Week 1 runs September 3-7, 2026. All times Eastern.
Organised by when rather than by rank. Five ranked teams play outside Saturday, and the 3:30 window stacks four of them at once.
Thursday, September 3
| 8:00 | No. 25 Missouri vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff | SEC Network |
| 9:00 | No. 21 Utah vs Idaho | ESPNU |
Friday, September 4
| 8:00 | No. 10 Oklahoma vs UTEP | SEC Network+ |
| 9:00 | No. 7 Miami at Stanford | ESPN |
| 9:00 | No. 14 USC vs Fresno State | FOX |
Saturday Noon Window
| 12:00 | No. 13 Alabama vs East Carolina | ABC |
| 12:00 | No. 6 Indiana vs North Texas | FOX |
| 12:00 | No. 23 Houston vs Oregon State | ESPN |
| 12:30 | No. 1 Ohio State vs Ball State | BTN |
Saturday Afternoon
| 3:00 | No. 3 Georgia vs Tennessee State | SEC Network+ |
| 3:30 | No. 2 Oregon vs Boise State | CBS |
| 3:30 | No. 5 Texas vs Texas State | ESPN |
| 3:30 | No. 18 Penn State vs Marshall | FS1 |
| 3:30 | No. 20 Tennessee vs Furman | SEC Network+ |
| 4:15 | No. 22 Iowa vs Northern Illinois | BTN |
Saturday Night
| 7:00 | No. 8 Texas A&M vs Missouri State | ESPN |
| 7:00 | No. 12 Texas Tech vs Abilene Christian | FS1 |
| 7:30 | No. 11 LSU vs Clemson | ABC |
| 7:30 | No. 16 Michigan vs Western Michigan | NBC |
| 8:00 | No. 14 BYU vs Utah Tech | ESPN+ |
Sunday and Monday
| Sun 4:00 | No. 17 Washington vs Washington State | NBC |
| Sun 7:30 | No. 9 Ole Miss vs No. 24 Louisville | ABC |
| Sun 7:30 | No. 4 Notre Dame vs Wisconsin | NBC |
| Mon 7:30 | No. 19 SMU at Florida State | ESPN |
The Scheduling Conflicts
3:30 Saturday is the crunch. Four ranked teams kick off simultaneously — Oregon on CBS, Texas on ESPN, Penn State on FS1 and Tennessee on SEC Network+. A fifth, Iowa, follows 45 minutes later.
7:30 Saturday has two. LSU hosting Clemson on ABC against Michigan on NBC. Both are must-watch for different reasons.
Sunday night has three ranked teams in one window. Ole Miss vs Louisville on ABC and Notre Dame on NBC both start at 7:30.
Five Ranked Teams Play Outside Saturday
Missouri and Utah open Thursday. Oklahoma, Miami and USC play Friday. Washington, Ole Miss, Louisville and Notre Dame are on Sunday, and SMU closes the weekend on Monday.
That is a consequence of Labor Day giving networks two extra primetime windows before the NFL season begins.
For the ranked teams listed by poll position rather than by time, see our Week 1 rankings page, and the full poll is on our AP Top 25.
The Bottom Line
All 25 ranked teams play in Week 1, but only 16 play on Saturday. The 3:30 window carries four ranked teams at once, LSU vs Clemson and Michigan clash at 7:30, and Sunday night has three ranked teams across two games.