the first time they had played since 1939.

The CAA portion of the schedule fills out the back half of the season. UNH's homecoming on Oct. 3 brings Elon University to Durham, a program led by Manchester native Tony Trisciani. Road games follow at NC A&T on Oct. 10 and at Merrimack on Oct. 24, with home dates against Monmouth (Oct. 17), Rhode Island (Nov. 7), and Stony Brook (Nov. 14). The regular season closes Nov. 21 at Maine in the Brice-Cowell Musket game.

One scheduling detail worth noting: HERO Sports counts eight CAA games in UNH's 2026 slate, but a conference membership breakdown compiled by FBSchedules in October 2025 lists Merrimack as an FCS Independent rather than a CAA member. That discrepancy leaves the classification of the Oct. 24 game at Merrimack unsettled pending clarification from the CAA or Merrimack's athletic department.

The full schedule runs as follows: Aug. 28 at UAlbany; Sept. 5 at Syracuse; Sept. 12 vs. Stonehill; Sept. 19 vs. Harvard; Sept. 26 at Sacred Heart; Oct. 3 vs. Elon; Oct. 10 at NC A&T; Oct. 17 vs. Monmouth; Oct. 24 at Merrimack; Nov. 7 vs. Rhode Island; Nov. 14 vs. Stony Brook; Nov. 21 at Maine.

For an interim head coach building a case for the permanent job, the September stretch against Syracuse and Harvard gives James an early-season showcase on two distinct stages.