Hampton University, an HBCU in the Coastal Athletic Association, has announced a groundbreaking football scheduling announcement with teams from the ACC and Big Ten as well as a regional G5 squad. The Virginia-based HBCU has lined up three consecutive seasons of games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents, including its first-ever matchups against Power 4 programs.
The Pirates will begin their FBS stretch in 2026 with a visit to the Big Ten. Hampton is set to face the University of Maryland on September 5, 2026, at SECU Stadium in College Park. The following year, the HBCU will take on the ACC’s Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta on October 9, 2027.
In 2028, Hampton will close the run with a regional showdown against Old Dominion University of the Sun Belt Conference. That game is scheduled for September 16 at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk—just under 14 miles from Hampton’s campus. The two schools share a recent FCS rivalry, having met six times between 2010 and 2021 before Old Dominion’s move to the FBS.
These matchups with the Big Ten and ACC mark a bold step forward for Hampton, which left the MEAC in 2018 and now competes in the CAA. Hampton went 5-6 last season and is set to start the 2025 season against defending HBCU national champion Jackson State.