Western Carolina Football
Western Carolina is an NCAA Division I FCS football program in the Southern, based in Cullowhee, NC. The 2026 record stands at 4-5. The Cooper Predictor rates Western Carolina at +5.9, No. 31 of 127 FCS teams and No. 5 of 10 in the Southern. The model projects a 7-5 finish, with Playoff Odds of 2.7%. The model's pre-game picks are 4-4 in Western Carolina games this season. Most recent result: beat Furman 27-26 on Oct 31. Next up: vs Wofford on Nov 7 — the model projects Western Carolina 34-28, giving Western Carolina a 64% chance to win.
Open Western Carolina in Cooper Predictor U →Updated Nov 2, 2026 · power ratings compare teams within NCAA Division I FCS.
2026 schedule, predictions & results
| Date | Opponent | Projection | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs Eastern Kentucky | no pick on record | W 45-21 |
| Sep 6 | @ Campbell | W 35-31 73% ✗ | L 19-28 |
| Sep 12 | @ Cincinnati | L 17-52 1% ✓ | L 10-62 |
| Sep 19 | vs Presbyterian | W 34-27 73% ✓ | W 58-14 |
| Sep 26 | @ East Tennessee State | W 34-31 53% ✗ | L 31-58 |
| Oct 3 | vs Tennessee Tech | L 31-41 23% ✗ | W 44-20 |
| Oct 10 | @ Mercer | L 27-38 28% ✓ | L 14-17 |
| Oct 24 | vs Chattanooga | W 24-21 61% ✗ | L 18-41 |
| Oct 31 | @ Furman | W 28-27 56% ✓ | W 27-26 |
| Nov 7 | vs Wofford | W 34-28 64% | — |
| Nov 14 | @ Samford | W 31-27 65% | — |
| Nov 21 | vs The Citadel | W 38-27 77% | — |
Projection = the model's pick, projected score and Western Carolina's win probability. For games already played it is the pick frozen before kickoff, with ✓ or ✗ beside it — every pick stays public.
Southern by power rating
| # | Team | 2026 | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tennessee Tech | 8-1 | +13.7 |
| 2 |  Mercer | 7-2 | +13.1 |
| 3 |  East Tennessee State | 6-3 | +9.1 |
| 4 |  Chattanooga | 6-3 | +8.4 |
| 5 | Western Carolina | 4-5 | +5.9 |
| 6 |  Wofford | 5-4 | +4.1 |
| 7 |  Furman | 2-7 | +3 |
| 8 |  Samford | 3-6 | -0.9 |
| 9 |  The Citadel | 2-7 | -1.6 |
| 10 |  VMI | 0-9 | -22.2 |
High schools on the Western Carolina roster
From publicly published rosters, for the high school states the Cooper Predictor covers. Some rosters do not list a high school, so a player may be missing.
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