Five days, dozens of games, one headline. The Week 1 2026 college football schedule opens Thursday and doesn’t let up until Monday night, but everything points toward one Saturday morning kickoff — defending national champion Ohio State hosting No. 1 Texas at 11 a.m. on FOX, a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal that the Buckeyes won 28-14. Both teams will start new quarterbacks this time around: Arch Manning for the Longhorns, Julian Sayin for Ohio State.
That’s not the only storyline. Bill Belichick makes his college coaching debut when North Carolina hosts TCU on Monday night’s ESPN standalone game. No. 9 LSU heads to No. 4 Clemson for a top-10 showdown. And Colorado opens its first season without Shedeur Sanders, Shilo Sanders, and Travis Hunter on the roster, hosting Georgia Tech on Friday night.
Thursday, August 28 (All Times ET)
| Matchup | Time | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Boise State at USF | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Ohio at Rutgers | 5:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Lafayette at Bowling Green | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| East Carolina at NC State | 6:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Jacksonville State at UCF | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Delaware State at Delaware | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Saint Francis at UL Monroe | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Wyoming at Akron | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Central Arkansas at Missouri | 6:30 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Elon at Duke | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| UT Martin at Oklahoma State | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Buffalo at Minnesota | 6:30 p.m. | FS1 |
| Stephen F. Austin at Houston | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Alabama State at UAB | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Nebraska at Cincinnati | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Miami (OH) at Wisconsin | 8:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Stony Brook at San Diego State | 9:00 p.m. | TV TBA |
Friday, August 29 (All Times ET)
| Matchup | Time | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Tarleton State at Army | 5:00 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Western Michigan at Michigan State | 6:00 p.m. | FS1 |
| Kennesaw State at Wake Forest | 6:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| App State at Charlotte | 6:00 p.m. | ESPNU |
| Bethune-Cookman at Florida International | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Western Illinois at No. 12 Illinois | 6:30 p.m. | Peacock |
| Wagner at Kansas | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Auburn at Baylor | 7:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Georgia Tech at Colorado | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| UNLV at Sam Houston State | 8:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Central Michigan at San Jose State | 9:30 p.m. | FS1 |
Saturday, August 30 (All Times ET)
| Matchup | Time | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State | 11:00 a.m. | FOX |
| Syracuse at No. 24 Tennessee (Atlanta) | 11:00 a.m. | ABC |
| Mississippi State at Southern Miss | 11:00 a.m. | ESPN |
| Florida Atlantic at Maryland | 11:00 a.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Ball State at Purdue | 11:00 a.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Northwestern at Tulane | 11:00 a.m. | ESPNU |
| Duquesne at Pittsburgh | 11:00 a.m. | ACC Network |
| VMI at Navy | 11:00 a.m. | CBSSN |
| Merrimack at Kent State | 11:00 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| Toledo at Kentucky | 11:45 a.m. | SEC Network |
| Fordham at Boston College | 1:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Robert Morris at West Virginia | 1:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Central Connecticut at UConn | 1:00 p.m. | TV TBA |
| Old Dominion at No. 20 Indiana | 1:30 p.m. | FS1 |
| Eastern Kentucky at Louisville | 2:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Nevada at No. 2 Penn State | 2:30 p.m. | CBS |
| Marshall at No. 5 Georgia | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 8 Alabama at Florida State | 2:30 p.m. | ABC |
| South Dakota at No. 22 Iowa State | 2:30 p.m. | FOX |
| Bucknell at Air Force | 2:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Temple at Massachusetts | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Holy Cross at Northern Illinois | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Montana State at No. 7 Oregon | 3:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Maine at Liberty | 3:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Alabama A&M at Arkansas | 3:15 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Chattanooga at Memphis | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Illinois State at No. 18 Oklahoma | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| UAlbany at Iowa | 5:00 p.m. | FS1 |
| Coastal Carolina at Virginia | 5:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Weber State at James Madison | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Long Island University at No. 15 Florida | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| North Dakota at No. 17 Kansas State | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| UTSA at No. 19 Texas A&M | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Austin Peay at Middle Tennessee | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| North Alabama at Western Kentucky | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Southeast Missouri State at Arkansas State | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Morgan State at South Alabama | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Nicholls at Troy | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson | 6:30 p.m. | ABC |
| New Mexico at No. 14 Michigan | 6:30 p.m. | NBC |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 23 Texas Tech | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Missouri State at USC | 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| SE Louisiana at Louisiana Tech | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| UTEP at Utah State | 6:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
| Georgia State at No. 21 Ole Miss | 6:45 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Portland State at BYU | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Rice at Louisiana | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Michigan at Texas State | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Lamar at North Texas | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Abilene Christian at Tulsa | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| East Texas A&M at No. 16 SMU | 8:00 p.m. | ACC Network |
| Bryant at New Mexico State | 8:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Georgia Southern at Fresno State | 8:30 p.m. | FS1 |
| Northern Arizona at No. 11 Arizona State | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Idaho at Washington State | 9:00 p.m. | The CW Network |
| California at Oregon State | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Hawai’i at Arizona | 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Utah at UCLA | 10:00 p.m. | FOX |
| Colorado State at Washington | 10:00 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
Sunday, August 31 (All Times ET)
| Matchup | Time | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech at No. 13 South Carolina (Atlanta) | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami | 6:30 p.m. | ABC |
Monday, September 1 (All Times ET)
| Matchup | Time | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|
| TCU at North Carolina | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN |
Saturday Morning Belongs to Texas and Ohio State
Everything else on the Week 1 2026 college football schedule is a build-up to 11 a.m. Saturday. Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in last season’s Playoff semifinal, and now the rematch comes with brand-new quarterbacks on both sides — Arch Manning stepping in as the Heisman favorite for the Longhorns, Julian Sayin taking over under center for the defending champs. FOX has the broadcast, and it’s hard to imagine a bigger single game anywhere on the Week 1 slate.
A Coaching Debut and a Top-10 Road Trip
Monday night closes the week with Bill Belichick’s first game as a college head coach, North Carolina hosting TCU on ESPN’s standalone slot. Saturday night carries its own heavyweight matchup — No. 9 LSU traveling to No. 4 Clemson, a true road test for a Tigers team with national title aspirations of its own. And Colorado’s Friday night opener against Georgia Tech marks the first snap of the post-Sanders, post-Hunter era in Boulder — a program that spent the last two years defined by names that are no longer on the roster.
FAQ
Q: When does the 2026 college football season start?
A: The Week 1 2026 college football schedule begins Thursday, August 28, and runs through Monday, September 1, with games played on all five days.
Q: When is Texas vs Ohio State 2026?
A: Texas vs Ohio State 2026 kicks off Saturday, August 30, at 11:00 a.m. ET on FOX, a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal.
Q: What time does the Ohio State vs Texas game start?
A: The Ohio State vs. Texas game — No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State — has an 11:00 a.m. ET kickoff on FOX.
Q: What other ranked matchups are on the 2026 college football Week 1 schedule?
A: Notable ranked matchups include No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., ABC) and No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Sunday, 6:30 p.m., ABC), along with several Top 25 teams hosting non-conference opponents throughout the week.
