The 2026 South Atlantic Conference football season is starting to take shape as teams from across the Division II league release their full schedules. Lenoir-Rhyne became the first North Carolina team in the conference to unveil its 2026 game lineup, and things are filling in for Catawba, Mars Hill and Wingate.
Read below for 2026 South Atlantic Conference football schedule highlights and to find links to full schedule pages for North Carolina’s teams.
South Atlantic Conference football schedules officially released:
Click on a North Carolina team name to view its schedule page:
Lenoir-Rhyne Bears – Full schedule released 2/10
Catawba Indians – Full schedule released 4/10
Mars Hill Lions – Conference games + 1 non-conference game
Wingate Bulldogs – Schedule complete but not officially released.
🧭 South Atlantic Conference Scheduling Format (2026)
The South Atlantic Conference enters the 2026 season with a 10-team football membership and a straightforward scheduling format.
- Each team will play nine conference games, competing in a full round-robin slate.
- The SAC will not use divisions, a format the league had adopted when there were 12 teams in the league in 2022-24.
- There will be no conference championship game, with the regular-season standings determining the league champion and D2 playoff automatic qualifier.
The 2026 season marks the first year in several cycles with stable SAC football membership, following recent changes that saw Barton depart the league after the 2024 season and Limestone University discontinue athletics in spring 2025.
🔍 Schedule Spotlight: Lenoir-Rhyne Opens Under Friday-Night Lights
The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears face one of the most demanding early season slates in Division II, pairing national-level non-conference tests with an immediate plunge into elite South Atlantic Conference play.
The Bears were scheduled to open with a Friday, Aug. 28 home game against West Florida, a powerhouse from the Gulf South Conference. But West Florida announced in early April it was moving to FCS football this fall. So the Bears replaced the Argonauts with perennial CIAA contender Virginia Union. The game, a rematch of the second round of the 2024 D2 playoffs, also will be played Friday, Aug. 28.
West Alabama, also from the Gulf South, comes to Hickory the following Saturday, Sept. 5. This also will be a rematch of the 2024 playoffs, won by Lenoir-Rhyne 37-34 when Jake Brown kicked his third field goal of the day in the final minutes. West Alabama went 5-4 a year ago.
The SAC gauntlet begins with a trip to Newberry (12-2 in 2025) on Sept. 12 with the Bishop’s Trophy on the line.. The Wolves are the reigning conference champions and won three playoff games a year ago before falling to Ferris State in the D2 semis.
Home games with teeth: Wingate visits for homecoming (!) on Oct. 17. The Bulldogs won the SAC in 2024 and went to the playoffs last season. Mars Hill, Carson-Newman and Tusculum also come to Moretz Stadium as part of a six-pack of home games.
Lenoir-Rhyne finished 6-5 overall and 5-4 in the SAC last season and enters Year 3 under head coach Doug Socha, who is 16-8 in his first two seasons at the helm.
👉 View Lenoir-Rhyne’s full 2026 football schedule
2026 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE REVEAL ⬇️
Can’t wait to see you guys pack out Moretz this fall!
🐻🏈#GOBEARS | #BetweenTheBricks | #W1N pic.twitter.com/cmktduWCYu — Lenoir-Rhyne Football (@LRBearsFootball) February 10, 2026
Catawba Football Will Be Night Owls For Much of 2026
Catawba announced an 11-game schedule on April 10, which will feature six home games and seven contests with evening kickoffs.
The Indians’ non-conference slate includes a road trip to Ferrum on Saturday, Aug. 29 and then a home date with North Greenville, the reigning champs of Conference Carolinas, the following Saturday, Sept. 5.
Catawba will celebrate homecoming on Oct. 31 when Carson-Newman visits. Other conference home opponents include Emory & Henry, Wingate, Newberry and Lenoir-Rhyne.
All Catawba home games at Shuford Stadium will kick off under the lights at 6 p.m., except for the homecoming game which starts at 1 p.m. Five home opponents finished above .500 in South Atlantic Conference play a year ago, presenting a challenging but engaging set of contests for season-ticket holders.
👉 View Catawba’s full 2026 football schedule
Still awaiting official schedule releases for Mars Hill, Wingate
The SAC has already set its week-by-week conference schedule for all 10 teams. Now, we are awaiting for everything to be cemented by individual schools
We know from Winston-Salem State’s recent schedule release that Mars Hill will visit the Rams on Sept. 5. Mars Hill also has announced its spring game for Saturday, April 18.
We know from UNC Pembroke and Delta State schedule releases that Wingate is set to play both as non-conference opponents on the road early in the season. The Wingate at UNCP matchup appears headed for Thursday, Aug. 27. The Bulldogs will play their first three games, and four of the first six, in opposing stadiums.
Here are all of the in-state SAC match-ups, per the conference’s schedule grid:
- Catawba at Mars Hill – Week 2 (Sept. 12)
- Mars Hill at Lenoir-Rhyne – Week 3 (Sept. 19)
- Wingate at Catawba – Week 5 (Oct. 3)
- Wingate at Lenoir-Rhyne – Week 7 (Oct. 17)
- Lenoir-Rhyne at Catawba – Week 11 (Nov. 14)
- Wingate at Mars Hill – Week 11 (Nov. 14)
👉 View Catawba’s full 2026 football schedule
👉 View Mars Hill’s full 2026 football schedule
👉 View Wingate’s full 2026 football schedule
Looking for more North Carolina college football schedules?
🏫 Team Schedules Hub – Browse full-season schedules for all 33 North Carolina college programs
🗓️ Weekly Master Schedule – View all games organized by week
