Week 0’s opening Saturday starts in Dublin and ends in Las Vegas. Memphis at UNLV is the final FBS game of the day – a 10 p.m. ET kickoff at Allegiant Stadium that gives night owls one last reason to stay on the couch, and gives FOX the first college football broadcast of its 2026 season.
Don’t let the graveyard slot fool you: this might be the most consequential Group of Six game played all September, and it’s happening in August. UNLV is 30-12 since the start of 2023; Memphis is 29-10. Both enter the season among the favorites for the Group of Six’s College Football Playoff berth, both are meeting for the first time in history, and one of them banks a head-to-head argument before the rest of the country plays a down. It’s also a debut night: Charles Huff coaches his first game at Memphis, opposite Dan Mullen’s second-year Rebels.
The chart below has the complete viewing information for the nightcap – kickoff by time zone, TV, streaming and the stakes.
What Time Does Memphis vs. UNLV Start?
Kickoff is 10 p.m. Eastern – 9 p.m. in Memphis’ Central time zone, and a friendly 7 p.m. local in Las Vegas, where Nevada runs on Pacific time. Arizona matches the 7 p.m. Pacific start in August.
What Channel Is the Game On?
FOX has the national broadcast – the network’s college football opener for 2026, and just the fourth FOX appearance in UNLV history after three Mountain West championship games.
How to Stream It (Including Without Cable)
FOX One, the network’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, carries the game with a standalone subscription – no cable needed. The FOX Sports app works with a TV-provider login, and live-TV streaming services that include local FOX stations – YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo among them – are the third path; local FOX availability varies by market, so confirm yours.
Where Is the Game Being Played?
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas – the Raiders’ home and UNLV’s, hosting the Rebels’ season opener. Memphis returns the game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in 2029.
Why This Game Matters
The Group of Six playoff race is a season-long argument, and this is its first exhibit: two programs with elite three-year resumes, on national TV with no competition for eyeballs, each needing quality wins wherever they can be found. The winner spends September with the inside track; the loser starts climbing. For a game between two teams that had never met, the stakes arrived fully formed.
Quick Answers
Why does the game start so late?
It’s built as the day’s capstone – a West Coast evening kickoff that inherits the national audience after the afternoon games end. Vegas locals get a normal 7 p.m. start; the Eastern time zone gets a midnight-adjacent finish.
Have Memphis and UNLV played before?
Never – this is the first meeting, and Memphis’ first football game in Nevada.
How do I follow the whole day?
Start with the Dublin opener at noon ET and work through the slate in our Week 0 schedule and TV guide – this game closes the book.
The Bottom Line
Memphis vs. UNLV kicks off Saturday, Aug. 29 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on FOX and FOX One from Allegiant Stadium – the final FBS game of Week 0 Saturday, a first-ever meeting between two 29-plus-win programs, and the earliest meaningful skirmish in the Group of Six playoff race. Stay up for it.