PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Prairie View A&M defends its 2025 SWAC Football Championship with a competitive 2026 schedule that sends the Panthers into a Power Four stadium in Waco, two ranked FCS opponents, and back to the Cotton Bowl for the State Fair Classic versus Grambling State.Coach Tremaine Jackson enters his second season in Prairie View after a prosperous debut year that produced a 10-4 record, a 7-1 mark in SWAC play, a conference championship and a berth in the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The SWAC coaches and sports information directors made the Panthers the runaway preseason pick in the Western Division at SWAC Football Media Day, awarding them 130 points and 19 of 24 first-place votes. Still, for Coach Jackson last year was another team, this 2026 hasn't proven anything yet.We put last year away a long time ago, and we pressed forward in this finishing the fight phase," Jackson said.Nonconference slate built around the Baylor guaranteeThe Panthers open Aug. 29 at Tarleton State with an 8 p.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, Texas. The game is the front half of a home-and-home series that returns to Panther Stadium in 2027.Prairie View A&M's marquee nonconference date arrives Sept. 12 at Baylor, a 7 p.m. kickoff inside McLane Stadium. The Panthers close the nonconference portion with Stephen F. Austin at home on Sept. 19 and a road trip to East Texas A&M on Oct. 24.Labor Day Classic lands in a Sunday morning windowThe 41st Labor Day Classic against Texas Southern kicks at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Panther Stadium as the only college football game in that ESPN2 window. The Sunday morning slot has drawn objections from fans over the overlap with church services. But Coach Jackson told HBCU Legends he was all for the timeslot after how it affected his team at the 2025 Celebration Bowl."Here's the real reason why I wanted to play at 11 o'clock, and I don't know if I've said this publicly," Jackson told HBCU Legends Podcast. "At 11 AM, Prairie View A&M doesn't play football, right, until we get to the Celebration Bowl, because the Celebration Bowl is at noon Eastern time. Which is 11 AM on the time that we're used to. And so like I told our players, we're gonna play at 11 AM because— So our bodies are used to being able to play at 11 AM, and that goes back to helping us fix that issue, one of the issues that I thought we had." Coach felt the Panthers' biorhythms were off schedule playing a game at 11 AM central, instead of noon central.Prairie View A&M won last season's meeting on a last-second touchdown at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. Texas Southern will not return to that venue in 2026 and has moved its home games to W.W. Thorne Stadium and Reliant Stadium.State Fair Classic anchors the SWAC scheduleConference play resumes Sept. 26 against Grambling State in the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Panthers then travel to Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 3 before a home stretch that brings Southern to Prairie View on Oct. 10 and Alcorn State for homecoming on Oct. 17.After an open date Oct. 31, Prairie View A&M hosts Alabama A&M on Nov. 7 and finishes with road games at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 14 and at Alabama State on Nov. 21. The Alabama State trip closes the regular season against the preseason favorite in the Eastern Division.Postseason picture favors the WestThree SWAC programs are ineligible for postseason play in 2026 under NCAA Academic Progress Rate penalties: Alabama A&M, Florida A&M and Mississippi Valley State. All three compete in the Eastern Division, which leaves every Western Division program eligible for the Pepsi SWAC Football Championship Game on Dec. 5 on ESPN2. The Cricket Celebration Bowl follows Dec. 12 on ABC.Prairie View A&M's route back to Atlanta runs through a closing stretch that puts two of the final three games on the road. The Nov. 21 trip to Montgomery could double as a preview of the title game the Panthers are favored to reach.Prairie View A&M 2026 Football ScheduleAug. 29 -- at Tarleton State | Memorial Stadium, Stephenville, Texas | 8 p.m.Sept. 6 -- Texas Southern (Labor Day Classic) | Panther Stadium, Prairie View, Texas | 11 a.m. / ESPN2Sept. 12 -- at Baylor | McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas | 7 p.m.Sept. 19 -- Stephen F. Austin | Panther Stadium, Prairie View, Texas | 7 p.m. / SWAC TVSept. 26 -- Grambling State (State Fair Classic) | Cotton Bowl, Dallas | TBDOct. 3 -- at Mississippi Valley State | Rice-Totten Stadium, Itta Bena, Miss. | TBD / SWAC TVOct. 10 -- Southern | Panther Stadium, Prairie View, Texas | TBD / SWAC TVOct. 17 -- Alcorn State (Homecoming) | Panther Stadium, Prairie View, Texas | 2 p.m. / HBCU GOOct. 24 -- at East Texas A&M | Commerce, Texas | TBDOct. 31 -- Open dateNov. 7 -- Alabama A&M | Panther Stadium, Prairie View, Texas | TBD / SWAC TVNov. 14 -- at Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Simmons Bank Field, Pine Bluff, Ark. | 2 p.m. / SWAC TVNov. 21 -- at Alabama State | Hornet Stadium, Montgomery, Ala. | TBD / ESPNKickoff times and network designations are subject to change. Times listed are Central.Frequently Asked Questions on Prairie View A&MWhen does Prairie View A&M open the 2026 football season?The Panthers open Aug. 29 at Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, with an 8 p.m. kickoff.When is the 2026 Labor Day Classic?The 41st Labor Day Classic against Texas Southern kicks at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, at Panther Stadium on ESPN2.Does Prairie View A&M play an FBS opponent in 2026?Yes. The Panthers travel to Baylor on Sept. 12 for a 7 p.m. kickoff at McLane Stadium in Waco.Where is the 2026 State Fair Classic?Prairie View A&M meets Grambling State at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Sept. 26.When is Prairie View A&M homecoming in 2026?Homecoming falls Oct. 17 against Alcorn State at Panther Stadium.How many home games does Prairie View A&M have in 2026?The Panthers host five games at Panther Stadium and play two neutral-site contests.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow