2026 College Football Watch Guide – Week 1
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Week 0 is behind us and that means we have actual games to overreact to. Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels notched a surprising win over TCU in Dublin, Ireland. The Horned Frogs weren’t expected to be one of the country’s elite, but given the drama in Chapel Hill since Belichick’s arrival, the victory still felt like an upset.
North Dakota State rolled in their FBS opener against Jacksonville State, carrying over their accustomed dominance from the FCS while Florida State took it’s time putting away New Mexico State, not pulling away until deep in the third quarter. The win probably didn’t do much to quell the restless masses in Tallahassee hoping coach Mike Norvell can pull FSU out of the two year-plus tailspin since being spurned by the CFP in 2023.
It’s a small sample size but you better believe that the talking heads will be making hay of any storyline they can get their hands on. The wait for college football’s return was so long, the offseason so bitter, and fans so thirsty for any games that the bare bones offering in week 0 did little to satisfy that lingering hunger. The good news is that week 1 is here and as meager as last week felt, this weekend is positively bursting with games for us to enjoy.
Let’s dig in. Schedule graphics are courtesy of ProjectionSports.
Thursday, September 3 & Friday, September 4
Before conference games become the norm, these weeknight games really are about seeing if teams can get off on the right foot against outmatched competition or which ones might have some red flags that need addressing. I’m particularly interested in seeing how #21 Utah looks after losing coach Kyle Wittingham to Michigan and what the #7 Miami Hurricanes do after losing so much of their contributors to the NFL.
Toledo @ Michigan State is of particular interest with it being Pat Fitzgerald’s debut in East Lansing as well as new Rockets head coach Mike Jacob, and I think this could also end up one of the better weeknight games. Add Colorado @ Georgia Tech to that list as Prime’s struggling Buffaloes desperately need to right that ship and a Tech team without do it all QB Haynes King is the perfect opportunity. But don’t worry, the Yellow Jackets have a spare Haynes after the portal addition of Justice Haynes from Michigan.
Saturday, September 5
Speaking of new coaches in new places, we get a good deal of just that in our first full Saturday of college football. Southeast Missouri State @ Iowa State inaugurates the Jimmy Rodgers era of Cyclone football. Expectations in Ames are not high this year after Matt Campbell and approximately 99.89% of the roster departed for Penn State late last year.
Campbell will open his own reign in Happy Valley by hosting Marshall Saturday afternoon. I’m genuinely curious how both teams will look, both thinking ahead to the CyHawk game and seeing how Campbell’s players fare in an environment where the expectations are exponentially higher.
Boise State @ #2 Oregon will be an early test for a Broncos team with hopes of a championship in their new Pac-12 home. The Ducks are once again loaded with talent and hunting a championship of their own behind star QB Dante Moore.
Naturally, Northern Illinois @ #23 Iowa is on my watch list but there genuine interest for the casual viewer as the Hawkeyes will need to start finding an answer to their quarterback question.
Saturday night, all eyes will be on Clemson @ #11 LSU to see Lane Kiffin’s first game as LSU’s head coach. After his less than amicable separation from Ole Miss in the middle of their playoff run last year, Kiffin has become to many a villain of the sport so plenty of those eyes will be hoping to see an opening night stumble from LSU.
Speaking of villains, Abilene Christian @ #12 Texas Tech will be another hate watch for many of us. The Red Raiders did everything they could to make the entire world hate them over the summer over the Brendan Sorsby fiasco. Let’s be honest, Tech is going to roll in this game but they’re in a position now where everyone will be tuning in each week waiting for them to fall.
Continuing the new coach theme, UCLA @ Cal will pit two new coaches against one another as the embers of Pac-12 After Dark are stoked. Bob Chesney’s Bruins and Tosh Lupoi’s Golden Bears should provide an exciting, evenly balanced game to close out Saturday night.
Sunday, September 6& Monday, September 7
Week 1 ends strong with no NFL to compete with on Sunday and Monday. The Pac-12 resurgence continues with Washington State @ #17 Washington battling in the Apple Cup. The Huskies are a dark horse CFP contender but any rivalry game is frought with danger and the Cougars would love to spoil those dreams in Seattle right out of the gate. Washington State is also welcoming a new head coach, by the way. Just thought I’d keep that going.
#24 Louisville @ #9 Ole Miss is the headliner Sunday night with the Cardinals and Rebels meeting in Nashville. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will look to put a turbulent offseason behind him against a Louisville defense that ranked 38th in total defense last year but is breaking in seven new starters.
Sandwiched in between those games is Wisconsin @ #4 Notre Dame, but don’t let the @ fool you. With this game being played in Lambeau Field it’s more of a home game for the Badgers. I’d still expect plenty of green in the stands as Irish fans will be out in force to watch the Domers begin their CFP payback campaign. That is, if they don’t quit before the game if their team bus doesn’t get a good parking spot or something.
Finally, Monday night brings us #18 SMU @ Florida State. The Seminoles got the win in week 0 but it wasn’t the dominance that many in Tallahassee wanted to see. The stakes are higher now against an ACC foe and one with conference championship aspirations. FSU has a difficult schedule, especially within the ACC, and an early 0-1 hole could be the beginning of the end for Mike Norvell.
We’ve reached the end of the long road. College football is finally back in full force. What games are you most excited about this weekend?
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