Delaware Blue Hens First FBS Schedule Released

What many could see as a rivalry really hasn't been one. The Blue Hens have never lost to the Hornets, posting an 11-0 record against them.

It's a gauntlet of a non-conference slate from there. They will head to Boulder to take on Deion Sanders and the new-look Colorado Buffaloes with (probably) former Liberty star Kaidon Salter at quarterback. This will mark the first matchup between the two in program history.

Delaware will then welcome the UConn Huskies, who posted a 9-4 record, defeating North Carolina in the Fenway Bowl. The Blue Hens and Huskies have faced each other plenty, with Delaware posting a 20-7 record against UConn all-time.

On September 20, the Blue Hens will play their first ever FBS conference game down in Miami against the FIU Panthers who will be led by first year head coach Willie Simmons. It will mark the first ever matchup between these two programs.

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers will take on Delaware for the first time since 1982 in Newark, Delaware. The Blue Hens lead the series with two wins. The Hilltoppers reached the Conference USA championship game last season, but fell to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

The most recent team that Delaware faced residing in Conference USA are the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State. In their only matchup, which took place in 2021, the Blue Hens came out on top, defeating Jax State by a final score of 20-14. They'll meet again on October 15.

For the first time ever, Middle Tennessee will make their way up to Delaware to take on the Blue Hens. One of three returning starting quarterbacks in the conference, Nick Vattiato will lead the Blue Raiders offense in this matchup. MTSU had the second-best passing offense in the conference last season.

Separated by 278 miles, the Blue Hens will make their way to Lynchburg, Virginia to begin November and take on the Liberty Flames who will look quite different on the offensive side of the ball without quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back Quinton Cooley.

In 1982, when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs faced Delaware, the Blue Hens shut them out, 17-0. For the second time ever, the Blue Hens will head down to Ruston, Louisiana to take on the Bulldogs.

The battle between the Sam Houston State Bearkats and Delaware Blue Hens will be a fun one, with two former FCS powerhouses that have never faced each other. The Bearkats will have a new head coach as well in former Wisconsin OC Phil Longo.

The Blue Hens will step away from their conference schedule to take on Wake Forest in a non-conference matchup. The Demon Deacons were 4-8 in 2024, replacing head coach Dave Clawson with former Washington State head coach Jake Dickert at the end of the season.

The final game of the season will likely see the longest trip in Conference USA for the UTEP Miners, having to fly for over five hours for their regular season finale. This will mark the Miners' final Conference USA game ever as they head to the Mountain West Conference for the 2026 season.

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