If you are a fan of the SMU Mustangs, the 2026 football season is shaping up to be one worth circling on your calendar. From a high-profile Monday night opener at Florida State to a regular-season finale on the West Coast at Stanford, this schedule covers serious ground. Whether you want to plan your game-day weekends, track road trips, or simply keep a clean copy of every matchup handy, this guide walks you through the complete SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026 and shows you exactly how to get a printable PDF version straight from the official source.
SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026: Full Season at a Glance
Here is the complete SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026, including home and away designations and game locations.
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 7 (Mon) | at Florida State Seminoles | Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL |
| Sep. 12 (Sat) | vs UC Davis Aggies | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Sep. 19 (Sat) | at Louisville Cardinals | L&N Stadium, Louisville, KY |
| Sep. 26 (Sat) | vs Missouri State Bears | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Oct. 3 (Sat) | vs Boston College Eagles | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Oct. 10 (Sat) | BYE WEEK | — |
| Oct. 17 (Sat) | vs Virginia Cavaliers | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Oct. 24 (Sat) | vs California Golden Bears | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Oct. 31 (Sat) | at Syracuse Orange | JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY |
| Nov. 7 (Sat) | vs Virginia Tech Hokies | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Nov. 14 (Sat) — HC | vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| Nov. 21 (Sat) | at Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN |
| Nov. 28 (Sat) | at Stanford Cardinal | Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA |
| Dec. 5 (Sat) | ACC Championship Game | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
Game-by-Game Breakdown: What Fans Need to Know
September: Non-Conference Tests and Early Road Challenges
The SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026 kicks off on a Monday night, September 7, when SMU travels to Tallahassee to face the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. This is already one of the marquee games of the early season. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM CT on ESPN, with radio coverage on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM. It is a tough opener on the road, and it sets the tone immediately for how this team will respond to a power-program challenge.
SMU comes home the following Saturday, September 12, to host UC Davis at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. This is the home opener and a chance for the Mustangs to get comfortable in front of their own crowd. Then it is back on the road September 19 for a trip to Louisville, where SMU faces the Cardinals at L&N Stadium in Kentucky. The Mustangs close out September at home against Missouri State on the 26th, making that stretch a mix of road tests and home turf.
October: Conference Play, a Bye Week, and Key Home Matchups
October opens with Boston College coming to Dallas on October 3, which is one of the earlier ACC matchups on the schedule. The bye week on October 10 then gives the coaching staff a window to rest players, review film, and prepare for the push through the second half of the season.
After the off week, the Mustangs are back in Dallas for Virginia on October 17. Then, California visits Gerald J. Ford Stadium on October 24. The Cal matchup is worth watching closely because the official schedule notes it as a potential Friday or Saturday game, depending on how the ACC broadcast calendar shakes out. The same applies to the October 31 road game at Syracuse, which is listed with a similar TBD window. Both of those are important dates to double-check before making travel plans, which is another reason the printable PDF from the official site is your best friend during the season.
November: The Hardest Stretch on the Schedule
November is where the SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026 gets serious. The Mustangs host Virginia Tech on November 7 and Wake Forest on November 14, both at home in Dallas. The Wake Forest game is officially designated as Homecoming on the official SMU Athletics page, so expect a full stadium and a strong home atmosphere for that one.
Then comes the road portion of November, and it is a genuine challenge. SMU travels to Notre Dame on November 21 for a nationally televised game listed at 6:30 PM CT on NBC and Peacock. Notre Dame Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in college football, and this matchup will be one of the most-watched games of the Mustangs’ season. The regular-season finale takes SMU to the West Coast on November 28 for a game at Stanford, closing out the year with one more conference road test before any postseason opportunities come into play.
The schedule also includes the ACC Championship Game on December 5 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, though that appearance depends on how the Mustangs perform through the regular season.
See also: Pittsburgh Panthers Football Schedule 2026 – Printable PDF
Why Keeping a Printable PDF Is Smart for SMU Fans
The SMU Mustangs Football Schedule Printable PDF is not just a convenience tool. It is genuinely useful when you are trying to plan a full season around work, travel, family, and other commitments. Having a clean printed copy posted somewhere visible, whether that is your office, kitchen, or car, means you are never scrambling to remember when the next game is or whether it is home or away.
The schedule includes seven home games at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, which makes for a lot of potential tailgate weekends. It also includes five road games spread across Florida, Kentucky, New York, Indiana, and California. If you are the kind of fan who travels for games, getting the printable PDF early and marking your priority road trips makes the logistics much easier.
Since several games still have TBD kickoff times and a few carry Friday-or-Saturday flexibility, checking the official schedule page and re-downloading the printable PDF periodically throughout the season is a smart habit. That way, your printed copy stays current, and you are not showing up to a Saturday game that moved to Friday.
How to Get the SMU Mustangs Football Schedule Printable PDF
Before diving into the full breakdown, here is the most important thing to know: the fastest and most accurate way to get a printable PDF of the SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026 is to visit the official SMU Athletics page directly.
Go here: Printable Schedule PDF
Once you are on the page, look for the Print icon at the top of the schedule. Click it, and your browser will give you the option to save the page as a PDF or send it to your printer. That gives you a clean, official, and always up-to-date version of the schedule without having to piece it together yourself. Since the official page is updated as kickoff times, TV listings, and broadcast windows get confirmed, the printable PDF you download from there will always reflect the latest information.
This is the recommended method because several games still carry TBD kickoff times, and some matchups may shift between Friday and Saturday depending on ACC broadcast decisions. Downloading the printable PDF from the official source means you are working with verified data every time.
Conclusion
The SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026 gives fans a lot to look forward to, from a prime-time Monday night opener at Florida State to a Homecoming atmosphere in Dallas to a marquee late-season road trip to Notre Dame. The regular season runs from September 7 through November 28 at Stanford, with the ACC Championship on December 5 as the potential cap to the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the SMU Mustangs Football Schedule 2026 finalized?
The core schedule is set, with games listed from September 7 through November 28. However, several kickoff times remain TBD, and some games carry a Friday-or-Saturday window depending on ACC broadcast decisions. Always check the official page for the most current details before making travel plans.
When is SMU’s first game of the 2026 season?
SMU opens the 2026 season on Monday, September 7, on the road at Florida State in Tallahassee. Kickoff is listed at 6:30 PM CT on ESPN, with radio coverage on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM.
Which games have confirmed kickoff times on the 2026 schedule?
As of the last check, the opener at Florida State on September 7 (6:30 PM CT, ESPN) and the road game at Notre Dame on November 21 (6:30 PM CT, NBC/Peacock) both have confirmed times. Most other games are still listed as TBD and will be updated as the season approaches.
Does the 2026 SMU schedule include Homecoming?
Yes. The official SMU Athletics page marks one game with Homecoming designations: the November 14 home game against Wake Forest.