The 2026 college football season technically began with eight games in "Week 0," but the majority of the programs will open their season between Thursday and Monday. The Week 1 college football schedule is loaded with dozens of games.
Friday, Sept. 4
San Jose State vs. Eastern Michigan (-4.5, 54.5), 6:30 p.m. ET
Indiana State vs. Purdue (-35.5, 56.5), 7 p.m. ET
North Carolina A&T vs. Georgia State (-27.5, 54.5), 7 p.m. ET
UTEP vs. No. 10 Oklahoma (-41.5, 49.5), 8 p.m. ET
LIU vs. Kansas (-39.5, 53.5), 8 p.m. ET
Toledo vs. Michigan State (-10.5, 49.5), 8 p.m. ET
No. 7 Miami vs. Stanford (-+23.5, 48.5), 9 p.m. ET
Fresno State vs. No. 14 USC (-23.5, 51.5), 9 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 5
Bryant vs. Army (-37.5, 51.5), 12 p.m. ET
Coastal Carolina vs. West Virginia (-21.5, 56.5), 12 p.m. ET
East Carolina vs. No. 13 Alabama (-28.5, 54.5), 12 p.m. ET
Lafayette vs. UConn (-18.5, 56.5), 12 p.m. ET
Liberty vs. James Madison (-6.5, 51.5), 12 p.m. ET
New Hampshire vs. Syracuse (-34.5, 56.5), 12 p.m. ET
North Texas vs. No. 6 Indiana (-40.5, 55.5), 12 p.m. ET
Ohio vs. Nebraska (-23.5, 47.5), 12 p.m. ET
Oregon State vs. No. 23 Houston (-20.5, 49.5), 12 p.m. ET
Tarleton State vs. Bowling Green (-2.5, 47.5), 12 p.m. ET
Miami (Ohio) vs. Pitt (-16.5, 50.5), 12:30 p.m. ET
Ball State vs. No. 1 Ohio State (-50.5, 56.5), 12:30 p.m. ET
Kent State vs. South Carolina (-36.5, 52.5), 12:45 p.m. ET
Southeast Missouri vs. Iowa State (-30.5, 52.5), 1 p.m. ET
Duquesne vs. Air Force (-28.5, 58.5), 1 p.m. ET
Youngstown State vs. Kentucky (-23.5, 54.5), 1 p.m. ET
Rhode Island vs. Temple (-10.5, 51.5), 2 p.m. ET
Tennessee State vs. No. 3 Georgia (-47.5, 56.5), 3 p.m. ET
Baylor vs. Auburn (-7.5, 58.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Boise State vs. No. 2 Oregon (-24.5, 52.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Boston College vs. Cincinnati (-7.5, 51.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Furman vs. No. 20 Tennessee (-48.5, 66.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Maine vs. Appalachian State (-17.5, 51.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Marshall vs. No. 18 Penn State (-24.5, 54.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Texas State vs. No. 5 Texas (-30.5, 60.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
The Citadel vs. Charlotte (-17.5, 45.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Towson vs. Navy (-30.5, 52.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Tulane vs. Duke (-9.5, 51.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
UTRGV vs. UTSA (-28.5, 58.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Fordham vs. North Dakota State (-39.5, 51.5), 3:30 p.m. ET
Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa (+13.5, 59.5), 3:45 p.m. ET
North Alabama vs. Arkansas (-40.5, 61.5), 4:15 p.m. ET
NIU vs. No. 22 Iowa (-31.5, 46.5), 4:15 p.m. ET
Alcorn State vs. Southern Miss (-21.5, 51.5), 5 p.m. ET
Norfolk State vs. Old Dominion (-40.5, 52.5), 6 p.m. ET
Wyoming vs. Colorado State (-3.5, 47.5), 6 p.m. ET
Abilene Christian vs. No. 12 Texas Tech (-42.5, 58.5), 7 p.m. ET
Arkansas State vs. Memphis (-9.5, 55.5), 7 p.m. ET
Austin Peay vs. Vanderbilt (-29.5, 60.5), 7 p.m. ET
Charleston Southern vs. Georgia Southern (-27.5, 51.5), 7 p.m. ET
Eastern Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State (-20.5, 54.5), 7 p.m. ET
FIU vs. USF (-13.5, 54.5), 7 p.m. ET
HCU vs. Rice (-21.5, 48.5), 7 p.m. ET
Idaho State vs. Utah State (-13.5, 61.5), 7 p.m. ET
Mercyhurst vs. New Mexico State (-28.5, 51.5), 7 p.m. ET
Missouri State vs. No. 8 Texas A&M (-41.5, 53.5), 7 p.m. ET
Murray State vs. Middle Tennessee (-21.5, 59.5), 7 p.m. ET
Nicholls vs. Kansas State (-41.5, 54.5), 7 p.m. ET
Sam Houston vs. Troy (-16.5, 53.5), 7 p.m. ET
Southeastern Louisiana vs. South Alabama (-11.5, 52.5), 7 p.m. ET
Clemson vs. No. 11 LSU (-10.5, 51.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
Northwestern State vs. Louisiana Tech (-44.5, 55.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
ULM vs. Mississippi State (-28.5, 55.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
VMI vs. Virginia Tech (-54.5, 61.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
Western Michigan vs. No. 16 Michigan (-27.5, 47.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
Florida Atlantic vs. Florida (-26.5, 59.5), 7:45 p.m. ET
