ETSU football schedule to feature games against Bison, Tar Heels

East Tennessee State will look to get over the hump against the Campbell Camels before a pair of challenging road contests to open the 2026 football season. The Bucs, who finished 7-5 each of the last two years, will face the Camels on August 29 at Greene Stadium in the season opener. They follow up with a September 5 trip at North Dakota State, a team which ETSU lost 28-25 two years ago in Johnson City. They face a Power 4 conference opponent the following week at North Carolina. ETSU coach Will Healy will get a chance to match wits with eight-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Belichick on Sept. 12 when the Bucs travel to Chapel Hill to face the Tar Heels. "We're excited about the level of challenge this schedule presents both home and away, but we're just as excited about the atmosphere it's going to create on game day from the Buc Walk all the way through kickoff," ETSU coach Will Healy said. "Our fans bring the best energy in the league, and that makes a real difference for our players." The Bucs finish up non-conference play with a chance to avenge a 2025 loss to West Georgia when they host the Wolves on Sept. 19. ETSU begins its Southern Conference schedule a week later when the Bucs take on Western Carolina in the annual Blue Ridge Border Battle. It's a second straight rivalry game a week later when ETSU hosts Chattanooga on Oct. 3. After the Rail Rivalry Game, the Bucs head on the road to Charleston, S.C., to go against The Citadel. ETSU has a bye week before returning to action Oct. 24 at VMI. The Bucs welcome Tennessee Tech as a Southern Conference foe on Oct. 31. The final regular-season home game is a week later, Nov. 7, against Samford. "What stands out about this schedule is that we get to bring our biggest rivalries to our home field," Healy said. "Having Western Carolina and Chattanooga here, along with welcoming Tennessee Tech in their first year in the SoCon, is huge for our program and for our fans. Those games mean something special." The Bucs will go on the road for two final SoCon games, Nov. 14 at Wofford and Nov. 21 at Mercer.