College football returns as the 2026–27 season kicks off with Week Zero and a loaded Labor Day weekend schedule.
College football is officially back.
After months of recruiting battles, transfer portal moves, coaching changes and preseason predictions, the 2026–27 college football season has arrived, beginning with Week Zero action this weekend before nearly the entire country joins the party over Labor Day weekend.
And there is plenty at stake.
The season begins with Ohio State sitting atop the preseason rankings, Oregon and Georgia right behind the Buckeyes, defending national champion Indiana attempting to reload, and another 12-team College Football Playoff waiting at the end of the road.
Here is everything fans need to know about the start of the new college football season — including this weekend’s biggest games, where to watch, the teams entering the season at the top and the path to the 2027 national championship.
College Football Actually Started Thursday
Technically, the 2026 season began Thursday, August 27, with a collection of Division I games.
But Saturday, August 29, represents the first significant national television slate of the season.
Week Zero remains considerably smaller than the full opening weekend coming September 3–7, but there are still several intriguing matchups — including an international showcase in Ireland.
Saturday’s Headliner: North Carolina vs. TCU in Ireland
College football’s first major national showcase comes from Dublin.
North Carolina vs. TCU
Saturday, August 29
12:00 p.m. ET
ESPN
Aviva Stadium — Dublin, Ireland
The Aer Lingus College Football Classic gives the sport an international stage to begin the season.
It also gives both programs an opportunity to make an immediate statement before most Power Four teams have even played a game.
For fans waiting all offseason for meaningful college football, this is essentially the first major appointment-viewing game of the year.
Week Zero: What to Watch Saturday
The action continues throughout Saturday.
North Carolina vs. TCU — 12 p.m. ET — ESPN
The biggest game of Week Zero and the international kickoff from Dublin.
Southern vs. Alabama State — 3 p.m. ET — ESPNU
An early HBCU matchup from Birmingham.
San Jose State at USC — 3 p.m. ET — NBC/Peacock
USC gets an early opportunity to take the field before the rest of the Big Ten’s major contenders begin their seasons.
NC State at Virginia — 3:30 p.m. ET — ESPN
One of the more interesting games of the weekend because it immediately puts two ACC programs on the field against one another.
Jacksonville State at North Dakota State — 5:30 p.m. ET — CBS Sports Network
A fascinating matchup featuring one of the most recognizable programs in FCS history.
Hawaii at Stanford — 7 p.m. ET — ACC Network
Stanford begins another season in the ACC era with Hawaii visiting The Farm.
New Mexico State at Florida State — 7 p.m. ET — The CW
Florida State gets its first opportunity to establish the direction of its season.
Alabama A&M vs. Howard — 7:30 p.m. ET — ABC
The MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff gives college football a nationally televised Saturday night matchup from Atlanta.
Memphis at UNLV — 10 p.m. ET — FOX
For the late-night crowd, Memphis and UNLV close out one of the most anticipated Saturdays since January.
Several additional FCS games will also be available through ESPN+, FloSports and other streaming services throughout the weekend.
Then Comes the Real Opening Weekend
Week Zero is the appetizer.
Labor Day weekend is when college football explodes.
The first full weekend begins Thursday, September 3 and continues through Labor Day Monday, September 7.
Thursday night’s headline game features:
Colorado at Georgia Tech — 8 p.m. ET — ESPN
Friday brings another group of games, including:
Fresno State at USC — 9 p.m. ET — FOX
Miami at Stanford — 9 p.m. ET — ESPN
And then comes Saturday.
Saturday, September 5 Is Loaded
This is the day college football fans have been waiting for.
Among the biggest games:
North Texas at Indiana — 12 p.m. ET — FOX
The defending national champions begin their title defense at home.
East Carolina at Alabama — 12 p.m. ET — ABC
Another season begins in Tuscaloosa with enormous expectations surrounding Alabama.
Tennessee State at Georgia — 3 p.m. ET — SEC Network+
Georgia begins another national championship pursuit in Athens.
Baylor vs. Auburn — 3:30 p.m. ET — ABC
A Power Four showdown in Atlanta gives both programs an immediate opportunity to build their postseason résumé.
Boise State at Oregon — 3:30 p.m. ET — CBS
One of the country’s highest-ranked teams gets an intriguing opening test.
Texas State at Texas — 3:30 p.m. ET — ESPN
Texas begins another season carrying legitimate national championship expectations.
And then comes the Saturday night headliner.
Clemson at LSU Could Be the Game of Week 1
Clemson at LSU
7:30 p.m. ET
ABC
Forget easing into the season.
Two national brands meet immediately in Baton Rouge in a game that could eventually carry major College Football Playoff implications.
A September loss no longer automatically destroys a championship season in the 12-team playoff era, but marquee victories remain enormously valuable when the selection committee begins comparing résumés.
Other Saturday games include Western Michigan at Michigan on NBC and Peacock and UCLA at California on ESPN.
Sunday Isn’t an Off Day Either
College football keeps rolling Sunday, September 6.
