Temple Owls

American AthleticPhiladelphia, PALincoln Financial Field

2026: 2–⁠5 (1–⁠2 American Athletic). Last: lost to Charlotte 38–⁠31 at home. Next: at East Carolina, Saturday, Oct 31.

  1. W 38–⁠14Rhode Island
  2. L 9–⁠27No. 16 Penn State
  3. L 48–⁠49at Toledo
  4. L 17–⁠21Army
  5. W 17–⁠13at South Florida
  6. L 20–⁠34UConn
  7. L 31–⁠38Charlotte
  8. Oct 31at East Carolina
  9. Nov 7at Navy
  10. Nov 14UAB
  11. Nov 19Rice
  12. Nov 27at Memphis
  • Outfitted by Nike
  • Live mascot: Stella

Temple has played football since 1894 and is officially 502–⁠632–⁠52; 870 of its 1,186 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 17, in 1979. They have won one American Athletic Conference title (2016) and one Middle Atlantic University Conference title, counting shared titles. Since 1940, the NFL Draft has taken 47 players from here in its first seven rounds, 4 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 player and 3 coaches from Temple. Wayne Hardin (1971–⁠1982) won more games here than any other coach: 73. The most-played rival is Penn State: 46 meetings, Penn State leads 41–⁠4–⁠1. This season, under K.C. Keeler, they’re 2–⁠5.

Résumé

All-time record
502–⁠632–⁠52 official; 357–⁠486–⁠27 on file; how we count
Postseason
3–⁠6 matches the official bowl record
AP No. 1 finishes
0
Weeks at No. 1
0 of 15 ranked
Elo now
1386 123rd of 138 FBS
Computer rankings
Massey No. 114 · Composite No. 106 in FBS, Oct 17; down 8 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
Best season by Elo
1979 rated 1670
Conference titles
2 last in 2016
Seasons
92 since 1927, 870 games

Identity

Fight song
Fight! Temple Fight!
Student section
Cherry Crusade
Apparel
Nike
Band
Temple University Diamond Marching Band since 1925, 175+ members

2026 season 2–⁠5

RosterFull 2026 season
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsRhode IslandW 38–⁠1456%
Sep 12vs16Penn StateL 9–⁠2731%
Sep 19atToledoL 48–⁠4929%
Sep 25vsArmyL 17–⁠2141%
Oct 3atSouth FloridaW 17–⁠1319%
Oct 10vsUConnL 20–⁠3449%
Oct 17vsCharlotteL 31–⁠3877%
Oct 31atEast CarolinaPreview24%
Nov 7atNavyPreview24%
Nov 14vsUABPreview49%
Nov 19vsRicePreview65%
Nov 27atMemphisPreview20%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

This season, game by game

Temple’s Elo through 2026: 1425 going into the opener, 1386 after the latest game.1375140014251450Elo 1425 going in; beat Rhode Island 38–14Elo 1452 going in; lost to Penn State 27–9Elo 1435 going in; lost to Toledo 49–48Elo 1431 going in; lost to Army 21–17Elo 1419 going in; beat South Florida 17–13Elo 1448 going in; lost to UConn 34–20Elo 1422 going in; lost to Charlotte 38–31Now: Elo 1386 after the latest game1386
Elo going into each game, then after the latest. Filled dots: wins; open: losses.

Future schedule

2027–⁠33
20273 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
20284 games: 2 home, 2 away, non-conference only
20292 games: 2 away, non-conference only
20301 game: 1 home, non-conference only
20311 game: 1 away, non-conference only
20323 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
20332 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only

Temple’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of January 5, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

On the 2026 team

Program greats See all

Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Temple.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.

Around the program

Apparel
Nike · Official source
Live mascot
Stella (great horned owl) · Official source
Student section
Cherry Crusade · Official source
Athletic director
Arthur Johnson · Single source
Offensive coordinator
Tyler Walker · Official source

Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.

The apparel deal

Nike, from July 2020. Three-year deal from 2020, extended in 2023. Extended in June 2023 with details not disclosed. The current term hasn't been published.

Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.

Program strength since 1927

Best seasons ever
Temple end-of-season Elo from 1927 to 2026, best in 1979 at 1670.1300150017001900194019601980200020201979 peak: Elo 1670
End-of-season Elo. Dashed line: 1500, an average FBS team.

More coverage

Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.

Podcasts

Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.

