With a schedule that features rivalries, Power Conference opponents, and an always tough conference, Southern Miss’ new-look roster will have the opportunity to prove themselves.
Southern Miss enters the 2025–26 season looking to take another step forward under head coach Jay Ladner. With a schedule that features rivalries, Power Conference opponents, and an always tough conference, Southern Miss’ new-look roster will have the opportunity to prove themselves.
For more on the revamped roster, click here.
Non-Conference
The Golden Eagles open their season on the road, heading north to Buffalo on Nov. 3 as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Three days later, they return to Reed Green Coliseum for their home opener against Tougaloo on Nov. 6, before quickly heading back on the road to face SEC opponent South Carolina on Nov. 9.
The travel continues for Southern Miss with a trip to Grambling State (Nov. 13), followed by a return home to host William Carey (Nov. 18).
The Golden Eagles then head to the Pensacola Invitational, where they’ll take on North Florida and either UT Martin or Prairie View A&M on Nov. 22–23.
Following a Thanksgiving break, Southern Miss hits the road again, visiting Radford (Dec. 3) and Miami (Dec. 6) in back-to-back games. They then get another shot at Grambling State, hosting the Tigers on Dec. 8, before heading to Biloxi for a neutral-site game against Ole Miss a week later.
The Golden Eagles’ final test of the calendar year comes on Dec. 29 when they visit LSU, marking their third SEC opponent. The schedule closes with a home game in early February as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
Conference
Southern Miss opens Sun Belt play at home, welcoming Louisiana (Dec. 18) and Arkansas State (Dec. 20) to Hattiesburg. 2026 begins on the road with two Louisiana opponents, visiting ULM on New Year’s Day, and Louisiana two days later.
The Golden Eagles return home the following week to host Texas State (Jan. 8) and ULM (Jan. 10) before heading on another two-week road trip. They’ll travel to Troy (Jan. 14) and Texas State (Jan. 17), followed by a swing through Atlanta to face Georgia State and Conway for a matchup with Coastal Carolina the next week.
To close out January, Southern Miss returns to Reed Green Coliseum to host App State (Jan. 29) and James Madison (Jan. 31), two teams expected to be near the top of the league.
The Golden Eagles start February on the road at Marshall (Feb. 4) before taking part in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Coming out of that break, they’ll host South Alabama (Feb. 12) and Troy (Feb. 14), followed by their home finale against Old Dominion (Feb. 21).
Southern Miss ends the regular season on the road with matchups at Arkansas State and South Alabama in the final week of the month. The postseason begins on Mar. 3, with the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Southern Miss faces one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the Sun Belt, and also has a tough conference schedule. This schedule was made to have them ready for March, but Ladner needs to have them ready early in the year, before it’s too late.
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