Football to open 2026 schedule Sept. 5 at Adrian (Mich.)

By Marissa Myers

| 2026 Ohio Northern Football Schedule |

ADA — The Ohio Northern football team will open its 2026 schedule and with a non-conference battle at Adrian (Mich.) on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The Polar Bears will open Ohio Athletic Conference play at Marietta on Sept. 12.

Northern will open its home schedule against Muskingum on Sept. 19 at Dial-Roberson Stadium.

ONU will wrap up its September schedule on Sept. 26 when they host Wilmington.

After a bye week, the Polar Bears will play at Baldwin Wallace on Sept. 10.

Ohio Northern will host Otterbein on Oct. 17, will travel to Heidelberg on Oct. 24 and will host Mount Union on Oct. 31 to wrap up its October schedule.

The Polar Bears will step out of conference play on Nov. 7 when they travel to Bluffton.

The regular season then wraps up with a road trip to Capital on Nov. 14.

Northern's contest at Heidelberg will be the 16th annual Bendekovic Bowl battle.

Game times will be announced as they become available.

In 2025, the Polar Bears finished the season 8-3 overall and finished second in the OAC with a 7-1 league mark under second-year head coach Andy Fries. Northern made its fifth postseason appearance in program history in the Opendorse Bowl Series.