Saturday, September 5, 2026. All times Eastern.
The heart of opening weekend. Saturday runs from an 11 a.m. start through a 10:30 p.m. nightcap in Berkeley, with more than 80 games in between.
Here are the ones worth planning around, window by window.
Noon Window
| 12:00 | East Carolina at Alabama | ABC |
| 12:00 | North Texas at Indiana | FOX |
| 12:00 | Oregon State at Houston | ESPN |
| 12:00 | Coastal Carolina at West Virginia | TNT / HBO Max |
| 12:00 | Ohio at Nebraska | FS1 |
| 12:00 | Liberty at James Madison | ESPNU |
| 12:00 | New Hampshire at Syracuse | ACC Network |
| 12:00 | Bryant at Army | CBSSN |
| 12:30 | Ball State at Ohio State | BTN |
| 12:30 | Miami (OH) at Pittsburgh | The CW |
| 12:45 | Kent State at South Carolina | SEC Network |
Early Afternoon
| 1:00 | Youngstown State at Kentucky | SEC Network+ |
| 1:00 | SE Missouri State at Iowa State | ESPN+ |
| 1:00 | Duquesne at Air Force | MW+ |
| 2:00 | Rhode Island at Temple | ESPN+ |
| 3:00 | Tennessee State at Georgia | SEC Network+ |
The 3:30 Block
The busiest window of the day.
| 3:30 | Boise State at Oregon | CBS |
| 3:30 | Baylor vs. Auburn (Atlanta) | ABC |
| 3:30 | Texas State at Texas | ESPN |
| 3:30 | Marshall at Penn State | FS1 |
| 3:30 | Boston College at Cincinnati | FOX |
| 3:30 | Tulane at Duke | ACC Network |
| 3:30 | Towson at Navy | CBSSN |
| 3:30 | Furman at Tennessee | SEC Network+ |
| 3:45 | Oklahoma State at Tulsa | ESPNU |
| 4:15 | North Alabama at Arkansas | SEC Network |
| 4:15 | Northern Illinois at Iowa | BTN |
Evening and Primetime
| 6:00 | Wyoming at Colorado State (Border War) | USA Network |
| 7:00 | Missouri State at Texas A&M | ESPN |
| 7:00 | Abilene Christian at Texas Tech | FS1 |
| 7:00 | Austin Peay at Vanderbilt | SEC Network+ |
| 7:30 | Clemson at LSU | ABC |
| 7:30 | Western Michigan at Michigan | NBC |
| 7:30 | VMI at Virginia Tech | ACC Network |
| 7:30 | UL Monroe at Mississippi State | ESPNU |
| 7:45 | Florida Atlantic at Florida | SEC Network |
| 8:00 | Utah Tech at BYU | ESPN+ |
| 8:00 | Hampton at Maryland | BTN |
| 8:00 | South Dakota State at Northwestern | BTN |
Late Night
| 9:30 | Northern Arizona at Arizona | ESPN+ |
| 10:00 | Morgan State at Arizona State | ESPN+ |
| 10:00 | UNLV at Hawai’i | The CW |
| 10:00 | Central Michigan at New Mexico | FS1 |
| 10:30 | UCLA at California | ESPN |
| 10:30 | Western Kentucky at Nevada | CBSSN |
How to Plan the Day
The broadcast networks carry the four biggest games and all are free over the air: East Carolina at Alabama and Baylor vs. Auburn on ABC, Boise State at Oregon on CBS, North Texas at Indiana and Boston College at Cincinnati on FOX, Western Michigan at Michigan on NBC, and Clemson at LSU on ABC in primetime.
Three games are streaming-only. Utah Tech at BYU is on ESPN+, while Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are all on SEC Network+ — which cannot be purchased separately and needs a provider carrying SEC Network.
See also our Thursday and Friday schedules.
The Bottom Line
Saturday, September 5 runs from noon to a 10:30 p.m. nightcap. Clemson at LSU on ABC is the headline game, Western Michigan at Michigan on NBC marks Kyle Whittingham’s debut, and the 3:30 window stacks Boise State at Oregon, Baylor vs. Auburn and Texas State at Texas simultaneously.