Lake Charles, Louisiana: McNeese And LSU Agree On Record Multi-Year Football Game Deal

LAKE CHARLES,LA – McNeese will play LSU in football in 2026 and 2029, bringing in a record $1.525 million in guaranteed money between the two games.

LSU will pay McNeese $750,000 in 2026 and $775,000 in 2029, an unprecedented amount for an FCS team to get as a guarantee. A school-record amount, those numbers would’ve been the third-largest payout by an FBS school to an FCS in 2023 and ranked in the top five most amounts in FCS history.

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McNeese Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer said in a press release:

I’m really excited to have LSU on the schedule in ’26 and ’29. The opportunity to play the Tigers in Tiger Stadium will be an amazing moment for our players, our coaches, and our fans. I love playing a game like this every season, especially in this region. These opportunities to be on the national stage only helps bring recognition to our university and our community, and it helps us promote our brand.

The 2026 game will be played on September 12, following the Tigers’ season opener against Clemson. The date in 2029 has yet to be determined.

Schroyer also said it was a team effort in the press release:

The negotiations when back-and-forth and took some time, but I’m really glad we got to where we are, I truly appreciate the LSU administration, especially Verge (LSU Executive Deputy AD Verge Ausberry) for working with me to get this multi-year deal done.

McNeese and LSU have met twice before with the Tigers winning 32-10 in the first-ever meeting in 2010, then 34-7 in 2021. A game that was scheduled in 2015 was canceled due to the weather after each team ran an offensive series.

The Cowboys have played other SEC schools in the past. McNeese lost 49-7 at Florida this past season and dropped games to Missouri (2010) and Texas A&M (2002) before both of those teams joined the SEC. McNeese will play at Texas A&M on Sept. 7, 2024.