Prairie View A&M is officially turning the page to 2026 — and the defending SWAC champions are wasting no time putting a statement schedule in front of the HBCU football world.
The Panthers dropped their complete 2026 football slate this week, coming off a breakthrough 2025 season that ended with hardware and history. Prairie View A&M went 10-4, captured its first SWAC football championship since 2009, and earned a berth in the Celebration Bowl for the first time under first-year head coach Tremaine Jackson. The Panthers’ title run ultimately ended with a loss to South Carolina State in the bowl game, but the program’s trajectory is obvious — and this is the type of momentum that resonates across the HBCU landscape.
Tests beyond HBCU football
The road begins immediately. Prairie View A&M opens the season away from home at Tarleton State on Aug. 29, setting an early tone before the Panthers return to Prairie View for one of the most anticipated dates on the calendar: the Labor Day Classic vs. Texas Southern on Sept. 6 at Panther Stadium on Blackshear Field. From there, PVAMU steps up in weight class with a trip to Baylor on Sept. 12, then heads back home to host Stephen F. Austin on Sept. 19.
Conference play brings plenty of familiar energy, plus a marquee neutral-site showdown. Prairie View A&M re-enters SWAC action on Sept. 26 against Grambling State in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl, then travels to Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 3. The Panthers return home for Southern on Oct. 10 and will host Alcorn State for Homecoming on Oct. 17.
Down the stretch, Prairie View A&M closes the regular season with a mix of home and road tests, including Alabama A&M at home on Nov. 7, Arkansas-Pine Bluff on the road Nov. 14, and Alabama State on the road Nov. 21.
With the SWAC Championship Game scheduled for Dec. 5 and the Celebration Bowl date still TBD, Prairie View A&M enters 2026 with targets on its back — and championship expectations in its sights.