The Full 2026 NEC Football Schedule, Week by Week

Posted on by USA Sportz
NEC Football Schedule

Mercyhurst at Youngstown State opens it on a Thursday night, and the 2026 NEC football schedule doesn’t ease its eight programs into the season gently — by Week 3, half the conference is on the road at Power Four opponents, from Washington State to California. Eight teams, a Week 0 head start, and a non-conference gauntlet that hits harder than most leagues this size ever attempt.

Week 0 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Mercyhurst AT Youngstown State6:00 PMESPN+
LIU AT North Dakota8:00 PMESPN+
Marist AT New Haven6:00 PMNEC Front Row
Robert Morris AT Wagner12:00 PMESPN+
CCSU AT South Dakota2:00 PMESPN+/Midco Sports
Bryant AT Stonehill6:00 PMNESN Nation/NEC FR

Week 1 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
LIU AT Kansas8:00 PMESPNU
Stonehill AT New Haven12:00 PMNESN+/NESN Nation/NEC FR
Southern Conn. AT Wagner12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Duquesne AT Air Force1:00 PMMW+
West Virginia State AT Robert Morris6:00 PMNEC Front Row
Mercyhurst AT New Mexico State7:00 PMESPN+

Week 2 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
UAlbany AT LIU12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Duquesne AT Youngstown State2:00 PMESPN+
Robert Morris AT Akron3:30 PMESPN+
Wagner AT James Madison3:30 PMESPN+
CCSU AT Toledo3:30 PMESPN+
Mercyhurst AT New Mexico4:00 PMMW+
Stonehill AT New Hampshire6:00 PMFloSports
New Haven AT South Dakota State7:00 PMMidco/KELO/ESPN+

Week 3 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Brown AT New Haven12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Villanova AT LIU12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Glenville State AT Mercyhurst12:00 PMNEC Front Row
CCSU AT Montana State3:00 PMESPN+
Duquesne AT Washington State3:30 PMUSA
Wagner AT California3:30 PMACCN
Stonehill AT UMass3:30 PMESPN+

Week 4 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Rio Grande AT Duquesne12:00 PMSNP/NEC Front Row
Robert Morris AT Buffalo3:30 PMESPN+
Stonehill AT Ohio3:30 PMESPN+
LIU AT FIU6:00 PMESPN+
Mercyhurst AT WKU7:00 PMESPN+
New Haven AT Merrimack7:00 PMESPN+

Week 5 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Mercyhurst AT LIU12:00 PMESPN+
Norfolk State AT Robert Morris2:00 PMNEC Front Row
New Haven AT Austin Peay5:00 PMESPN+
Wagner AT CCSUTBANEC Front Row

Week 6 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Stonehill AT Sacred Heart12:00 PMFloSports
Princeton AT Wagner12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Robert Morris AT Morgan State12:00 PMESPN+
LIU AT Duquesne1:00 PMSNP/NEC Front Row
AIC AT CCSUTBANEC Front Row

Week 7 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
New Haven AT Robert Morris12:00 PMNEC Front Row
CCSU AT Mercyhurst12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Duquesne AT Stonehill1:00 PMNESN Nation/NEC FR
LIU AT Wagner5:00 PMNEC Front Row

Week 8 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
New Haven AT CCSU12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Stonehill AT LIU12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Wagner AT Duquesne12:00 PMSNP/NEC Front Row
Mercyhurst AT Robert Morris2:00 PMNEC Front Row

Week 9 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Duquesne AT New Haven12:00 PMESPN+/YES/SNP/NESN Nation
Mercyhurst AT Stonehill12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Wagner AT Merrimack12:00 PMESPN+
Robert Morris AT CCSUTBANEC Front Row

Week 10 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Robert Morris AT Duquesne12:00 PMSNP/NEC Front Row
LIU AT New Haven12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Wagner AT Mercyhurst12:00 PMNEC Front Row
CCSU AT Stonehill1:00 PMESPN+/YES/NESN/NESN Nation

Week 11 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
CCSU AT LIU12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Mercyhurst AT Duquesne12:00 PMSNP/NEC Front Row
New Haven AT Wagner12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Stonehill AT Robert Morris12:00 PMNESN+/NESN Nation/NEC FR

Week 12 — 2026 NEC Football Schedule

MatchupTime (ET)TV/Mobile
Duquesne AT CCSU12:00 PMNEC Front Row
LIU AT Robert Morris12:00 PMNEC Front Row
New Haven AT Mercyhurst12:00 PMNEC Front Row
Wagner AT Stonehill12:00 PMNESN+/NESN Nation/NEC FR

A Non-Conference Slate That Punches Above Its Weight

Nine road games at Power Four or high-major Group of Five programs land inside the first month alone. Duquesne draws Air Force in Week 1 and Washington State in Week 3. Wagner plays James Madison in Week 2 and California in Week 3. Robert Morris visits Akron and Buffalo. CCSU travels to Toledo and Montana State. These aren’t accidental scheduling quirks — they’re the funding games that keep FCS athletic departments solvent, and the NEC’s 2026 slate leans into that harder than most conferences its size.

Week 0 Starts a Full Week Early

Mercyhurst and LIU both open on Thursday, August 27 — a full week before most of college football even kicks off. That extra week gives NEC coaching staffs a head start on working out rotation issues before the non-conference gauntlet and eventual conference play begin in earnest.

Three TBA Games Worth Watching

CCSU shows up in all three of the schedule’s “Time TBA” games — Wagner at CCSU (Week 5), AIC at CCSU (Week 6), and Robert Morris at CCSU (Week 9). That’s not necessarily meaningful on its own, but it’s worth flagging that CCSU’s own home-kickoff scheduling appears to be lagging behind the rest of the conference’s release, and those three times should be confirmed closer to each date.

FAQ

Q: When does the 2026 NEC football season start?
A: The 2026 NEC football schedule opens Week 0 on Thursday, August 27, with Mercyhurst at Youngstown State and LIU at North Dakota, followed by three more games that Friday and Saturday.

Q: When does Duquesne play Air Force in 2026?
A: Duquesne at Air Force 2026 is set for Saturday, September 5, at 1:00 PM ET on MW+, part of a Week 1 slate that also sends LIU to Kansas.

Q: Which NEC teams play Power Four opponents in 2026?
A: Duquesne faces Air Force and Washington State; Wagner faces James Madison and California; Robert Morris faces Akron and Buffalo; and CCSU faces Toledo, all inside the first month of the season.

Q: Where can I watch NEC football games in 2026?
A: Most NEC football TV schedule games stream on ESPN+ or NEC Front Row, with select matchups also airing on ESPNU, USA, ACCN, MW+, or regional networks like NESN and Midco depending on the week.

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