Head coaches

CoachYearsRecord
K.C. Keeler2025–⁠20267–⁠12
Everett Withers20240–⁠2
Stan Drayton2022–⁠20249–⁠25
Rod Carey2019–⁠202112–⁠20
Geoff Collins2017–⁠201815–⁠10
Ed Foley2016–⁠20180–⁠2
Matt Rhule2013–⁠201628–⁠23
Steve Addazio2011–⁠201213–⁠11
Al Golden2006–⁠201027–⁠34
Bobby Wallace1998–⁠200519–⁠71
Ron Dickerson1993–⁠19978–⁠47
Jerry Berndt1989–⁠199211–⁠33
Bruce Arians1983–⁠198827–⁠39
Wayne Hardin1971–⁠198273–⁠49–⁠3
Al Kawal1949–⁠195317–⁠23–⁠2
Ray Morrison1940–⁠194831–⁠38–⁠9
Fred Swan19392–⁠7
Pop Warner1933–⁠193831–⁠18–⁠9
Henry Miller1927–⁠193222–⁠6–⁠4

Most-played series

All rivalries
OpponentGamesTEM record
Penn State464–⁠41–⁠1
Rutgers3916–⁠23
Boston College397–⁠30–⁠2
Syracuse3710–⁠26–⁠1
West Virginia3612–⁠24
Pittsburgh368–⁠27–⁠1
Villanova3216–⁠15–⁠1
Cincinnati2413–⁠10–⁠1

Rivals the program names: Villanova, Penn State, Rutgers, Buffalo.

Every opponent (131)

Every program Temple has played, A to Z, with Temple’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.

Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.

Conference titles

2, counting shared titles
American Athletic Conference 1
2016
Middle Atlantic University Conference 1
1967
AAC East 2
2015, 2016 (tied)
MAC East 1
2009 (tied)

As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.

Conferences

  1. Independent 1894–⁠1905, 1907–⁠1917, 1922–⁠1957 and 1970–⁠1990
  2. Big East 1991–⁠2004
  3. Independent 2005–⁠2006
  4. Mid-American Conference 2007–⁠2011
  5. Big East 2012
  6. American Athletic Conference since 2013
  • 1991Joined the Big East from independence in football. Source
  • 2005Went independent from the Big East in football. Source
  • 2007Joined the Mid-American Conference from independence in football. Source
  • 2012Joined the Big East from the Mid-American Conference in football. Source
  • 2013Joined the American Athletic Conference from the Atlantic 10. Source

Temple’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

National award winners

All awards
2015Tyler Matakevich LBNagurski, Bednarik
1974Steve Joachim QBMaxwell

Consensus All-Americans 3

2015Tyler Matakevich LB
1986Paul Palmer RB
1985John Rienstra OG

Led the nation 6

2008Travis Shelton kickoff return average (31.3)
1986Keith Gloster yards per catch (24.7)
1986Paul Palmer rushing yards (1,866 yds)
1979Gerald Lucear receiving touchdowns (13 TD)
1974Steve Joachim passer rating (150.1), total offense per game (222.7)
1971Paul Loughran kickoff return average (33.5)

The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.

Heisman runners-up and finalists

The votes
1986Paul Palmer RB2nd

Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.

In the Hall of Fame

Every inductee
Players
1
Coaches
3
2018Paul Palmer RB
2013Wayne Hardin coach here, 1971–⁠1982
1954Ray Morrison coach here, 1940–⁠1948
1951Pop Warner coach here, 1933–⁠1938

In the NFL Draft

By college
Drafted, rounds 1–⁠7
47 since 1940
First-round picks
4
2017Haason Reddick ILBNo. 13, Arizona Cardinals
2011Muhammad Wilkerson DENo. 30, New York Jets
1987Paul Palmer RBNo. 19, Kansas City Chiefs
1986John Rienstra OGNo. 9, Pittsburgh Steelers

Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.

The school

Temple University
Enrollment
29,640 21,457 undergraduates, fall 2024
Where
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Public or private
Public Research 1
Founded
1884
Graduates’ median earnings
$63,727 10 years after starting

Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.

Official accounts

Football
X @Temple_FBInstagram @Temple_FBFacebook TempleOwlsFootball
Athletics department
X @templeowlsInstagram @temple.owls

Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones owlsports.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.

Voices

play-by-play
  1. 1990–⁠92Dave Sims radio

From the announcers’ Wikipedia articles (CC BY-SA), with the years as each article gives them: those in Wikipedia’s Temple football announcers category, and any whose article names them the program’s play-by-play voice. Television network crews and announcers whose articles give no years are left out.

