After some delays, the complete FIU football schedule is here. Late Thursday night, Conference USA released all 11 football schedules for their conference members. This included Louisiana Tech, which is currently in litigation with the conference to try to expedite its move to the Sun Belt. Despite being included on the Conference USA schedule, the expectation is that the Bulldogs will be included on the Sun Belt schedule.
FIU Football: 2026 Schedule
As for the Panthers, their schedule is as follows:
- September 5 at USF
- September 12 vs. Buffalo
- September 19 at Florida Atlantic
- September 26 vs. Long Island University
- October 1 (Thursday) at Jacksonville State
- October 8 (Thursday) vs. Louisiana Tech
- October 20 (Tuesday) vs. Middle Tennessee State
- October 31 at Liberty
- November 7 vs. Sam Houston State
- November 14 at Delaware
- November 21 at New Mexico State
- November 28 vs. Missouri State
2026 FIU Football Schedule Breakdown
Game 1: For the first time since 2024, FIU will hit the road to open the season, traveling to Tampa to face the University of South Florida Bulls. This will mark the first matchup between these two programs since 2008, when the Bulls defeated the Panthers by a final score of 17-9. This will also be the Panthers’ second road game against the Bulls in program history.
The Bulls go into the season with new head coach Brian Hartline, who, before taking the job, was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. He will open his head coaching career against second-year head coach Willie Simmons and the Panthers.
Game 2: FIU comes home to welcome Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), which will be the first time these teams go head-to-head in program history. The Bulls are led by head coach Pete Lembo, who went 5-7 in 2025.
Game 3: The Shula Bowl rivalry continues, but on the road. For the first time since 2016, FIU defeated the Owls and are now tasked with defending the trophy, but the downside is that they have not defeated the Owls in Boca Raton since 2012. In year number one under head coach Zach Kittley, FAU posted a 4-8 record.
Game 4: For the first time since 2021, the Panthers will face the Long Island Sharks, which will mark the program’s lone FCS game on the schedule. The last time these two teams squared off, FIU defeated LIU by a final score of 48-10. Last season, the Sharks went 6-6.
Game 5: The last time FIU began conference play on the road was in 2023 when they fell to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs by a final score of 22-17. The Panthers hit the road for the first of three straight midweek CUSA games, beginning in AmFirst Stadium against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who posted a 9-5 record in year one under head coach Charles Kelly. FIU defeated the Gamecocks at home to clinch bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019 last season.
Game 6: With so much unknown with the Louisiana Tech situation, it is unknown whether this game will happen or not, but at the moment, it will, which means this could be the final matchup between these two programs. In 2024, when the Panthers welcomed the Bulldogs to Pitbull Stadium, it was a defensive slugfest, going the Panthers’ way, winning by a final score of 17-10. Sonny Cumbie and the Bulldogs posted an 8-5 record in 2025, making a bowl game and defeating Coastal Carolina.
Game 7: FIU defeated the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders by a final score of 56-30 in Murfreesboro. It was a disappointing season in year two for Derek Mason as they went 3-9.
Game 8: For the first time in program history, FIU defeated the Liberty Flames, defeating them in overtime by a final score of 34-27. In 2026, the Panthers will head to Lynchburg for the third time in program history on Halloween. When these two teams faced off in Lynchburg, the Panthers took the undefeated Flames to OT, with Liberty coming out on top by a final score of 31-24. Jamey Chadwell and his team had a surprisingly down year, going 4-8.
Game 9: In year one under Phil Longo, the Sam Houston State Bearkats went 2-10, with wins over Delaware and Oregon State. They closed the season at “home” against FIU, where the Panthers dropped 56 points to finish the regular season and go 4-0 in November.
Game 10 & 11: The Panthers will hit the road for two straight games before returning home for senior day against Missouri State. They will head to Delaware for their first matchup in Newark in program history. In 2025, the Blue Hens came down to Miami, where they dismantled the Panthers, 38-16 in the conference opener. For the first time since 2023, FIU will play in Las Cruces, facing the New Mexico State Aggies, who under head coach Tony Sanchez went 4-8 in his second year. The last time the Panthers faced the Aggies was in 2023; under head coach Jerry Kill, they defeated FIU by a final of 34-17.
Game 12: One of the most disappointing results for Willie Simmons in year one was the loss to the Missouri State Bears in Springfield. It would be the final loss of the regular season for FIU, as they won the rest of their games in dominant fashion. Following the season, head coach Ryan Beard departed the program, heading to Coastal Carolina. In his place, the Bears brought in SMU offensive coordinator Casey Wood.
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