Yes – college football is back this Saturday. Aug. 29 is Week 0, the 2026 season’s opening slate: eight FBS games, starting at noon ET with North Carolina and TCU from Dublin, Ireland, and running past midnight with Memphis-UNLV in Las Vegas. It’s a small menu by October standards, but every game counts and every game has the stage to itself.
This page is the season-long answer to “who’s playing Saturday” – refreshed each week with the full slate, times and networks. This week: the Belichick rematch in Ireland, USC’s opener on NBC, Florida State and Stanford at home, and a Vegas nightcap.
Here’s Saturday’s schedule, with our full viewing guide for every game linked below.
The Headliner: Noon From Dublin
UNC-TCU opens the season on ESPN – Bill Belichick’s second-year debut against the team that routed his first. Full channel and streaming detail in our UNC-TCU guide, with background on why Week 0 exists.
The Afternoon and Evening
NC State-Virginia (3:30, ESPN – NC State-Virginia guide) and San Jose State-USC (NBC/Peacock – San Jose State-USC guide) share the afternoon, with Florida State (FSU guide) and Stanford (Hawaii-Stanford guide) hosting in the evening windows and Memphis-UNLV closing the night on FOX (Memphis-UNLV guide). Which network carries what – and why – is decoded in the full 2026 network map.
Next Saturday Is the Flood
Sept. 5 brings the first full slate of the season – Clemson-LSU in primetime on ABC, Boise State-Oregon on CBS, Louisville-Ole Miss in Nashville – followed by Notre Dame-Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sunday. From that weekend on, this page carries a full Saturday’s worth of games every week.
Quick Answers
Are there college football games this Saturday?
Yes – eight FBS games on Aug. 29, led by UNC-TCU in Dublin at noon ET on ESPN.
What time does college football start Saturday?
Noon Eastern, with games running through the 10 PM ET Memphis-UNLV kickoff.
When do ALL the teams play?
The first full Saturday is Sept. 5 – Labor Day weekend, when the complete national slate arrives.
The Bottom Line
This Saturday: eight Week 0 games, noon to midnight ET, headlined by Belichick’s UNC against TCU in Dublin on ESPN. Next Saturday: everything. Bookmark this page – it updates weekly with each Saturday’s full schedule through the end of the season.