WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Summer may be just starting, but Williams College is already looking ahead to the fall with the reveal of its 2026 football schedule. Five of the nine games will take place at the Ephs' Farley-Lamb Field.
The slate, consisting entirely of New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opponents, will begin on Sept. 19 on the Ephs' home turf as Bowdoin College comes to town for a showdown at 1Â p.m. Williams has dominated the series, having won 26 of the last 28 meetings while posting an overall 59-17-5Â record against the Polar Bears dating back to 1890.
After a pair of road games, including a test against one of the defending NESCAC co-champs, Trinity College — a team that needed overtime to fend off the Ephs last year — Williams returns home on Oct. 10 against another team it has historically handled in Bates College. These two teams began playing each other on the gridiron in 1988, making it the youngest of the conference rivalries for the Ephs, with Williams sporting a 31-6 mark against the Bobcats, which includes victories in each of the last eight meetings.
Little Three bragging rights will be on the line come the final two weekends in November. The Ephs will travel to the other defending co-champion, Wesleyan University, on Nov. 7 in an attempt to avenge another overtime defeat from last year. The regular season will conclude the following Saturday with one of the great college rivalries when Amherst College invades Williamstown. Only three other matchups have been played more often between any two NCAA schools, and none more often among Division III schools. Williams has the advantage overall at 76-58-5, but the Mammoths squeaked out a 14-13 victory in Amherst last year.
An added bonus this fall is that the NESCAC champion will qualify for the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time. The Ephs, which were 5-4 last fall, are looking to add to their five conference titles — the last coming in 2021 with a perfect 9-0 mark — to earn that historic berth.
