Temple’s 2026 football schedule is complete as its conference slate is unveiled
The Owls' 12-game schedule is highlighted by a nonconference home game against Penn State.
The American Conference released its 2026 football schedule for all 14 teams on Thursday afternoon. For Temple, that meant the release of its full schedule for the fall.
After finishing one game shy of bowl eligibility in 2025, the Owls will look to make their first bowl game since the 2019 campaign. But this time, they’ll face 10 teams that participated in bowl games last season.
The Owls will begin their second season under coach K.C. Keeler at home against nonconference foe Rhode Island on Sept. 5, the teams’ first matchup since 1975.
They will remain at Lincoln Financial Field to play Penn State on Sept. 12, in what could be a homecoming for quarterback Jaxon Smolik, who transferred to Temple from the Nittany Lions on Jan. 10.
Smolik is in contention to be the Owls’ starting quarterback. This will be the first time the two teams played in Philadelphia since Temple earned a stunning 27-10 win on Sept. 5, 2015.
The Owls will travel to play Toledo on Sept. 19 in a late addition that was announced in January. Connecticut will visit Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 10 to round out Temple’s nonconference schedule. UConn will enter led by former Toledo coach Jason Candle.
Army will kick off conference play for the Owls on Sept. 26, followed by Temple’s trip to play South Florida on Oct. 3 in Tampa for the first time since 2023.
Temple will host Charlotte on Oct. 17 before its bye week on Oct. 24.
Four of the Owls’ final five games will be against teams that competed in bowl games last season. They’ll play at East Carolina on Oct. 31 before traveling to Navy on Nov. 7. A home game against Alabama-Birmingham will give the team a break from those bowl-eligible squads on Nov. 14, but Temple will play visiting Rice on a short week in a Thursday prime-time game on Nov. 19.
The season concludes against Memphis on Nov. 27 or 28. This year’s American Conference championship game is scheduled for Dec. 5.
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