Hampton vs. Maryland (-45.5, 57.5), 8 p.m. ET
Lamar vs. Louisiana (-20.5, 49.5), 8 p.m. ET
South Dakota State vs. Northwestern (-13.5, 46.5), 8 p.m. ET
Utah Tech vs. No. 14 BYU (-48.5, 55.5), 8 p.m. ET
Northern Arizona vs. Arizona (-33.5, 57.5), 9:30 p.m. ET
Portland State vs. San Diego State (-41.5, 58.5), 9:30 p.m. ET
UNLV vs. Hawaii (+3.5, 58.5), 10 p.m. ET
Central Michigan vs. New Mexico (-10.5, 47.5), 10 p.m. ET
MVSU vs. Sacramento State (-37.5, 56.5), 10 p.m. ET
Morgan State vs. Arizona State (-43.5, 52.5), 10 p.m. ET
UCLA vs. California (+1.5, 53.5), 10:30 p.m. ET
WKU vs. Nevada (-2.5, 52.5), 10:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Sept. 6
Washington State vs. No. 17 Washington (-23.5, 51.5), 4 p.m. ET
No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (-6.5, 55.5), 7:30 p.m. ET (Nissan Stadium, Nashville)
Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (-20.5, 47.5), 7:30 p.m. ET (Lambeau Field, Green Bay)
Monday, Sept. 7
No. 19 SMU vs. Florida State (+3.5, 53.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
Week 1 college football game previews
East Carolina vs. Alabama preview
East Carolina vs. Alabama kickoff time 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. East Carolina vs. Alabama spread Crimson Tide -27.5. East Carolina vs. Alabama over/under 53.5. East Carolina vs. Alabama money line Alabama -7000, East Carolina +2000. Kalen DeBoer enters his third year as Alabama's head coach with a 20-8 record. The Crimson Tide went 11-4 last year, losing to eventual national champion Indiana, 38-3, in the Rose Bowl. Alabama opened last season with a 31-17 loss to Florida State before winning eight straight. Alabama enters the season ranked No. 13 nationally, which is its worst preseason ranking since 2008. The Crimson Tide introduced a new quarterback after Ty Simpson was a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, turning to sophomore Keelon Russell. East Carolina went 9-4 in Blake Harrell's first year as the team's head coach. East Carolina's offense is filled with transfer portal additions, including starting quarterback Mitch Griffis, who was a backup at Texas Tech last year.
Oregon State vs. Houston preview
Oregon State vs. Houston kickoff time 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. Oregon State vs. Houston spread Cougars (-20.5). Oregon State vs. Houston over/under 49.5. Oregon State vs. Houston money line Houston -2100, Oregon State +1000. Houston is coming off a 10-3 season and ranks No. 23 in the nation. The Cougars return dual-threat quarterback Conner Weigman, who threw for 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions and rushed for 700 yards and 11 scores. Amari Thomas, his leading receiver, is also back after posting 966 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Houston closed with a 38-35 win over LSU in the Texas Bowl and it scored at least 30 points in six of its final eight games. Oregon State went 2-10 last year. First-year head coach JaMarcus Shephard named transfer Braden Atkinson, who played at Mercer last year, as QB1 over Maalik Murphy, who went 0-7 in his starts last year.
North Texas vs. Indiana preview
North Texas vs. Indiana kickoff time 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. North Texas vs. Indiana spread Hoosiers (-40.5). North Texas vs. Indiana over/under 55.5. North Texas vs. Indiana money line N/A. The Hoosiers' championship defense starts on Saturday against North Texas. After their historic 16-0 championship season and losing Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, Indiana went back to the transfer portal to find their next quarterback. The Hoosiers found one of the top passers in the nation in Josh Hoover, who threw for more than 3,400 yards in back-to-back seasons at TCU. Indiana is ranked No. 6 in the nation and had the eighth-best transfer portal signings, according to 247Sports, so there should be plenty of talent to replace the championship players gone for coach Curt Cignetti. North Texas is coming off its best season in program history, going 12-2 to finish the season ranked following a 49-47 win over San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl. This year's team is significantly different, though, including the departure of head coach Eric Morris. Neal Brown takes over as head coach.
