The 2026 FBS college football season kicks off with Week Zero on Saturday, Aug. 29, featuring eight games across the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The action opens with a marquee Big 12–ACC showdown, as the TCU Horned Frogs meet the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. ESPN will carry the international matchup at 12:00pm ET.
At 3:00pm ET, the USC Trojans host the San Jose State Spartans, televised by NBC and streamed on Peacock. Thirty minutes later, Virginia welcomes NC State to Charlottesville, with ESPN on the call at 3:30pm ET.
The slate continues at 5:30pm ET as Jacksonville State travels to face North Dakota State on CBSSN. At 6:30pm ET, Eastern Michigan hosts Sacramento State on ESPN+.
Three primetime contests follow. At 7:00pm ET, Hawaii visits Stanford on ESPN, while New Mexico State heads to Florida State in a matchup airing on The CW and streaming via the ESPN app.
Week Zero concludes in Las Vegas, where UNLV hosts Memphis at 10:00pm ET on FOX.
This season also marks the debut of a new NCAA rule allowing all FCS programs to begin play in Week Zero. A full slate of FCS matchups runs from Thursday, Aug. 27 through Saturday, Aug. 29.
The FCS schedule is headlined by the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge, featuring Alabama A&M and Howard at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The game airs in primetime on ABC at 7:30pm ET.
For information on how teams get to play in Week Zero, check out our article from earlier this week titled College football schedule 2026: The Hawaii Exemption and Week Zero.
Check out the complete TV schedule for Week Zero below.
2026 College Football Schedule | Week Zero
* All times Eastern.
North Carolina vs TCU (Ireland) – 12pm, ESPN/Disney+
San Jose State at USC – 3pm, NBC/Peacock
NC State at Virginia – 3:30pm, ESPN
Jax State at North Dakota State – 5:30pm, CBSSN
Sacramento St. at Eastern Michigan – 6:30pm, ESPN+
Hawaii at Stanford – 7pm, ACCN
New Mexico State at Florida State – 7pm, The CW
Memphis at UNLV – 10pm, FOX
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Football Schedules
- College Football Schedule (FBS only)
- FCS Schedule (FCS only)
- College Football TV Schedule (FBS and FCS)