Washington State at Washington — 4 p.m. ET — NBC/Peacock
Then two significant neutral-site games take over Sunday night:
Louisville vs. Ole Miss — 7:30 p.m. ET — ABC
Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame — 7:30 p.m. ET — NBC/Peacock
Wisconsin and Notre Dame will meet at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay, giving opening weekend another unique setting.
Labor Day Night: SMU vs. Florida State
The opening weekend finally concludes Monday night.
SMU at Florida State
Monday, September 7
7:30 p.m. ET
ESPN
It gives the ACC the national spotlight to finish five straight days of college football.
Who Starts the Season at No. 1?
Ohio State enters the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25.
Behind the Buckeyes are two more national championship contenders:
No. 2 Oregon
No. 3 Georgia
Texas also enters the season among the country’s highest-ranked programs.
That puts several of college football’s biggest brands squarely in the championship conversation before the first full weekend has even arrived.
The rankings will inevitably change — and quickly.
That’s part of what makes September so important.
Georgia Is Right Back in the Championship Conversation
For Georgia fans, expectations haven’t changed much.
Win the SEC.
Reach the College Football Playoff.
Compete for another national championship.
Georgia begins the season ranked No. 3 in both the preseason AP and Coaches polls, placing Kirby Smart’s program immediately behind Ohio State and Oregon in the national conversation.
The Bulldogs open September 5 against Tennessee State before the schedule becomes considerably more difficult.
Georgia’s national championship aspirations won’t be determined during opening weekend, but the standard in Athens is no longer simply having a good season.
The standard is competing for the trophy.
The Games Get Huge Very Quickly
Fans won’t have to wait until October for heavyweight matchups.
Week 2 on September 12 includes:
Oklahoma at Michigan
Arizona State at Texas A&M
Oregon at Oklahoma State
Missouri at Kansas
Iowa State at Iowa
And the biggest matchup of the weekend:
Ohio State at Texas — 7:30 p.m. ET — ABC
That game could feature two of the highest-ranked teams in America and could eventually have major implications for playoff seeding.
One week later, the September 19 schedule includes Georgia at Arkansas, Florida State at Alabama and LSU at Ole Miss.
In other words, the season won’t take long to get serious.
How to Watch College Football in 2026
Watching every game has become a little more complicated as broadcast rights have spread across multiple networks and streaming services.
Major college football games this season will appear across:
ABC / ESPN / ESPN2 / ESPNU / ESPN+
ESPN remains one of the biggest destinations in the sport, particularly for the SEC, ACC and major national games.
FOX / FS1
FOX again owns several major windows, including its prominent Saturday broadcasts.
CBS
CBS remains a major college football partner through its Big Ten coverage.
NBC / Peacock
NBC’s college football presence includes Big Ten games and Notre Dame, with additional games streaming through Peacock.
Big Ten Network
BTN remains essential for fans trying to watch the conference’s broader schedule.
SEC Network and SEC Network+
SEC fans will find numerous games here throughout the season.
ACC Network
ACC games will continue airing throughout the season on the conference’s dedicated network.
The CW
The CW also continues carrying selected college football games.
TNT / truTV / HBO Max
Those networks become particularly important once the College Football Playoff arrives.
For cord-cutters, services such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and other live-TV streaming packages can provide combinations of these networks, while individual streaming services such as Peacock, ESPN’s streaming offerings and HBO Max carry additional games.
Fans should check individual game listings because streaming availability can vary by network, provider and market.
The 12-Team College Football Playoff Returns
The expanded postseason isn’t going anywhere this year.
The College Football Playoff will remain a 12-team tournament for the 2026–27 season.
That fundamentally changes the championship race.
Instead of a single September loss potentially eliminating a contender, teams have more room to recover — although conference championships, strength of schedule and playoff seeding remain enormously important.
The first round will again feature games hosted by higher-seeded teams.
The CFP begins:
Friday, December 18 — First Round
Three additional first-round games follow:
Saturday, December 19
Then come the quarterfinals.
December 30 — Fiesta Bowl
January 1 — Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Rose Bowl
The semifinals will be played:
January 14 — Orange Bowl
January 15 — Sugar Bowl
And then the entire season heads to Las Vegas.
The Road Ends in Las Vegas
The 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship will be played:
Monday, January 25, 2027
7:30 p.m. ET
Allegiant Stadium
Las Vegas, Nevada
The championship will air on ABC and ESPN.
That means the journey beginning this weekend will stretch nearly five months — from Dublin, Ireland, on August 29 to Las Vegas on January 25.
College Football Has Changed — But Saturdays Haven’t
The sport itself barely resembles college football from even five years ago.
Players can transfer more freely.
Name, image and likeness money has transformed recruiting.
Revenue sharing and athlete compensation have reshaped roster construction.
Conference realignment has created matchups that once would have seemed impossible.
The playoff has expanded.
Television rights are scattered across networks and streaming platforms.
But Saturday still feels like Saturday.
Stadiums will fill.
Bands will play.
Tailgates will start before sunrise.
Rivalries will resume.
And somewhere over the next five months, a team nobody is talking about enough right now will almost certainly become part of the national championship conversation.
College football is back.
And starting this weekend, the race to Las Vegas officially begins.
About the Author
