When does the 2026 college football season start? Week 0 schedule, scores, kick-off time, and how to watch.

Are you ready for another college football season?

The 2026 college football season will surely be interesting, with conference realignment and the Power 5 being reduced to the Power 4.

The college football season is quickly approaching as we look forward to which FCS and FBS teams take the field first in 2026.

Thankfully, Week 0 offers a quicker start to college football on our TV screens.

When does the 2026 college football season start?

The 2026 college football season is set to begin on Thursday, Aug. 27 in this year's "Week Zero." Most of the nation's Division I programs will start their seasons the following week.

Here are full week 0 games currently scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27 in Week Zero:

College football week 0 scores today, schedule 2026, game times, how to watch, results

Here are complete Week 0 games currently scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 27 in Week Zero:

Thursday, Aug. 27

Youngstown State 43, Mercyhurst 10

Ohio Dominican 42, Morehead State 40 (3OT)

Chattanooga 24, West Georgia 10

Houston Christian 34, Southeastern Louisiana 28

Furman 20, Anderson (South Carolina) 3

Western Illinois 65, Northwestern (Iowa) 14

Eastern Illinois 28, Murray State 14

Austin Peay 35, Gardner-Webb 17

Concord 41, Davidson 35

Nicholls 44, Mississippi Val. 10

West Florida 34, Southern Illinois 31

Central Arkansas 36, UT Martin 24

South Dakota Mines 38, Drake 35

Lindenwood 20, Charleston So. 17

North Dakota 42, LIU 21

Presbyterian 47, UVA Wise 37

Louisiana Christian 42, Northwestern State 37

Georgetown vs. Lafayette (Canceled)...

Friday, Aug. 28

Marist at New Haven | 6 p.m. ET | NEC Front Row

Colgate at Fordham | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN+

New Hampshire at UAlbany | 7 p.m. ET | FloSports

Weber State at Northern Colorado | 9 p.m. ET| ESPN+

Idaho at Cal Poly | 10 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Rhode Island at Merrimack | ESPN+

Saturday, Aug. 29

Aer Lingus College Football Classic: North Carolina vs. TCU (in Dublin, Ireland) | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN

San Jose State at Southern California | 3 p.m. ET | NBC/Peacock

Jacksonville State at North Dakota State | 5:30 p.m. ET | CBS Sports Network

Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+

New Mexico State at Florida State | 7 p.m. ET | The CW

Memphis at UNLV | 10 p.m. ET | FOX

Hawaii at Stanford | 7 p.m. ET | ACC Network

FCS games

Southern vs. Alabama State (in Birmingham, AL) | 3 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Morgan State at North Carolina A&T | 6 p.m. ET | FloSports

East Texas A&M at Mercer | 7 p.m. | ESPN

North Alabama vs. Samford (in Huntsville, AL) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

North Carolina Central at Texas Southern | 7 p.m. ET | HBCUGO

Monmouth at Tennessee Tech | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Eastern Kentucky at Western Carolina | 7 p.m. ET| ESPN+

MEAC/SWAC Challenge:

Alabama A&M vs. Howard (in Atlanta, Georgia) | 7:30

p.m. ET | ABC

Prairie View A&M at Tarleton State | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN+

Jackson State at Tennessee State | Time TBA | ESPN+

Abilene Christian at Lamar | Time TBA | ESPN+

William & Mary at Villanova | Time TBA | ESPN+

The following week begins Week 1 of the 2026 college football season, with most

of the games set for Thursday, Sep. 3 during Labor Day weekend...

Key Dates to remember for the 2026 college football season.

Week Zero (FBS openers): Saturday, August 29, 2026 (international games highlight the slate).

Week 1 (full opening weekend for most teams): Thursday, September 3 – Monday, September 7, 2026 (includes Labor Day Monday games, e.g., SMU at Florida State in the ACC).

Conference play begins: Varies by league — e.g., ACC has some in Week Zero/1; Big Ten starts September 19 (with most on September 26); SEC and others follow similar early-September timelines.

Rivalry Week / Regular season finale: Saturday, November 28, 2026 (Thanksgiving weekend classics like Florida at Florida State, Michigan at Ohio State, etc.).

Conference Championship Games: Saturday, December 5, 2026 (e.g., ACC at noon ET in Charlotte, NC; Big Ten in Indianapolis; SEC in Atlanta).

College Football Playoff (CFP) and bowl season: Begins mid-December 2026 (first-round games around December 19–20); semifinals early January 2027; National Championship likely mid-January 2027 (exact CFP dates TBA but follow the expanded 12-team format pattern).

Other notes: Full kickoff times/TV for early weeks expected in spring 2026 (late May announcements common). Schedules released recently (January 2026 for ACC, Big Ten, etc.) show international flavor and transitional formats in some conferences.

The season runs about 14–15 weeks for most teams before bowls/CFP. If you're following a specific team or conference (like the ACC we discussed earlier),

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