A Monday night road trip to Florida State to open the year. A road test at Louisville right behind it. And a closing stretch that runs through South Bend and Stanford. The 2026 SMU football schedule front-loads a difficult opener before settling into a home-heavy middle.
2026 SMU Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Sep 7 | at Florida State Seminoles | Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL | 7:30 PM | ESPN |
| Sat, Sep 12 | UC Davis Aggies | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | 4:00 PM | ACCNX |
| Sat, Sep 19 | at Louisville Cardinals | L&N Stadium, Louisville, KY | 3:30 PM | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Sat, Sep 26 | Missouri State Bears | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | Time TBA | ESPN network |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Boston College Eagles | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 10 | — | OFF | — | — |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Virginia Cavaliers (Homecoming) | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 24 | California Golden Bears | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Sat, Oct 31 | at Syracuse Orange | JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Virginia Tech Hokies | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | 7:00 PM | ESPN |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Homecoming) | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Sat, Nov 21 | at Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN | 7:30 PM | NBC/Peacock |
| Sat, Nov 28 | at Stanford Cardinal | Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA | Time TBA | TV TBA |
| Sat, Dec 5 | ACC Championship | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | 12:00 PM | ABC |
A Monday Night Opener, Then a Road Trip to Louisville
SMU opens the 2026 SMU football schedule on a Monday night at Florida State, an unusual early-week road test to start the year. UC Davis gives Dallas a home date before the Mustangs head back on the road to face Louisville on September 19 — two true road games in the first three weeks of the season.
A Home-Heavy Middle Stretch
Missouri State and Boston College both visit Gerald J. Ford Stadium before a bye week on October 10. The SMU ACC schedule 2026 then delivers four of five home games — Virginia, California, and eventually Wake Forest — broken up only by a road trip to Syracuse on Halloween.
Virginia Tech Under the Lights, Then Notre Dame Looms
A Friday night home game against Virginia Tech opens November, followed by Wake Forest in Dallas. Then SMU vs Notre Dame 2026 closes out the toughest two-week stretch of the season — a Saturday night road trip to Notre Dame Stadium on November 21, broadcast nationally on NBC.
Closing at Stanford
The regular season wraps on the road at Stanford on November 28. If SMU is still playing December 5, it’s in Charlotte for the ACC Championship.
The Bottom Line
Between Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Stanford, SMU’s toughest tests are almost entirely on the road, bookending a favorable home-heavy middle. The SMU football home games in 2026 give the Mustangs a real chance to build a record before the closing stretch tests it against two of the best programs on the schedule.
FAQ
Q: When does SMU football play its first game in 2026?
A: SMU opens the 2026 SMU football schedule on the road against Florida State on Monday, September 7, at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Q: When is SMU vs Notre Dame 2026?
A: SMU vs Notre Dame 2026 is set for Saturday, November 21, on the road at Notre Dame Stadium, kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
Q: How many home games does SMU play in 2026?
A: SMU has eight SMU football home games in 2026 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium: UC Davis, Missouri State, Boston College, Virginia, California, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.
Q: What is SMU’s toughest stretch on the 2026 schedule?
A: The closing run from Notre Dame (road) to Stanford (road) — November 21 and November 28 — is the toughest stretch on the SMU ACC schedule 2026, alongside the September road trips to Florida State and Louisville.
