Stanford Adds Brand New Opponent to Schedule in 2026

Stanford's schedule will include a first-time opponent in 2026

Nov 29, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Marcus Brown (25) scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Dallas Golden (14) at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Stanford football’s 2025 campaign came to an end with a loss to Notre Dame, but now the transfer portal is about to be in full swing, and the Cardinal are already scheduling games for the 2026 season.

Earlier this month, FCS school Elon announced their 2026 football schedule. To many’s surprise, Stanford was on that list, along with nine other FCS schools.

The game will be taking place on October 17th, during Week 7 of the college football season. A kickoff time and TV schedule has yet to be announced, and won't be until much closer to game day. The game will be hosted at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, CA.

The Phoenix went 6-6 in their 2025 campaign, getting wins over Davidson, Western Carolina, Hampton, Towson, Campbell, and North Carolina A&T. They lost to Duke, as well as five FCS opponents, ETSU, Villanova, William and Mary, Maine, and Rhode Island.

Stanford’s matchup against San Jose State, which was supposed to be their 11th game of the year, will now not take place in 2025. While the rivalry is postponed, they will continue in 2031 down at CEFCU Stadium, home of the Spartans.

Elon is based in Burlington, NC, and typically only plays local teams. However, it is Elon’s first time as a program making a trip all the way out to the west coast. That will make the game a good deal more interesting, as the Phoenix will be playing with pride on the line, hoping to take down Stanford. The Cardinal will be eyeing a potentially easy win to pad their record.

While Stanford didn’t play an FCS opponent during the 2025 season, they have some experience with those programs in the past.

In 2024, Stanford took on Cal Poly in a 41-7 victory at home to get their first win of the season. In 2023, they actually lost to Sac State, 30-23 at home, in a matchup against then head coach Troy Taylor's former team. Stanford hosted Colgate in 2022, winning 41-10, but in the late 2010’s, the Cardinal didn’t play many FCS opponents.

Stanford now is getting closer to completing their schedule for the 2026 season. They have three non-conference games, with Hawaii and Elon at home. Notre Dame is the expected missing game here, but that contest hasn't officially been announced, which has led to speculation that it's being postponed as well. There has been no public indication either way.

The expectation is that the missing game will be a Power 4 opponent, which is the only indication that has been provided.

Their conference games will consist of Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, and SMU at home, and Cal, Duke, Louisville, and Wake Forest away. No dates or times have been released for ACC games this season. The full schedule is slated to come out in January.

The Elon addition will be a great scheduled game for the Cardinal. While replacing a rivalry game for an FCS opponent, it’s great to see Stanford is invested in getting as many wins as possible. Stanford’s bowl game chances will be higher, and it’s also an opportunity to play depth pieces during the middle of the season, which typically doesn’t seem to happen.

Hype is already building for year one of Tavita Pritchard, and fans can’t wait for the 2026 season starting in late August.