College football is back — and as usual, it sneaks in a week early. Week 0 of the 2026 season runs Thursday, August 27 through Sunday, August 30, headlined by an international opener in Dublin, Ireland, the first Big Ten and ACC games of the year, and a slate of FCS and HBCU showcases before most of the country kicks off on Labor Day weekend. Every Week 0 game is a real regular-season contest that counts toward a team’s record; it’s simply a small group of programs with scheduling exemptions playing seven days ahead of everyone else.
The marquee matchups land Saturday, August 29: North Carolina meets TCU at Aviva Stadium in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at noon ET on ESPN, USC hosts San Jose State at 3 PM ET on NBC in the season’s first Big Ten game, and NC State visits Virginia at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN for the first ACC contest of 2026. Below the FBS headliners sits the reason Week 0 exists at all — the Hawaii exemption puts Hawai’i at Stanford on the calendar — plus a loaded FCS slate anchored by the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta on ABC.
Every game, kickoff time, and network is in the chart below, sorted by day. Take a look, then we’ll get into how Week 0 works and why it’s the last one you’ll ever see.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2026
Week 0 Schedule and TV Guide
Every game from Thursday, Aug. 27 through Sunday, Aug. 30
HEADLINER
UNC vs. TCU
Noon ET, ESPN, Dublin
BIG TEN OPENER
SJSU at USC
3 PM ET, NBC/Peacock
ACC OPENER
NCSU at UVA
3:30 PM ET, ESPN
FIRST FULL WEEK
Sept. 5
Labor Day weekend
2026 Week 0 schedule
All times Eastern; networks and kickoffs subject to change
| Date |
Matchup |
Kickoff (ET) |
TV / Stream |
Note |
| Thu, Aug 27 |
Mercyhurst at Youngstown State |
6:00 PM |
TBD |
FCS |
| Thu, Aug 27 |
Charleston Southern at Lindenwood |
7:00 PM |
TBD |
FCS |
| Thu, Aug 27 |
Central Arkansas at UT Martin; Eastern Illinois at Murray State; Maine at Towson; Stony Brook at Delaware State; LIU at North Dakota |
TBD |
TBD |
FCS openers |
| Fri, Aug 28 |
Idaho at Cal Poly |
10:00 PM |
ESPN |
First game on ESPN |
| Fri, Aug 28 |
New Hampshire at UAlbany; Rhode Island at Merrimack; Marist at New Haven |
TBD |
TBD |
FCS |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
North Carolina vs. TCU (Dublin, Ireland) |
12:00 PM |
ESPN |
Aer Lingus College Football Classic |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
San Jose State at USC |
3:00 PM |
NBC / Peacock |
First Big Ten game of 2026 |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Southern vs. Alabama State (Birmingham, AL) |
3:00 PM |
ESPNU |
Birmingham Football Classic |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
NC State at Virginia |
3:30 PM |
ESPN / ACC Network |
First ACC game of 2026 |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Jacksonville State at North Dakota State |
5:30 PM |
CBS Sports Network |
FBS at FCS power |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan |
6:30 PM |
ESPN+ |
|
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Hawai’i at Stanford |
7:00 PM |
ACC Network |
The Hawaii exemption game |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
New Mexico State at Florida State |
7:00 PM |
The CW |
|
| Sat, Aug 29 |
East Texas A&M at Mercer |
7:00 PM |
ESPN |
FCS Kickoff |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Alabama A&M vs. Howard (Atlanta, GA) |
7:30 PM |
ABC |
Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Prairie View A&M at Tarleton State |
9:00 PM |
ESPN2 |
|
| Sat, Aug 29 |
Memphis at UNLV |
TBD |
TBD |
FBS |
| Sat, Aug 29 |
North Alabama vs. Samford (Huntsville); William & Mary at Villanova; Chattanooga at West Georgia |
TBD |
TBD |
FCS |
| Sun, Aug 30 |
West Alabama vs. Tuskegee (Montgomery, AL) |
8:00 PM |
ESPN2 |
Red Tails Classic (Division II) |
Sourced from ESPN, NBC Sports, the Big Ten, and NCAA.com as of Aug. 18, 2026.
How Week 0 works
The rules behind the early start
| Question |
Answer |
| Do Week 0 games count? |
Yes — they are regular-season games and count in the standings and toward bowl eligibility. |
| Who is allowed to play? |
Teams with an NCAA exemption: those playing at or hosting Hawai’i, teams in approved neutral-site classics (Dublin, Atlanta, Birmingham), and programs granted waivers. |
| Why does the Hawaii exemption exist? |
Teams that play at Hawai’i in a season may schedule a 13th regular-season game to offset the travel — and Hawai’i itself can play 13. Week 0 gives them the extra date. |
| When does everyone else start? |
Week 1 runs Thursday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 7, with the full Saturday slate on Sept. 5. |
| Is this the last Week 0? |
Yes. The NCAA approved a standardized 14-week season starting in 2027 and ended Week 0 waivers, so 2026 is the final edition. |
WEEK 0 FACTS
Dublin is the new tradition
The Aer Lingus Classic has opened the season from Aviva Stadium since 2022 — UNC-TCU is the fifth straight Irish curtain-raiser.
Where to stream
ESPN games are on the ESPN App; NBC’s game streams on Peacock; The CW’s game is free over the air. YouTube TV, Fubo, and Sling carry every network involved.
Countdown starts early
ESPN’s College Football Countdown airs a Week 0 edition Saturday from 10 AM to noon ET, leading straight into the Dublin kickoff.
Why Week 0 Exists — and Why It’s Ending
Week 0 was never a formal part of the calendar; it grew out of exemptions. The Hawaii rule let teams traveling to the islands schedule a 13th game, neutral-site classics got waivers to play a week early, and over time enough programs qualified that a mini-slate formed. In July 2026 the NCAA voted to standardize the season at 14 weeks beginning in 2027 and end the waiver process, folding those games into a normal calendar. That makes this the final Week 0 as fans have known it — the Dublin game and MEAC/SWAC Challenge will simply become Week 1 openers going forward.
The Bottom Line
Week 0 gives you three FBS games worth planning around — UNC-TCU in Dublin at noon, USC-San Jose State on NBC at 3, and NC State-Virginia on ESPN at 3:30 — wrapped in a full weekend of FCS and HBCU football that fills the gaps until Labor Day. Set the DVR for Saturday, August 29 and treat it as the appetizer; the main course arrives September 5. For what happens on the pro side that same week, see our NFL Preseason Week 3 schedule, and for the college rules that shape who plays and when, our guides to college football eligibility and the redshirt rule.
