The Indiana Hoosiers have added the Howard Bison and Miami (Ohio) RedHawks to their future football schedules, FBSchedules.com has learned. Copies of contracts for both football games were obtained from Indiana University via a state public records request.
Indiana will host Howard at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, which will mark the first-ever matchup between the two schools. The Hoosiers will pay the Bison a $525,000 guarantee for playing the game, according to the copy of the contract.
Howard is a private, historically black college and university (HBCU) which competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Bison are entering their fifth season under head coach Larry Scott, who guided the team to back-to-back MEAC championships in 2022 and 2023.
With Howard joining the 2026 slate, Indiana has now tentatively completed its non-conference docket for that season. The Hoosiers are scheduled to open the season at home against the Colorado State Rams on Sept. 5 and will also host the WKU Hilltoppers on Sept. 19.
Indiana’s Big Ten opponents in 2026 were previously announced by the conference. The Hoosiers will host Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, and USC and will visit Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Washington.
The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks will travel to take on Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2028. The RedHawks will receive a $1.3 million guarantee for their efforts, per the contract copy.
Indiana and Miami first met in football in 1897 and have played 14 contests total. The Hoosiers have won three consecutive games in the series, including a 21-14 victory in the most recent matchup in 1996, and currently lead the overall series 10-3-1.
Indiana’s non-conference schedule in 2028 also includes home contests against the Austin Peay Governors on Sept. 2 and the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Sept. 9.
In Big Ten action in 2028, Indiana is set to host Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Purdue, and Washington and travel to Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, and Wisconsin.
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