College football today: Week 1's must-watch TV slate
College football today kicks off a five-day Week 1 slate with 34 games worth tracking, topped by Clemson at No. 11 LSU on Saturday and the only ranked-versus-ranked clash: No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 24 Louisville on Sunday night in Nashville. The 2026 season stretches Thursday through Monday, with national windows on ABC, NBC, CBS, and ESPN for fans hunting where to watch.
Key Takeaways
- ESPN flags 34 Week 1 games as the sport returns with a quadbox-friendly overload of first looks.
- Clemson at No. 11 LSU headlines Saturday amid eligibility drama around Lane Kiffin's LSU roster.
- Sunday brings the Apple Cup, Notre Dame-Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, and Ole Miss-Louisville in Nashville.
- Monday closes with No. 19 SMU at Florida State on ESPN.
- Early chaos already hit: UMass upset Rutgers, and Colorado edged Georgia Tech 14-13.
Which college football today games matter most on TV?
According to ESPN's Week 1 preview, the slate is light on marquee matchups but heavy on answers. Only one Associated Press Top 25 showdown is scheduled, and it lands Sunday night when No. 24 Louisville faces No. 9 Mississippi in Music City.
Saturday's showcase is still Clemson at No. 11 LSU on ABC. Both teams finished 7-6 last season and are chasing relevance again under Dabo Swinney and LSU's new coach, Lane Kiffin. CBS Sports notes the Tigers' trip to Baton Rouge as a clash of styles: Swinney's portal skepticism versus Kiffin's portal-heavy approach, plus courtroom noise over eligibility.
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Where should you lock in Saturday viewing?
Noon windows stack ranked openers: East Carolina at No. 13 Alabama (ABC), North Texas at No. 6 Indiana (Fox), Oregon State at No. 23 Houston (ESPN), and Ball State at No. 1 Ohio State (BTN). AP reports Ohio State is favored by more than 50 points, with Indiana, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma also projected as 40-point-plus winners.
At 3:30 p.m. ET, No. 2 Oregon hosts Boise State on CBS after the Broncos lost by just three in Eugene in 2024. ABC carries Baylor at Auburn, an SEC-Big 12 crossover for two 5-7 teams from a year ago. Prime time returns to Death Valley for Clemson-LSU, while No. 16 Michigan faces Western Michigan on NBC.
Friday already tees up No. 7 Miami at Stanford and Fresno State at No. 14 USC, plus UTEP at No. 10 Oklahoma.
What else defines college football today this holiday weekend?
Sunday's card is stacked: Washington State at No. 17 Washington (Apple Cup) on NBC at 4 p.m. ET, then dual 7:30 p.m. primetime — Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on NBC, and Ole Miss-Louisville on ABC. Heisman watch starts early for Notre Dame's CJ Carr against Wisconsin and Texas' Arch Manning versus Texas State.
Monday night, Mike Norvell's Florida State hosts No. 19 SMU and quarterback Kevin Jennings on ESPN. The next AP Top 25 lands Tuesday, sorting blowouts, eligibility headlines, and any Week 1 shockers after UMass ended a 16-game skid at Rutgers.