REPORT: TCU Football to host Arkansas State in 2026

The TCU Horned Frogs have reportedly filled one of the non-conference schedule slots for the 2026 season, with the Arkansas State Red Wolves agreed to travel to Amon G. Carter Stadium on September 19, 2026, according to reporting by AStateNation, the 247Sports affiliate covering the Red Wolves. TCU will reportedly pay Arkansas State $1.25 million for the trip to Fort Worth. The Frogs are 2-0 all time versus the Red Wolves, with the most recent contest being in Fort Worth in September 2000 as TCU exploded for a 52-3 victory behind 140 yards and 2 TDs from LaDainian Tomlinson.

TCU announced it would be pausing the annual Battle for the Iron Skillet with SMU after the 2025 season in order to hold more schedule flexibility for the future and to ensure additional home games each season. This reported game vs. Arkansas State would be the first replacement contest following the end of the Iron Skillet rivalry series, giving TCU this extra home game rather than the away trip to Dallas.

The 2026 schedule also features a home game vs. the North Carolina Tar Heels to open the season in Fort Worth on September 5, 2026, with no additional non-conference games yet scheduled. If the new 16-team Big 12 does not create a 10-game conference schedule, TCU will have one more non-conference slot to fill. TCU has future non-conference games scheduled with SMU (2024-25), Stanford (2024 & 2027), Abilene Christian (2025), North Carolina (2025-26), Duke (2028-29) and Purdue (2030).