UC Davis and Harvard announce home and home games with Harvard
Games in 2027 and 2031 are the first for the Aggies against an Ivy League opponent
There were high-fives all around the UC Davis football offices after it was announced this week that the Aggie football team will take on Harvard early in the 2027 season, the first meeting ever between UCD and an Ivy League school.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Josh Flushman, UC Davis’ Senior Associate Athletics Director.
“We’ve been trying to get a game with Harvard specifically, and with the Ivy League in general, for years.”
In fact, the attempts go all the way back to the days of legendary head coach Jim Sochor, who led UCD to unparalleled success when he guided Aggie fortunes from 1970-88.
The home and home series will find the Aggies heading to Cambridge for a Sept. 18, 2027 game, with Harvard coming to Davis on Sept. 20, 2031.
The 2027 game will be the season opener for Harvard, which is a typical late start for the Ivy League.
While UCD’s 2027 schedule has not been finalized, it will likely be the Aggies’ third or fourth game of the season. UCD will also play at UCLA in 2027.
“We have always wanted to play an Ivy League opponent and more specifically Harvard,” said UC Davis head coach Tim Plough.
“Our shared commitment to performance on the field and in the classroom has always felt like the makings of a fun matchup. This has been years in the making, and we look forward to the challenge. We hope this is a game we can continue for years to come.”
The Aggies will become the third Big Sky team ever to face an Ivy League opponent, joining Cal Poly and Montana State.
Cal Poly is 1-1, having defeated Brown in 2018 and losing to Yale in 2013.
Montana State knocked off Yale last season during the 2025 FCS Playoffs.
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com
Why the long delay between games?4 years is quite a long time.
Bit of trivia, while this might be the first time UC Davis has played AGAINST an Ivy League school, it will not be the first time the Aggies have played AT an Ivy League school: the 1997 NCAA semifinal heartbreaker against New Haven took place at... the Yale Bowl.
I remember the subsequent 1997 championship game having one painful moment for longtime Aggie fans, and one that would have personally resonated with you, Bob. The TV crew found some Northern Colorado fan waving a cow bell, so the sideline reporter went into the stands to interview her. The fan's explanation was something like "I started doing this midway through the season, people loved it, and it became a tradition." To which the reporter replied with "So you've been waving a cowbell at games for eight whole weeks? That's amazing!"
In that brief little throwaway piece, my heart broke for Flo Nelson and Laureene Hunt, who at that point had probably been waving a cowbell at football games for eight whole Presidents. Had UC Davis held against the Chargers the week before, both Flo and Laureene would have been at the game, and if that reporter spotted the random UNC mom, she certainly would have found our beloved superfans. Florence at Florence? The story would have written itself.