Five standout games on the Miami Football slate

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) released the full football schedule for the 2026 season on March 24. With 12 games in 13 weeks and eight conference games, the Miami University RedHawks hope to earn their fourth straight trip to Detroit for the MAC Championship game.

The MAC experienced team changes in the offseason as the Northern Illinois University Huskies will now compete in the Mountain West Conference for football. The Huskies will be replaced by California State University, Sacramento Hornets (Sacramento State).

Sacramento State will have its first season competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level of college football. They previously competed at the Football Championship Subdivision level as a part of the Big Sky Conference.

All 12 games will be instrumental in the success of Miami this coming season, but a few stick out as key matchups:

Sept. 5: University of Pittsburgh Panthers

The RedHawks’ season opener will take place in Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Panthers finished 8-5 overall and 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in 2025. They will be led by sophomore quarterback and Heisman Trophy darkhorse, Mason Heintschel. Head coach Pat Narduzzi will enter his 12th season in the Keystone state with 80 career wins. The RedHawks will be underdogs in this matchup, but they hope to start the season strong.

Sept. 19: University of Cincinnati Bearcats

The Victory Bell is back. After taking a hiatus last season, Miami and Cincinnati will face off again, this time at TQL Stadium, the home of Cincinnati FC. The Bearcats hold the slightest edge in the all-time series, leading 61-60, with seven ties. Cincinnati won the last matchup in Yager Stadium two years ago 27-16. Since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023, Cincinnati is 15-22 overall and has not finished in the top six of its conference.

Oct. 3: Bowling Green State University Falcons

The RedHawks will open conference play against the Bowling Green State University Falcons in the home opener at Yager Stadium. Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George will enter his second season as the head coach for the Falcons. Bowling Green finished 4-8 last season and looks to improve on that mark this year. This matchup will be the start of the RedHawks' race to Detroit for another appearance in the MAC Championship game and the first of eight conference tilts.

Nov. 10: Ohio University Bobcats

The Battle of the Bricks will be played during mid-week MACtion. The RedHawks lost the matchup last year in Athens 24-20 and look to avenge not only that loss, but also the 2024 MAC Championship defeat. The game being played on a Tuesday will make for an interesting home field advantage for Miami, but the RedHawks have struggled with attendance during mid-week games in the past. Last year's midweek game against the University of Toledo garnered only 10,800 fans, about a third of Yager’s capacity.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Nov. 24: Western Michigan University Broncos

The regular season finale will take place on a Tuesday in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The game against the Broncos is a rematch of the 2025 MAC Championship game, which the RedHawks lost 18-3. Western Michigan finished 10-4 last year and 7-1 in MAC play, its best season since 2016. Head coach Lance Taylor will look to build off of last year's success as a springboard for the program.

The RedHawks will play a total of six home games this season with four Saturday games and two Tuesday games. Miami’s final home game will be the game against Ohio University on Nov. 10 and the final two games will be on the road. Following the bye week on the weekend of Oct. 31, Miami will transition into only mid-week games.

The RedHawks football program has been highly successful under head coach Chuck Martin. He has won 72 games in Oxford since his hiring in 2014 and 27 in the past three seasons. Miami hopes to compete for yet another MAC Championship and a sixth consecutive bowl game appearance. There is no question that the highlighted games will be essential to both efforts.

jollifvm@miamioh.edu