WILLIAMSBURG, KY – The University of the Cumberlands football program is set for another challenging campaign as Head Coach Shan Housekeeper has announced the Patriots' 2026 schedule. The 10-game slate features five home contests and five road games, including matchups against five opponents mentioned in the final 2025 Postseason NAIA Football Poll.
 
"There's no easy way through our schedule for sure," said Housekeeper. "The Mid-South Conference has a lot of really good football coaches and a lot of good football players. We start at home and work through a tough schedule. We've got some good non-conference opponents and then obviously traveling down to play Keiser is a challenge. It starts out with a rivalry game, so there's no easy way through our schedule."
 
The Patriots will open the season on Thursday, August 27th when they host Union Commonwealth University in the annual Battle for the Brass Lantern at James H. Taylor II Stadium. Cumberlands has won seven straight meetings against the Bulldogs, including a 45-11 victory last season. Kickoff is set for 7 PM ET.
 
"It's always a good opener," Housekeeper said. "There's a lot of people locally that are connected to both institutions. We'll be playing on a Thursday night to kick off the college football season and playing for the Brass Lantern is always something we want to play well for. There's a lot to play for in that game."
 
UC will then hit the road on September 5th for a matchup with Bluefield University at 1:30 PM ET. The Patriots have won three straight meetings against the Rams, including a 66-12 victory in Williamsburg last season.
 
The Pats return home the following week to host Warner University on September 12^th at 1:30 PM ET. Cumberlands owns a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series and defeated the Royals 27-14 in Florida last season.
 
"Those teams all present different challenges," Housekeeper said of the non-conference schedule. "Bluefield has always had an explosive offense, so we've got to be well prepared for that. Warner has really good athletes and played hard last year, and we expect the same thing this year."
 
Non-conference play continues on September 19th when UC travels to Rio Grande, Ohio for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The RedStorm are entering just their second season of football and will be led by a new head coach in 2026.
 
"We've never played there, so you don't know exactly what you're going to get into," said Housekeeper. "They've got a new football coach, so we're not sure what they're going to be schematically at this point, but we are excited for the opportunity to play a new program."
 
One week later, the Patriots face one of their toughest tests of the regular season when they travel to West Palm Beach, Florida to take on No. 2 Keiser University. The Seahawks advanced to the NAIA National Championship game last season and enter the year as one of the nation's premier programs. The all-time series is tied 1-1 after Keiser earned a 42-12 victory in Williamsburg last season. Kickoff is set for 3 PM ET and will conclude the non-conference schedule for the Pats.
 
"It's obviously a challenge," Housekeeper said. "The travel is a challenge and the opponent is a challenge. We've got to have a well thought out plan with player recovery and preparation. When we get down there, we're going to play one of the top teams in the country, so we've got to be ready for that."
 
Following a bye week, Cumberlands will begin Mid-South Conference play at home against No. 11 Campbellsville University on October 10th. The Tigers have won the last two meetings, including a 49-34 decision last season, and reached the NAIA Playoffs in 2025.
 
"There is no easy way to kick our conference off," Housekeeper said. "Having a bye is nice because we can regroup from the travel, get back to fundamentals and prepare ourselves. Then you open conference play against a team that was in the playoffs last year. It'll be a good measuring stick to see where we're at."
 
The Patriots then travel to McKenzie, Tennessee to face Bethel University on October 17^th at 2:30 PM ET. UC earned a 34-10 victory over the Wildcats last season for a ranked win, but the Patriots are looking for their first victory in McKenzie since 2017.
 
Conference play continues on October 24th when Cumberland University visits Williamsburg on Homecoming at 6 PM ET.  The Phoenix have won the last three meetings, including a 40-37 overtime thriller last season.
 
The Pats then head to Georgetown College on October 31st. The Tigers have won three straight meetings in the series, though Cumberlands' last victory over Georgetown came on the road in 2022 when the Patriots secured a 24-23 win.
 
"Bethel is always a challenge and they've got really good athletes," Housekeeper said. "Then Cumberland comes in and they're always well coached and prepared. Georgetown is another good environment to play in and another well coached team. Hopefully by that point we're building some momentum and staying healthy because that's such an important stretch of the season."
 
After another bye week, the Patriots will conclude the regular season on November 14th when they host No. 7 Lindsey Wilson University on Senior Day. The Blue Raiders reached the NAIA Playoffs last season, while UC will be looking to replicate its last home victory over Lindsey Wilson, an 18-14 triumph in Williamsburg during the 2024 season.
 
"That's going to be an important game," Housekeeper said. "They're a playoff program and being able to finish at home is important. Hopefully by the time we get there there's some incentive to play for. We devote a lot of time and effort into making sure we can get our guys to game 10 healthy and fresh."
 
As the Patriots prepare for the 2026 season, Housekeeper believes consistency and resilience will be key to navigating one of the nation's toughest schedules.
 
"The biggest thing is our ability to bounce back," Housekeeper said. "There's always going to be challenges. If we can have emotional regulation, the ability to reset, and focus on the things we can control, I feel like we're going to be all right."
 
Kickoff times and additional game information can be found on the Cumberlands football schedule page here. Live video for all home games will be here and live stats throughout the season here.
 
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