COLUMBIA, S.C. – Benedict College has released its 2026 football schedule, a challenging schedule which will feature six home games and three opponents who advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2025.
 
"We have two of the best teams in the country blessed to come and play in Columbia to start the season off," Benedict head coach Ron Dickerson Jr. said. "After that, we get into the meat of probably one of the toughest conferences in the country."
 
The Tigers will open the 2026 season at home against Johnson C. Smith on Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. The Golden Bulls are coming off a 10-2 record in 2025, which saw them win the CIAA championship and advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs.
 
After a week off, Benedict will host another team that advanced to the postseason last season. The West Florida Argonauts will take on the Tigers on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. in Benedict's only scheduled night game. Last season, West Florida went 10-2 overall and advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs. Dickerson said this matchup has been in the works since he was hired in 2024 after two years as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Argonauts. West Florida is traditionally one of the nation's top teams, and were ranked as high as No. 3 in the country last year. The Argos were the 2019 national champions.
 
"It's a blessing to still be able to have a relationship with that staff," Dickerson said. "Coach (Kaleb) Nobles, the athletic director Dave Scott, and I, right after I got the job, did a home and away series. This year will be here and next year we'll get to go to West Florida. It's good to be able to see where you are and go outside the SIAC and have an opportunity to play one of the top teams in the country. I'm excited, because I'll get to see some friends, and see some guys we recruited, and get to play at home against a great team."
 
The Tigers will begin SIAC conference play with a pair of road games. Benedict travels to Fort Valley State on Sept. 19, and then at Tuskegee on Sept. 26, which is Benedict's first trip to Tuskegee since 2010. Benedict is 2-12 all-time against the Golden Tigers, but has won the last two meetings, both in Columbia.

Benedict returns home on Oct. 3 for an afternoon contest against Clark Atlanta. The Tigers face rival Allen University on Oct. 10, which will be a home game for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Homecoming is set for Oct. 17, when the Tigers will host Edward Waters University at 2 p.m.
 
Benedict makes another trip to Albany State to take on the Golden Rams on Oct. 24. Benedict went 10-3 in 2025, with all three losses coming to Albany State, including twice at the ASU Coliseum. Benedict closed out the season with a close 14-12 loss to the Golden Rams in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
 
The Tigers will close out the 2026 season with a pair of home games. Benedict will take on Savannah State on Oct. 31 in an afternoon Halloween contest, and then wrap up the regular season on Nov. 7 against Central State.
 
"It's a very challenging schedule, but that's what I wanted when I took the job," Dickerson said. "We want to be able to see if we can compete with some of the best in the country."
 
Dickerson said by playing better quality non-conference opponents will help the Tigers prepare for conference play, and could help their in-region rankings at the end of the season when the NCAA selects playoff participants.
 
"Being able to schedule some teams outside of your conference and in your region, it helps everybody. That's what they look for at the end of the year."
 
Dates, times and locations are subject to change. The SIAC will announce the league's televised games on ESPN and HBCU Go platforms during the summer. Season tickets and individual game tickets will go on sale at a later date on the official ticket website, www.benedicttickets.com.