Photo: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
The Southern Illinois Salukis have announced their 2026 football schedule, which features a Thursday night season opener and five home contests.
The Salukis begin the campaign on Thursday, September 3 with a non‑conference road matchup at Samford, marking the program’s first Thursday opener since 2021. SIU then returns to Carbondale on September 12 to host Southeast Missouri in the latest edition of the region’s longstanding rivalry.
Southern Illinois concludes non‑conference play on September 19 with a trip to Illinois, its lone FBS opponent of the season, before opening MVFC action on September 26 at Murray State. The Salukis then make their conference home debut on October 3 against Youngstown State.
A road game at South Dakota is up next on October 10 before Southern Illinois returns to Saluki Stadium to host consecutive games against Illinois State on October 17 (Homecoming) and Northern Iowa on October 24. The team enters its open date on October 31.
Southern Illinois returns to action on November 7 with a road contest at Indiana State, followed by its final home game of the season on November 14 against South Dakota State. The regular season concludes on November 21 with a trip to North Dakota, closing a schedule that places two of the Salukis’ final three MVFC matchups away from home.
Below is Southern Illinois’ complete schedule for the 2026 season, plus a link to their schedule page which will be updated with kickoff times and TV as they are announced:
2026 Southern Illinois Football Schedule
08/29 – OFF
09/03 – at Samford (Thu)
09/12 – Southeast Missouri
09/19 – at Illinois
09/26 – at Murray State*
10/03 – Youngstown State*
10/10 – at South Dakota*
10/17 – Illinois State*
10/24 – Northern Iowa*
10/31 – OFF
11/07 – at Indiana State*
11/14 – South Dakota State*
11/21 – at North Dakota*
* MVFC contest.
The Salukis finished the 2025 season with an 7-5 record and 4-4 mark in MVFC play. Southern Illinois is entering their 11th season under head coach Nick Hill, who has guided the program to three FCS Playoff appearances.