Tulane vs. Duke preview
Tulane vs. Duke kickoff time 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Tulane vs. Duke spread Blue Devils (-9.5). Tulane vs. Duke over/under 51.5. Tulane vs. Duke money line Duke -330, Tulane +260. Duke is coming off a 9-5 season and an ACC championship, but the Blue Devils lost star quarterback Darian Mensah to Miami. Walker Eget, who threw for 3,051 yards at San Jose State, takes over an offense that returns leading rusher Nate Sheppard (1,132 yards, 11 TDs). Manny Diaz (18-9) enters his third season as head coach and Duke has had four straight winning seasons. Tulane went 11-3 and reached the College Football Playoff before losing to Ole Miss, 41-10. Tulane's head coach Jon Sumrall left for the Florida job and the Green Wave are without their quarterback and top receiver from last year. Tulane is 43-13 over the last four seasons with two different head coaches, and Will Hall takes over as head coach.
Auburn vs. Baylor preview
Auburn vs. Baylor kickoff time 3:30 p.m. ET. Auburn vs. Baylor spread Auburn -7.5. Auburn vs. Baylor Over/Under 58.5. Auburn vs. Baylor money line Auburn -275, Baylor +220. There's an SEC vs. Big 12 matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, and both the Auburn Tigers and Baylor Bears are looking for a rebound coming off a 5-7 season. Auburn chose to turn over a new leaf after hiring USF head coach Alex Golesh to run the program, and Dave Aranda is back for a seventh season at Baylor. The Tigers only welcome back four starters after some heavy roster turnover, but they managed to work the transfer portal and have 35 players on their roster with starting experience. Meanwhile, the Bears have five starters back from last season, but they also worked the portal aggressively and have 33 players on their roster with starting experience. Former Florida starter DJ Lagway is the new quarterback at Baylor, and Byrum Brown followed Golesh from USF to earn the starting QB role at Auburn.
Texas vs. Texas State preview
Texas vs. Texas State kickoff time 3:30 p.m. ET. Texas vs. Texas State spread Texas -29.5. Texas vs. Texas State Over/Under 59.5. Texas vs. Texas State money line Texas -10000, Texas State +2400. The Texas Longhorns checked in at No. 5 in the preseason AP Top 25, and they'll open their season against Texas State on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Steve Sarkisian has led the Longhorns to three consecutive seasons of 10 wins or more, but Texas came up short of expectations and missed the College Football Playoff entirely last season. Arch Manning is back to lead one of the most talented rosters in the country, with 11 starters back and one of the nation's top recruiting classes coming in to plug holes. Meanwhile, Texas State has been bowl eligible three years in a row under G.J. Kinne and welcomes back eight starters from a 7-6 squad, including starting quarterback Brad Jackson and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn, Jr. This is the first meeting between these two Lone Star State institutions since a 36-0 win for Texas in 1930.
Oregon vs. Boise State preview
Oregon vs. Boise State kickoff time 3:30 p.m. ET. Oregon vs. Boise State spread Oregon -24.5. Oregon vs. Boise State Over/Under 51.5. Oregon vs. Boise State money line Oregon -4000, Boise State +1400. The No. 2 Oregon Ducks made a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, and they're expected to contend again in 2026. They'll open their season against the Boise State Broncos at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. The Ducks beat the Broncos 37-34 to kick off the 2024 season and went on to an undefeated regular season and Big Ten championship, but lost in the first round of the CFP at the Rose Bowl. Both rosters have churned heavily since that meeting, but Oregon does welcome back 11 starters from last year, while Boise State welcomes back 12. Dante Moore and Maddux Madsen are both back at quarterback for their respective programs, and this is also the first game that Boise State will play as a member of the new Pac-12.
Cincinnati vs. Boston College preview
Cincinnati vs. Boston College kickoff time 3:30 p.m. ET. Cincinnati vs. Boston College spread Cincinnati -7.5. Cincinnati vs. Boston College Over/Under 49.5. Cincinnati vs. Boston College money line Cincinnati -310, Boston College +245. The Cincinnati Bearcats will host the Boston College Eagles for a Big 12 vs. ACC clash at Nippert Stadium on Saturday. Cincinnati is coming off a 7-6 season and earned bowl eligibility for the first time in Scott Sadderfield's tenure last season, while Boston College took a step back in Year Two of the Bill O'Brien era, falling from 7-6 the season prior to 2-10. The Bearcats welcome
