We already know the full buffet of games on the schedule for the 2026 college football season, but what we don’t know is the times in which the games are kicking off.
For the first few weeks of the upcoming season, that’s beginning to change. While college football’s schedule leaks will never rival those of the NFL’s—where schedule leaks and reveals have taken on a life of their own—there is still a healthy amount of interest.
So, after Fox revealed its full complement of Friday night game times last week, and ESPN followed suit, revealing kickoff times for 16 of its games this season.
So with that in mind, here’s everything we know about the 2026 college football schedule so far.
College GameDay locations
We now know where College Gameday is headed for the first two weeks of the season.
More Lane Kiffin? Yes, more Lane Kiffin. College football’s most polarizing coach figures to be the No. 1 topic of conversation when GameDay rolls through Baton Rouge for its inaugural episode of the 2026 season while previewing Kiffin’s first game on the sideline for the Tigers against Clemson.
ESPN continued the Easter egg hunt later Tuesday, revealing that College GameDay will be headed to Austin in Week 2 for a seismic showdown between national championship hopefuls Texas and Ohio State, also a rematch of last year’s marquee matchup between the two foes in the season’s opening week. While last year’s game featured an objectively ridiculous 12:00 p.m. ET kickoff time, the schedulers finally got it right by putting this promising contest, which will feature two QBs in the running for the Heisman Trophy (Arch Manning and Julian Sayin) in the prime-time window. That’s a point for College GameDay over Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff if you’re scoring at home.
Possible CFP showdown on prime-time
One can bet that Manning, who struggled in the Longhorns’ season-opening loss to the Buckeyes in 2025, has this game circled on his calendar. And so should the fans.
Unlike last year, when the Longhorns were prematurely anointed as College Football Playoff contenders, this should be a legit showdown between two of the best teams in the sport. Texas has a revamped group of players at the skill positions, and will benefit from a more confident and seasoned—and healthier—version of Manning than the one who took the field last season. The defense, led by edge rusher Colin Simmons, could be one of the best in the business.
Meanwhile, even though all he does is win, win, win no matter what, Ryan Day remains a proverbial punching back for restless Ohio State fans. The Buckeyes’ faithful might find sleep a bit easier to come by in 2026, for a Sayin-Bo Jackson-Jeremiah Smith offense is going to light up scoreboards, while the defense has plenty of talent, such as Kenyatta Jackson and Payton Pierce, even after losing eight starters from last year’s unit.
Here’s hoping we don’t get a repeat of last year’s defensive dud between these two college football powers.
Kiffin’s villainous return to Oxford vs. Ole Miss at prime time
Revenge is a dish best served cold—and on prime time. There is no overstating the level of enmity and vitriol awaiting Kiffin, Oxford, Miss.’s most wanted, when he returns to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium donning the colors of the enemy, LSU. The Oxford Police Department seems excited for it.
https://t.co/crlm23HbSq pic.twitter.com/6thy9Qg48J
— Oxford Police Department (@OxfordPolice) May 13, 2026
But in all seriousness, the hard feelings may not reside exclusively outside the lines, either. Kiffin left the Rebels just as they made their first appearance in the College Football Playoff, a fact that was not lost on the players, and a move that certainly left a bad taste in the mouths of Kiffin’s former players.
Not only will Ole Miss be gunning for a big conference win, but they’ll be seeking revenge. Meanwhile, Kiffin, amidst a likely wave of expletive-laden chants in his direction, will be out to prove that he’s thriving after the messy break-up he initiated.
Texas Tech-TCU on Turkey Day, Texas-Texas A&M headlines Black Friday tripleheader
The state of Texas will take center stage on Thanksgiving weekend, as the Cowboys will host the Eagles at Jerry World on Thanksgiving Day on the NFL side, then the Red Raiders will host TCU in prime-time in a game that could have big implications for the Big 12 championship. In a bit of fun history, TCU is the first Thanksgiving Day opponent to visit Jones AT&T Stadium since Arkansas in 1977.
