ORANGEBURG, SC.– South Carolina State will play an 11-game schedule during the 2018 football campaign, the University announced Friday (March. 2). The Bulldog slate includes six road games and five home contests at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
Nine Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools are on the schedule; however, contests against both Florida A&M and Norfolk State are designated non-conference games and will not count toward the league championship. Also, among the Bulldogs’ non-conference opponents are two Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams.
SC State opens the campaign Sept. 1 at Statesboro, GA against Georgia Southern, one of two FBS teams Coach Buddy Pough’s squad will meet. That contest will be followed by a Sept. 8 matchup at Orlando, FL against University of Central Florida, the only undefeated Bowl Championship team in 2017, who finished in the top 6 in most season-ending polls.
The Bulldogs begin MEAC play with back-to-back home games — North Carolina Central Sept. 15 (Hall of Fame Game/Former Student-Athlete Appreciation Day) and Norfolk State Sept. 22 (Greek Day) at 6 p.m.
Pough’s team then hits the road to take on defending MEAC Champion and Celebration Bowl winner N.C. A&T State in Greensboro Sept. 29, before traveling to Baltimore, MD for a showdown with Morgan State Oct. 6.
SC State hosts Bethune-Cookman (Youth/ROTC/Military Appreciation Day) Oct.13, followed by Delaware State in its Homecoming game Oct. 20. A trip to the nation’s capital for a battle with the Bison of Howard Oct. 27 will be followed by a bye week Nov. 3.
The Bulldogs will return to the Sunshine State Nov. 10 for a contest with the Rattlers of Florida A&M at Tallahassee, before closing out the regular season at home versus Savannah State (Senior Day/High School Band Day) Nov. 17.
Pough is entering his 17th season at the helm of the Bulldog Football program and needs just nine more wins to become the all-time winningest football coach in school history.
Courtesy: SCSU Athletics
2018 South Carolina State Football Scheule
| Date | Conf | Opponent | Location | Time |
| 4/14/18 | SPRING GAME | ORANGEBURG, SC | 1 p.m. | |
| 9/1/18 | Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, GA | TBA | |
| 9/8/18 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | TBA | |
| 9/15/18 | * | North Carolina Central University# | ORANGEBURG, SC | 6 p.m. |
| 9/22/18 | Norfolk State University@ | ORANGEBURG,SC | 6 p.m. | |
| 9/29/18 | * | North Carolina A&T State University | Greensboro, NC | TBA |
| 10/6/18 | * | Morgan State University | Baltimore, MD | TBA |
| 10/13/18 | * | Bethune-Cookman University& | ORANGEBURG, SC | 2 p.m. |
| 10/20/18 | * | Delaware State University$ | ORANGEBURG, SC | 1:30 p.m. |
| 10/27/18 | * | Howard University | Washington, DC | TBA |
| 11/10/18 | Florida A&M University | Tallahassee, FL | TBA | |
| 11/17/18 | * | Savannah State University% | ORANGEBURG, SC | 1:30 p.m. |
