The Lindenwood Lions will open the 2026 college football season on August 27, at home against Charleston Southern. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

ST. CHARLES, MO — The Lindenwood University athletics department announced its full football schedule for the upcoming 2026 season on Wednesday.

The Lions will play 11 games in six different states this fall, beginning with the season opener on Thursday, August 27, at Hunter Stadium against Charleston Southern. It will be the first time since 2023 that Lindenwood will open the season with a home game.

The schedule features five home games and six road games, with Lindenwood playing a seven-game conference schedule against other teams in the Ohio Valley Conference-Big South Football Association. 2025 league champion Tennessee Tech is moving to the Southern Conference, leaving the OVC-Big South with eight teams remaining.

Junior WR Jalen Smith, who led the team in receiving and led the conference with a 19.3 yds/catch average will be back to power the Lindenwood offense in 2026. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)

The OVC-Big South conference schedule was released in January and it was then that Lindenwood found out that it would be opening the new campaign with a matchup against Charleston Southern. Kickoff for the opener is set for 6 p.m.

Following that game, LU will play three straight road games to close out the month of September. The Lions will first hit the road on September 3 for a game in New York state against Stony Brook. The Lions defeated the Sea Wolves in a high-flying affair, 30-27, last season.

The next two weeks will be games against NCAA Division I FBS opponents, Missouri State (September 12) and Eastern Michigan (September 26).

Following a week off, Lindenwood will return to OVC-Big South action with its annual “Game Ball Brawl” matchup against Southeast Missouri State on October 10. The Lions have won the rivalry showdown against the Redhawks in each of the last two seasons.

The midpoint of the season comes the next week, when Lindenwood will travel to Charleston, Ill., to play Eastern Illinois in another OVC-Big South matchup on October 17.

The Lions will be back home the next week for a meeting against new college football foe Chicago State. This will be CSU’s first season with a football program and it will play as an independent, before joining the Northeastern Conference in 2027.

Senior LB Jacob Waller (5) will be back to lead the Lindenwood defense in 2026. (Photo courtesy: Lindenwood Athletics)

Trick or treating will include football fun at Lindenwood this season, as the Lions will host Tennessee State on October 31. November will begin with a road game in North Carolina, when Lindenwood heads to the coast to take on Gardner-Webb on November 7.

The final road game of the season will come the next week, on November 14, when the Lions travel south to face Tennessee-Martin. That contest will set up the regular season finale, on November 21, when Lindenwood hosts Western Illinois.

Lindenwood went 6-6 last season, which included a 5-3 record in conference play, and wins in three of the teams’ last four games.

2026 LINDENWOOD LIONS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTV
August 27, 2026 (Thursday)6:00 p.m.HomeCharleston Southern*Hunter Stadium
September 3, 2026 (Thursday)TBAAwayStony BrookStony Brook, N.Y.
September 12, 2026 (Saturday)TBAAwayMissouri StateSpringfield, Mo.
September 26, 2026 (Saturday)TBAAwayEastern MichiganYpsilanti, Mich.
October 10, 2026 (Saturday)1:00 p.m.HomeSoutheast Missouri State*Hunter Stadium
October 17, 2026 (Saturday)2:00 p.m.AwayEastern Illinois*Charleston, Ill.
October 24, 2026 (Saturday)2:00 p.m.HomeChicago StateHunter Stadium
October 31, 2026 (Saturday)1:00 p.m.HomeTennessee State*Hunter Stadium
November 7, 2026 (Saturday)1:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. central)AwayGardner-Webb*Boiling Springs, N.C.
November 14, 2026 (Saturday)2:00 p.m.AwayTennessee-Martin*Martin, Tenn.
November 21, 2026 (Saturday)2:00 p.m.HomeWestern Illinois*Hunter Stadium

* – denotes OVC-Big South Football Association game