Friday, September 4, 2026. All times Eastern.
Nine games on Friday, building to a pair of 9 p.m. West Coast kickoffs — Miami at Stanford on ESPN and Fresno State at USC on FOX.
| Time | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30 | San José State at Eastern Michigan | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Indiana State at Purdue | BTN |
| 7:00 | North Carolina A&T at Georgia State | ESPN+ |
| 7:00 | Franklin Pierce at Marist | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 | Toledo at Michigan State | FS1 |
| 8:00 | UTEP at Oklahoma | SEC Network+ |
| 8:00 | Long Island at Kansas | ESPNU |
| 9:00 | Miami at Stanford | ESPN |
| 9:00 | Fresno State at USC | FOX |
The Two That Matter
Miami at Stanford, 9:00, ESPN. Miami crosses three time zones for a late kickoff against a Stanford team that has already played — the Cardinal beat Hawai’i 37-27 in Week 0. That head start is a real advantage this early in the season.
Fresno State at USC, 9:00, FOX. USC also enters 1-0, having beaten San José State 42-26 at the Coliseum in Week 0. FOX is free over the air, making this the most accessible Friday game.
The One People Will Miss
UTEP at Oklahoma is on SEC Network+, which is not a television channel. It streams only through the ESPN App and requires a provider that already carries SEC Network — and unlike ESPN+ or Peacock, it cannot be bought separately.
If your provider doesn’t carry SEC Network, there is no way to watch Oklahoma’s opener.
Why Friday Has Games at All
The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 restricts NFL broadcasts on Friday nights during the high school season, but college football has no such limitation. Networks increasingly use Friday to give individual games a national window they’d never get on a crowded Saturday.
Our Thursday schedule and full Week 1 schedule cover the rest of the weekend.
The Bottom Line
Nine college football games on Friday, September 4, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. ET. Miami at Stanford on ESPN and Fresno State at USC on FOX headline the late window, with both home teams entering 1-0 from Week 0.