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College Football 2026 Kickoff — Week 0 (Aug 29) and Week 1 (Sept 3-7) Schedule

Reference updated · Sources 5 · 2 corrections applied
One-line summary

The 2026 college football season opened Aug 29 with Week 0, led by North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin. Week 1 ran Sept 3-7: Clemson-LSU on Sept 5, Notre Dame-Wisconsin in Green Bay on Sept 6.

Week 0: the Aug. 29 slate

The 2026 season opens with a Week Zero schedule that starts Thursday, Aug. 27 with FCS matchups and builds to a Saturday, Aug. 29 FBS slate. The showcase game is the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, where North Carolina meets TCU at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN — the annual Irish opener that has become a Week 0 tradition. Back in the U.S., San Jose State visits USC at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, Hawaii plays at Stanford at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network, and the night ends with Memphis at UNLV at 10 p.m. ET on FOX.[1][2][3]

Week 1: Sept. 3-7 over Labor Day weekend

Week 1 spans five days, from Thursday, Sept. 3 through Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7, with the bulk of season openers on Saturday, Sept. 5. The Saturday card includes North Texas at Indiana — the defending national champion after Indiana beat Miami 27-21 in the CFP title game — at 12 p.m. ET on FOX, Ball State at Ohio State at 12:30 p.m. ET on BTN, Boise State vs. Oregon at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, and the prime-time headliner, Clemson at LSU, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.[1][2][4]

On Sunday, Sept. 6, Wisconsin faces Notre Dame in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with the Washington-Washington State Apple Cup rivalry also reported for the Sunday window. Week 1 wraps Monday night, Sept. 7, with SMU at Florida State on ESPN, closing the longest opening weekend on the college football calendar.[1][2][3]

Verified facts

Each fact is labelled with its evidence type

Each fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.

The 2026 FBS season's Week 0 slate is Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, and Week 1 runs Thursday, Sept. 3 through Monday, Sept. 7, with most teams opening on Saturday, Sept. 5 over Labor Day weekend.[1][2][3] 3 sources · independent

North Carolina faces TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.[1][2] 2 sources · independent

San Jose State plays at USC on Aug. 29 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock; the Week 0 slate also includes Hawaii at Stanford (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network) and Memphis at UNLV (10 p.m. ET, FOX).[1][2][3] 3 sources · independent

Clemson visits LSU on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC in Week 1's marquee matchup.[1][2] 2 sources · independent

Wisconsin faces Notre Dame in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.[1][3] 2 sources · independent

Other Week 1 Saturday games on Sept. 5 include North Texas at Indiana (12 p.m. ET, FOX), Ball State at Ohio State (12:30 p.m. ET, BTN), and Boise State vs. Oregon (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).[1][2] 2 sources · independent

Statements and readings

Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it is

From here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.

USC enters the season ranked No. 14 in preseason polls as it opens against San Jose State.[3] single-source ×1 · NBC Insider

TCU is ranked No. 23 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll ahead of the Dublin opener against North Carolina.[2] single-source ×1 · FOX Sports

Week 1 closes with SMU at Florida State on Monday, Sept. 7 (Labor Day) at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.[2] single-source ×1 · FOX Sports

Timeline

  1. 2026-08-27

    2026 season's first games kick off in Week Zero, led by FCS openers on ESPN+.[1]

  2. 2026-08-29

    Main Week 0 FBS slate: North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin (ESPN), San Jose State at USC (NBC/Peacock), Hawaii at Stanford, Memphis at UNLV.[1][2]

  3. 2026-09-03

    Week 1 begins (Thursday night games).[1][2]

  4. 2026-09-05

    First full Saturday of the season, headlined by Clemson at LSU (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).[1][2]

  5. 2026-09-06

    Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame in Green Bay (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock).[1][2][3]

  6. 2026-09-07

    Week 1 concludes on Labor Day, with SMU at Florida State reported as the Monday night finale (ESPN).[2]

How this page was made
Written
Model
claude-fable-5
Time
08/29/2026, 10:00
Body characters
1,332
Sources
5 sources adopted
Reviewed
Model
claude-fable-5 (review pass)
Time
08/29/2026, 10:00
Verdict
Passed
Show revision history (3)
08/29/2026, 10:00 First authored (claude-fable-5) Created
10/08/2026 Added source footnotes to three FAQ answers and corrected two. — claude-opus-5 Updated
10/08/2026 Body corrections for the Week 1 venue, and BTN restored in the broadcast FAQ. — claude-opus-5 Updated
Corrections
10/08/2026 FAQ corrections: answers are now in the past tense. The Notre Dame-Wisconsin game is placed in Green Bay as NCAA.com lists it (Lambeau Field is not named in the sources), and BTN was replaced with networks the saved schedules actually list. Applied
10/08/2026 Removed 'Lambeau Field' from the summary, facts, timeline and Week 1 section: the sources place the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game in Green Bay without naming the stadium. BTN is kept, since NCAA.com and FOX Sports both list Ball State at Ohio State on BTN/Big Ten Network; the batch-5 FAQ edit that dropped BTN was wrong and BTN is restored there. Summary put in the past tense. Applied

Frequently asked

When did the 2026 college football season start?

Week Zero began Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, with the main Week 0 FBS slate on Saturday, Aug. 29. Week 1 ran Sept. 3-7, with most teams opening on Saturday, Sept. 5 over Labor Day weekend.[1][2]

What channel is North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin?

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic between North Carolina and TCU airs Saturday, Aug. 29 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN from Dublin, Ireland.[1][2][3]

What were some of the notable Week 1 games in 2026?

NCAA.com's Week 1 list included Clemson at LSU on Saturday, Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC), Boise State at Oregon (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) and Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, Sept. 6 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock).[1]

Where were Week 0 and Week 1 games broadcast?

The schedules list games on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC/Peacock, BTN (Big Ten Network), ACC Network and SEC Network, among others. USC's Week 0 opener against San Jose State and the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game were on NBC/Peacock.[1][2]

Official links

Sources

  1. [1] When does the 2026 college football season start? primary
    NCAA.com · 2026-08-24
    https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2026-08-24/college-football-schedule-when-does-2026-college-football-season-start
  2. [2] When Does 2026 College Football Start? Week 0 and 1 Schedule, How to Watch
    FOX Sports · 2026-08-28
    https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/when-does-2026-college-football-start-week-0-1-schedule-how-watch
  3. [3] College Football Games on NBC & Peacock This Week: Schedule (August 29)
    NBC Insider · 2026-08-28
    https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/college-football-schedule-2026-nbc-peacock
  4. [4] College Football Schedule Week 1, 2026 Regular Season
    ESPN · 2026-08-28
    https://www.espn.com/college-football/schedule/_/week/1/year/2026/seasontype/2
  5. [5] College Football Schedule 2026
    FBSchedules.com · 2026-08-28
    https://fbschedules.com/college-football-schedule/

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