Then, an SEC Black Friday tripleheader, headlined by a rematch of last year’s Texas-Texas A&M showdown won by the Longhorns, is on the docket.
Thanksgiving weekend is proof that there’s no such thing as too much football.
NBC, ESPN face off on Labor Day Weekend
Once again, Labor Day Weekend belongs to the ACC, as the conference will see 14 teams playing in 12 games spanning five days, with Clemson-LSU and Louisville-Ole Miss each drawing primetime slots, seemingly deserved given that both matchups look to be the best of the slate.
Battles won’t just be waged on the field on Labor Day Weekend, but also between networks. As ESPN airs the Louisville-Ole Miss showdown at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 6, NBC will counter with the Notre Dame-Wisconsin contest at the exact same time.
Look, there are plenty of ways to watch both games—and given that the Fighting Irish are heavily favored already, you may not want to watch both games. That’s besides the point, though. The mere fact that two FBS games are going on at the exact same time on Sunday night, forcing viewers to engage in streaming gymnastics if they desire to watch both contests, is the latest example of fans getting inconvenienced while the networks get convenienced.
Every college football game’s kickoff time we know so far
| Week | Date | Game | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Aug. 29 | North Carolina vs. TCU | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| 0 | Aug. 29 | NC State vs. Virginia | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 0 | Aug. 29 | Alabama A&M vs. Howard | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 1 | Sept. 3 | Colorado at Georgia Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 1 | Sept. 4 | Miami at Stanford | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| 1 | Sept. 4 | Fresno State at USC | 9 p.m. | Fox |
| 1 | Sept. 5 | East Carolina at Alabama | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| 1 | Sept. 5 | Baylor vs. Auburn | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 1 | Sept. 5 | Clemson at LSU | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 1 | Sept. 6 | Louisville vs. Ole Miss | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 1 | Sept. 7 | SMU at Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| 2 | Sept. 11 | Missouri at Kansas | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 2 | Sept. 12 | Ohio State at Texas | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 3 | Sept. 18 | Houston at Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 3 | Sept. 19 | LSU at Ole Miss | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 4 | Sept. 25 | Northwestern at Indiana | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 5 | Oct. 2 | Penn State at Northwestern | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 6 | Oct. 9 | Iowa at Washington | 9 p.m. | Fox |
| 7 | Oct. 16 | Washington at Purdue | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 10 | Nov. 6 | Nebraska at Illinois | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 11 | Nov. 13 | Illinois at UCLA | 9 p.m. | Fox |
| 12 | Nov. 20 | Oregon at Michigan State | 8 p.m. | Fox |
| 13 | Nov. 26 | TCU at Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| 13 | Nov. 27 | Mississippi State at Ole Miss | 12 p.m. | ABC |
| 13 | Nov. 27 | Florida at Florida State | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 13 | Nov. 27 | Texas at Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| 13 | Nov. 27 | West Virginia at Utah | 8 or 9 p.m. | Fox |
Championship week
| Week | Date | Game | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Dec. 4 | Sun Belt Championship | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| 14 | Dec. 4 | Big 12 Championship | 8 p.m. | ABC |
| 14 | Dec. 4 | Mountain West Championship | 9 p.m. | Fox |
| 14 | Dec. 5 | ACC Championship | 12 p.m. | ABC |
| 14 | Dec. 5 | MAC Championship | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| 14 | Dec. 5 | SWAC Championship | 2 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 14 | Dec. 5 | SEC Championship | 4 p.m. | ABC |
| 14 | Dec. 5 | American Championship | 8 p.m. | ABC |
Army-Navy game
| Week | Date | Game | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Dec. 12 | Army-Navy | 3 p.m. | CBS/Paramount |
More College Football From Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s College YouTube channel.
- This Is the Single Dumbest Piece of Sports Scheduling That You Will Ever See
- SEC Coaches Have Lots of Thoughts on the Fine Art of Basket Weaving
- ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ Announces Destinations for Week 1 and Week 2
- Projecting Every Big Ten Starting Quarterback Ahead of the 2026 College Football Season
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Everything We Know About the 2026 College Football Schedule.
