| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| North Texas | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| Indiana | 14 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 52 |
Final. Saturday, September 5, 2026. Kicked off 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
Indiana opens the defence of its national championship at home against North Texas, and FOX is making an occasion of it — Big Noon Kickoff broadcasts live from Bloomington beforehand, starting at 10 a.m. ET.
| Kickoff | 12:00 p.m. ET · 11:00 a.m. CT · 10:00 a.m. MT · 9:00 a.m. PT |
| TV | FOX |
| Pregame | Big Noon Kickoff live from Bloomington, 10:00 a.m. ET |
| Streaming | FOX Sports App, Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream |
| Free option | FOX is available over the air with an antenna |
The Champions Open at Home
Indiana won the national title and then opened the new AP poll ranked sixth — behind both Ohio State and Oregon. That gap tells you how much voters weight roster turnover against what happened in January.
Saturday is the first chance to answer it. Our AP Top 25 has the full poll.
Why FOX Is Here
Big Noon Kickoff originating from Bloomington is a statement about where the sport’s attention sits. FOX has built its Saturday identity around the noon window, and opening the season at the defending champion’s stadium is the strongest available setting.
The two-hour pregame show starts at 10 a.m. ET, so coverage from Bloomington runs four hours before kickoff.
North Texas’s Position
An American Conference program opening at the defending national champion gets national exposure it would otherwise never see. North Texas has fielded productive offences in recent seasons, and keeping the scoreboard moving would be a meaningful result.
How to Watch Free
FOX carries it nationally and is available over the air with an antenna — no subscription needed. Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream all include FOX, and the FOX Sports App streams it for authenticated subscribers.
Prediction and Odds
Line: Indiana -40.5, total 56.5 (DraftKings).
The defending national champion opens with Big Noon Kickoff on campus and a North Texas team that went 12-2 last season and has a new head coach in Neal Brown. Indiana is the better team by a wide margin, but 40.5 is a lot to ask against a program that scored on everyone in the American a year ago.
Our pick: Indiana 48, North Texas 14. Indiana wins; North Texas covers. See all of our Week 1 predictions.
The Bottom Line
North Texas at Indiana kicks off 12:00 p.m. ET Saturday, September 5 on FOX from Memorial Stadium, with Big Noon Kickoff live from Bloomington starting at 10 a.m. It is the defending national champions’ first game of the title defence, and FOX is free over the air.