Alabama Cancels Series with West Virginia, Adds East Carolina for 2026

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama and West Virginia have mutually agreed to cancel their upcoming football series set for 2026 and 2027. The announcement comes in light of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) moving to a nine-game league schedule starting in 2026.

The decision to drop the series was confirmed on Wednesday by both Alabama and West Virginia, marking a shift in the scheduling approach for these programs. Instead of facing West Virginia, Alabama will host East Carolina on September 5, 2026, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. As part of the agreement, Alabama will pay East Carolina $1.5 million.

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne stated, “We are proud of the number of high-quality home-and-home non-conference games we have scheduled for the next 10 years. That being said, we know that college athletics has been evolving and changing rapidly over the last few years, and it made sense for us to make these adjustments on our future schedules.”

The move to a nine-game conference schedule allows Alabama more flexibility in scheduling and evaluating the strength of its future opponents. Byrne emphasized that maintaining a strong schedule is beneficial for the team, their fans, and the overall landscape of college football.

West Virginia also expressed the need to align its scheduling strategy with the changes in the SEC. Athletic director Wren Baker mentioned, “This scheduling philosophy has proven to be successful across the board. It aligns our football program with its competition in terms of potential postseason opportunities and advancement.”

Both programs are restructuring their upcoming seasons. Alabama has ten non-conference home-and-home games scheduled over the next eleven seasons, while West Virginia plans to strengthen its own schedule with new matches.

Alabama’s 2025 season will kick off against Florida State on September 1, 2025, and is set to air on ABC. With these shifts in scheduling, further changes are likely in the future.