Howard and Morehouse Opt Out of 2026 HBCU NY Classic

For the first time since 2023, Morehouse and Howard will not play at MetLife Stadium in the HBCU NY Classic. Howard released its 2026 slate with the Morehouse game instead serving as their homecoming game at Greene Stadium. The classic has featured a matchup different than Howard-Morehouse. In 2023, Albany State stood in for the Bison to take on Morehouse. This year, there may not be a backup plan. Several factors may lead to the first cancelation of the HBCU NY Classic since its inception in 2022.

First, Howard found an alternative to playing in the HBCU NY Classic. The Bison will play Rutgers for the second time in three years. The money Howard receives from playing Rutgers makes it a logical alternative to the HBCU NY Classic. Rutgers paid the Bison $450,000 for their 2024 game and $475,000 for their 2026 game. Although financial details are unavailable for the HBCU NY Classic, Rutgers offers at least a competitive payout. Other neutral site classics at NFL stadiums, such as the Chicago Football Classic and Circle City Classic pay schools around $145,000 to $300,000.

Additionally, the Bison will get stronger viewership playing against Rutgers on the Big Ten Network than the HBCU NY Classic during its run on CNBC and HBCUGo. The 2024 matchup between the Bison and Scarlet Knights drew 269,000 viewers. The peak viewership of the HBCU NY Classic was in 2023, when 20,000 viewers watched Albany State play Morehouse.

Perhaps a greater factor in both schools opting out of the classic this year is their marketability to other classics. Howard and Morehouse are two of the most recognizable HBCUs in the country. Their schedules reflect this. Both schools had lengthy travel slates last season.

The Bison had a captivating 2025 slate. The Bison played in the Orange Blossom Classic, the HBCU NY Classic, and their yearly Truth & Service Classic. Additionally, they played two road games at NFL stadiums against Temple and Tennessee State. However, this attractive slate came at the cost of local fans. Howard played just four of their 12 games in Washington D.C., two at Audi Field, and two at Greene Stadium.

Similarly, Morehouse played just four of its ten games in Atlanta, three home games and one road game against Clark Atlanta. In addition to the yearly Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic in Montgomery, the Maroon Tigers played in the HBCU NY Classic and faced Johnson C. Smith at Harvard Stadium.

This year, both schools have new unique travel opportunities. Howard visits the defending College Football Playoff champion Indiana, and historic Franklin Field for the first time to play Penn. Morehouse will play Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Little Rock's venerable War Memorial Stadium to kick off the season.

Although attendance eclipsed 30,000 fans the first two times that Howard and Morehouse played at MetLife Stadium, that total dropped by nearly half in 2025. 16,248 fans watched Howard beat Morehouse in the most recent HBCU NY Classic. The travel slate likely became too crowded for most fans to justify a repeat trip to MetLife Stadium.

The HBCU NY Classic was a welcome novelty in its first two years, but competition and finances have diluted the game’s importance for the Bison and Maroon Tigers. Hopefully, it is not the end for the HBCU NY Classic, but the schools may relegate the classic to an occasional event, rather than a yearly one.