Season by season

National champions
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20262–⁠51–⁠2K.C. Keeler1386-6.5
20255–⁠73–⁠5K.C. Keeler1387-5.1
20243–⁠92–⁠6Stan Drayton, Everett Withers1307-20.3
20233–⁠91–⁠7Stan Drayton1287-21.0
20223–⁠91–⁠7Stan Drayton1320-12.9
20213–⁠91–⁠7Rod Carey1292-19.1
20201–⁠61–⁠6Rod Carey1394-10.0
20198–⁠55–⁠3Rod Carey15323.2
20188–⁠57–⁠1Geoff Collins, Ed Foley15832.9
20177–⁠64–⁠4Geoff Collins15710.5
201610–⁠47–⁠1Matt Rhule, Ed Foley162111.9
201510–⁠47–⁠1Matt Rhule15746.0
20146–⁠64–⁠4Matt Rhule1477-4.7
20132–⁠101–⁠7Matt Rhule1392-10.7
20124–⁠72–⁠5Steve Addazio1450-11.6
20119–⁠45–⁠3Steve Addazio16024.6
20108–⁠45–⁠3Al Golden1533-5.2
20099–⁠47–⁠1Al Golden1523-4.9
20085–⁠74–⁠4Al Golden1421-9.4
20074–⁠84–⁠4Al Golden1307-19.0
20061–⁠11Al Golden1260-33.3
20050–⁠11Bobby Wallace1258-29.1
20042–⁠91–⁠5Bobby Wallace1328-12.4
20031–⁠110–⁠7Bobby Wallace1313-7.7
20024–⁠82–⁠5Bobby Wallace1363-3.5
Every season back to 1927 (67 more)
SeasonRecordConf.AP preAP finalCoachEloSP+
20014–⁠72–⁠5Bobby Wallace1382-3.8
20004–⁠71–⁠6Bobby Wallace1380-2.2
19992–⁠92–⁠5Bobby Wallace1328-7.1
19982–⁠92–⁠5Bobby Wallace1287-14.1
19973–⁠83–⁠4Ron Dickerson1340-16.4
19961–⁠100–⁠7Ron Dickerson1289-14.1
19951–⁠101–⁠6Ron Dickerson1286-10.0
19942–⁠90–⁠7Ron Dickerson1271-14.0
19931–⁠100–⁠7Ron Dickerson1224-29.2
19921–⁠100–⁠6Jerry Berndt1282-23.5
19912–⁠90–⁠5Jerry Berndt1354-16.7
19907–⁠4Jerry Berndt14950.0
19891–⁠10Jerry Berndt1320-16.8
19884–⁠7Bruce Arians1415-9.0
19873–⁠8Bruce Arians1384-13.0
19866–⁠5Bruce Arians153611.8
19854–⁠7Bruce Arians1469-0.4
19846–⁠5Bruce Arians15268.9
19834–⁠7Bruce Arians1468-2.8
19824–⁠7Wayne Hardin14873.9
19815–⁠5Wayne Hardin151619.0
19804–⁠7Wayne Hardin1438-6.1
197910–⁠217Wayne Hardin167024.9
19787–⁠3–⁠1Wayne Hardin15431.5
19775–⁠5–⁠1Wayne Hardin14929.6
19764–⁠6Wayne Hardin1442-4.2
19756–⁠5Wayne Hardin15176.5
19748–⁠2Wayne Hardin158616.6
19739–⁠1Wayne Hardin153110.3
19725–⁠4Wayne Hardin1377-7.1
19716–⁠2–⁠1Wayne Hardin13578.2
19703–⁠11248
19690–⁠21127
19680–⁠21130
19670–⁠21146
19660–⁠11165
19650–⁠11189
19641–⁠01222
19620–⁠21165
19550–⁠21233
19541–⁠31340
19530–⁠4Al Kawal1310
19522–⁠7–⁠1Al Kawal1315
19516–⁠4Al Kawal1396
19504–⁠4–⁠1Al Kawal1372
19495–⁠4Al Kawal1430
19482–⁠6–⁠1Ray Morrison1366
19473–⁠6Ray Morrison1375
19462–⁠4–⁠2Ray Morrison1448
19457–⁠1Ray Morrison1547
19442–⁠4–⁠2Ray Morrison1392
19432–⁠6Ray Morrison1355
19422–⁠5–⁠3Ray Morrison1424
19417–⁠2Ray Morrison1560
19404–⁠4–⁠1Ray Morrison1473
19392–⁠7Fred Swan1413
19383–⁠6–⁠1Pop Warner1456
19373–⁠2–⁠4Pop Warner1519
19366–⁠3–⁠2Pop Warner1543
19357–⁠3Pop Warner1612
19347–⁠1–⁠2Pop Warner1636
19335–⁠3Pop Warner1504
19325–⁠1–⁠2Henry Miller1566
19318–⁠1–⁠1Henry Miller1590
19307–⁠3Henry Miller1501
19291–⁠0–⁠1Henry Miller1512
19271–⁠1Henry Miller1504

Officially 502–⁠632–⁠52 since 1894 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 357–⁠486–⁠27 (870 of its 1,186 games are on file). Our file starts in 1927; the program began in 1894. Some games are missing from our source.

No season on file for 1928, 1956–⁠61, 1963: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.

Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.