Miles releases its 2024 football schedule, looking to take the next step towards the top of the standings in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference under third-year head coach Sam Shade.

Last season, the Golden Bears went 7-3 overall and finished one game out of a spot in the SIAC championship game. This season, the schedule features four home contests against familiar SIAC foes and a tough six-game road slate that includes three in-state battles and two trips to South Carolina, one coming against the two-time defending SIAC champions.

Miles will open the season at West Alabama of the Gulf South Conference on Aug. 31. The Golden Bears will make their first trip to Livingston since 2018 and look to avenge a loss in the teams' last meeting in 2022. .Next up will be Alabama State on Sept.7. It will be the fourth consecutive season that the two in-state schools will battle in Montgomery, but for the first time, it will be the Golden Bears who will look to put together a winning streak after shocking the Division I Hornets in 2023. The last three meetings have all come down to the final possession and should lend to another exciting matchup. 

The Prince Hall Americanism Football Classic returns to Fairfield when Golden Bears host Lane in their home opener on Sept. 21. Miles will then close out the month on the road at Allen, which has a new coach in former Miles assistant Cedric Pearl. Miles returns home on Oct. 5 for Homecoming against Central State. The Marauders, the team Miles defeated to give Coach Shade his first win with the Golden Bears in 2022, have not won at Sloan-Alumni Stadium in four tries. Miles will celebrate Community Appreciation Day on Oct. 12 when it hosts Albany State, which has won four straight against the Golden Bears. The Golden Rams last loss to Miles at Sloan-Alumni Stadium came in the 2019 SIAC Championship Game.

The next three contests pits Miles against teams with new head coaches. On Oct. 19, the Golden Bears travel to take on Clark Atlanta, which is now led by former Miles assistant Teddy Keaton. The next week, the team makes its second trip to Columbia, S.C., this time against defending league champion Benedict and its new head coach, Ron Dickerson, Jr. On Nov. 5, Senior Day will be celebrated at Miles in its final regular season home game against Morehouse, now led by former NFL veteran Terance Mathis. The Golden bears will close the regular season against rival Tuskegee on Nov. 12.

All home games are scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. but schedule times are subject to change. Ticket information will be released at a later date.