Football
Michael Fragale
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia and Alabama have mutually agreed to cancel the two-game football series between the schools that was set to take place during the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The Crimson Tide were scheduled to visit Milan Puskar Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, while the Mountaineers were to play in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 4, 2027.
The cancellation of the two-game series enables West Virginia to modify its nonconference football slate to align with a scheduling philosophy that is prominent in today’s college football. The schedule change will result in an additional home game for WVU in 2027 and bring added stability to future schedules.
West Virginia has been one of the few major conference schools to schedule more than one nonconference Power opponent in a season and has done so for the last seven years. Conducive to reaching and advancing in the new CFP format, today’s nonconference scheduling approach for a Power 4 school is to play one Power team, one Group of Six and one FCS opponent. The cancellation of the Alabama series enables WVU to get to that structure in 2026, while adding a seventh home game for its fans in 2027.
“This scheduling philosophy has proven to be successful across college football. It aligns our football program with its competition in terms of potential postseason opportunities and advancement,” WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “I am also aware of the importance of a seventh home game in 2027 for our fans and the huge economic impact it brings to our state, city and tourism division,” Baker added. “Visitors coming to West Virginia are not only critical for state tourism, but also to our local economy.”
Replacing the Crimson Tide on WVU’s future football schedule will be Coastal Carolina on Sept. 5, 2026, and Southern Miss on Sept 4, 2027. Both games will be at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Mountaineers last played Coastal Carolina in 2010 and hold a 1-0 advantage in the series. The contest against Southern Miss will be the first meeting between the two schools.
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