PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The 2026 college football season kicks off for Temple on Saturday as the Owls welcome Rhode Island to the Linc for a 2 p.m. kickoff.
Temple went 5-7 last season, and the Owls are picked to finish 10th this season in the 14-team American Athletic Conference preseason poll.
Head coach K.C. Keeler is in his second season leading the Owls, and he likes his team. He was impressed with one position group during preseason camp.
“The defensive line has to be the biggest surprise because we replaced so many, and the talent level we brought in was really at a much higher level than I even thought it was gonna be. So we feel really good about that area,” he said.
Temple is 11-0 all-time against Rhode Island, who competes at the FCS level. This will be the first meeting between the programs since 1975.
“We feel like we’re pretty complete,” Keeler added. “This is a tough conference, and a lot of these games come down to a play or a yard or a series. And so we have to play clean, but I like our chances going in against everybody on our schedule.”
