Week 1 of the 2026 college football season is the real national kickoff: Thursday, September 3 through Monday, September 7, with the full Saturday slate landing on September 5 over Labor Day weekend. After Week 0’s appetizer, this is when nearly all 136 FBS teams open — including defending champion Indiana, which begins its title defense against North Texas with FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff live from Bloomington.
The marquee games are stacked across four days. Thursday opens with Colorado against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Friday sends Miami to Stanford, and Saturday peaks with Clemson at LSU in Death Valley on ABC — College GameDay’s Week 1 site — alongside Boise State at Oregon on CBS. Sunday belongs to NBC with a doubleheader of Washington State-Washington and Wisconsin-Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, and SMU at Florida State closes the week on Monday night.
The full headline slate with times and networks is in the chart below, plus the pregame show map and streaming guide. Take a look, then we’ll get into the storylines.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2026
Week 1 Schedule and TV Guide
The full national kickoff, Thursday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 7
MAIN SLATE
Sat, Sep 5
Labor Day weekend
BIGGEST GAME
Clemson-LSU
7:30 PM ET, ABC
CHAMPS OPEN
Indiana
Big Noon, FOX
FINALE
SMU-FSU
Monday night
2026 Week 1 headline schedule
All times Eastern; kickoffs subject to change
| Date | Matchup | Kickoff (ET) | TV / Stream | Note |
|---|
| Thu, Sep 3 | Colorado vs. Georgia Tech (Atlanta) | 8:00 PM | ESPN | Season’s first marquee game |
| Thu, Sep 3 | UMass at Rutgers | 6:00 PM | BTN | |
| Thu, Sep 3 | Eastern Illinois at Minnesota | 8:00 PM | Peacock | |
| Thu, Sep 3 | UAB at Illinois | 9:00 PM | BTN | |
| Fri, Sep 4 | Indiana State at Purdue | 7:00 PM | BTN | |
| Fri, Sep 4 | Toledo at Michigan State | 8:00 PM | FS1 | |
| Fri, Sep 4 | Fresno State at USC | 9:00 PM | FOX | |
| Fri, Sep 4 | Miami at Stanford | 10:00 PM | ESPN | Canes open their title-game defense |
| Sat, Sep 5 | North Texas at Indiana | 12:00 PM | FOX | Big Noon from Bloomington; champs’ opener |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Ohio at Nebraska | 12:00 PM | FS1 | |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Ball State at Ohio State | 12:30 PM | BTN | |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Boise State at Oregon | 3:30 PM | CBS | Top non-conference test |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Marshall at Penn State | 3:30 PM | FS1 | |
| Sat, Sep 5 | NIU at Iowa | 4:15 PM | BTN | |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Clemson at LSU | 7:30 PM | ABC | GameDay in Baton Rouge; Week 1’s biggest game |
| Sat, Sep 5 | Western Michigan at Michigan | 7:30 PM | NBC / Peacock | |
| Sat, Sep 5 | UCLA at Cal | 10:30 PM | ESPN | |
| Sun, Sep 6 | Washington State at Washington | 4:00 PM | NBC / Peacock | The Apple Cup rivalry, on opening weekend |
| Sun, Sep 6 | Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Nashville) | TBD | TBD | Neutral site |
| Sun, Sep 6 | Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame (Green Bay) | 7:30 PM | NBC / Peacock | At Lambeau Field |
| Mon, Sep 7 | SMU at Florida State | TBD | ACC Network family | Labor Day nightcap; ACC Tailgate in Tallahassee |
Via ESPN, FOX, NBC Sports, CBS, and the Big Ten’s TV release, as of Aug. 18, 2026.
Pregame shows and streaming
Where the circus sets up
| Show / window | Where |
|---|
| College GameDay | Baton Rouge, La. (Clemson-LSU) — 9 AM ET, ESPN/ESPNU |
| Big Noon Kickoff | Bloomington, Ind. (North Texas-Indiana) — 10 AM ET, FOX |
| B1G Tailgate | Columbus, Ohio (Ball State-Ohio State) — 10 AM ET, BTN |
| ACC Tailgate | Tallahassee, Fla. (SMU-Florida State) — 10 AM ET Monday, ACC Network |
| Streaming | ESPN games on the ESPN App (Unlimited covers ABC/ESPN/SECN/ACCN); NBC games on Peacock; FOX/FS1 on the FOX apps; YouTube TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV carry all networks |
WEEK 1 NOTES
The title-game rematch that isn’t
Indiana and Miami open 1,200 miles apart — the champs at home at Big Noon, the runner-up on a Friday-night trip to Stanford.
Lambeau hosts the Irish
Wisconsin-Notre Dame at Lambeau Field is the weekend’s best venue story and NBC’s Sunday centerpiece.
Rivalry moved to Week 1
Washington-Washington State puts the Apple Cup on opening weekend for the second straight year — a scheduling product of realignment.
Previewing the biggest games of college football’s 2026 opening weekend.
The Storylines That Matter
Indiana opens as the sport’s first undefeated champion since 2019 trying to run it back, with Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza now in the NFL — the Hoosiers’ title defense starts with a new offense in front of Big Noon. Clemson-LSU is the weekend’s stakes game: a September loss effectively spots the winner a playoff argument and hands the loser a four-month climb. Boise State-Oregon is the Group of Five’s annual chance to plant a playoff flag, and Miami’s Friday opener at Stanford begins the Hurricanes’ answer to January’s six-point heartbreak at home. By Monday night, the first CFP picture — however premature — will already be forming.
The Bottom Line
Week 1 runs September 3-7 with the main slate Saturday the 5th: Indiana’s title defense at noon on FOX, Boise State-Oregon on CBS in the afternoon, Clemson-LSU on ABC at night, then NBC’s Sunday doubleheader from Seattle and Lambeau and a Monday closer in Tallahassee. For the early games that precede it, see our Week 0 schedule, and for the pro football sharing the weekend, the NFL preseason finale and cut weekend.
