NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Pioneer Football League announced its 2026 conference slate on Thursday morning. The PFL upcoming schedule features 44 games between the league's 11 members.
 
The Bulldogs are set to begin their PFL title defense on the road with a trip to Davidson on Sep. 26. Drake will then return to Des Moines for its conference home opener on Oct. 3 against Dayton.
 
Drake's next games include a road trip to Valparaiso (Oct. 10), home matchups with Marist (Oct. 17) and Butler (Oct. 24), and a Halloween battle at Morehead State (Oct. 31).
 
The Bulldogs' will close their PFL schedule with a home clash against San Diego on Nov. 7 and a rematch at St. Thomas, which handed Drake its lone league loss last season, to finish the regular season on Nov. 14.
 
Drake's second bye week of the year will come in Week 12 as the only Pioneer Football League team to be idle that week.
 
The Pioneer Football League is the only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The PFL is a truly national conference with members on each coast and throughout the nation's heartland. Butler University, the University of Dayton, Drake University, and Valparaiso University were among the league's founding members in 1993, with Davidson College, Marist University, Morehead State University, Presbyterian College, the University of San Diego, the University of St. Thomas, and Stetson University joining to form the current 11-team league.