Week Zero College Football TV/Streaming Schedule

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Ladies and gentledawgs, actual college football will be played tonight. It’s not particularly compelling football, but football nonetheless. The good news is that the offerings get better as the weekend progresses. The full (and I mean FULL) college football schedule for week zero is below. But here are each day’s high points, including as usual any SEC games of interest.

Thursday’s best matchup: You vs. Your remaining offseason honey-do list.

Truly, there is nothing of interest for most college football fans on Thursday night. The matchups are so niche that none of them are even on broadcast television , just streaming on ESPN+. But if you’re a college football degenerate like me, who stays up to watch games late into the night on ESPN+, then you probably already know which of these obscure Big South/Big Sky Conference games to watch and would sniff at my suggestions. But for real, Montana State Utah Tech might actually be, in the words of Jupiter Coyote describing Macon’s Rose Hill Cemetery, a beautiful thing in a strange way.

Friday’s best bet: Idaho vs. Cal Poly (10:00 eastern, ESPN)

“Best” may not be the appropriate word for your Friday night options. There aren’t many games, so a battle of teams that went 4-8 and finished near the bottom of the Big Sky last season is the best thing on offer. It is college football, however, and beggars can’t be choosers.

Saturday’s best bet: TCU vs North Carolina from Dublin, Ireland (noon eastern, ESPN)

The Horned Frogs are experienced on both sides of the ball and a 7.5 point favorite over Bill Belichick’s North Carolina team picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC. But the Tar Heel offense is now under the control of Bobby ““Hog Wild” Petrino, who generally does a good job of getting his offenses up and running early in the season. Add in the usual weirdness and unpredictably of an international game, and this one might actually be sort of fun. Like watching someone get bonked unexpectedly over the head with a shillelagh.

Honorable mention goes to North Carolina State versus Virginia, a matchup of teams both pegged to finish in the top third of the sprawling ACC, and both of which could actually be in the playoff discussion at midseason if the schedule breaks right. Tune in for this one and you’ll know just how overhyped that team is in five weeks.

In the evening slot you could watch Hawaii at Stanford on ACC Network if you’re a slave to convention. But trust me, you’ll have way more fun watching East Texas A&M at Mercer on ESPN. It’s the FCS spotlight kickoff game, and features a Mercer team that has made the FCS playoff two years running while doing what Mercer athletics has done reliably for two decades: periodically putting the fear of the Almighty in SEC and ACC fanbases. Looking at you, USC and Duke basketball. You as well, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida baseball.And you, Georgia Tech football.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Thursday, Aug. 27

Mercyhurst at Youngstown State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Ohio Dominican at Morehead State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Eastern Illinois at Murray State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Lafayette at Georgetown | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Gardner-Webb at Austin Peay | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Charleston Southern at Lindenwood | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Northwestern (IA) at Western Illinois | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Chattanooga at West Georgia | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
UVA Wise at Presbyterian | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Houston Christian at SE Louisiana | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Anderson (SC) at Furman | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Mississippi Valley State at Nicholls | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Southern Illinois at West Florida | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Concord at Davidson | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Central Arkansas at UT Martin | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+
South Dakota Mines at Drake | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+
LIU at North Dakota | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Louisiana Christian at Northwestern State | 8 p.m. | ESPN+

Friday, Aug. 28

Rhode Island at Merrimack | 6 pm. | ESPN+
Colgate at Fordham | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
William & Mary at Villanova | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Idaho at Cal Poly | 10 p.m. | ESPN

Saturday, Aug. 29

TCU vs. North Carolina (Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland) | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Robert Morris at Wagner | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Fairmont State at Dayton | 12 p.m. | YouTube
Georgetown (KY) at Butler | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Central Connecticut at South Dakota | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Lawrence Tech at Valparaiso | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
San Jose State at No. 14 USC | 3 p.m. | NBC
Alabama State vs. Southern (Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.) | 3 p.m. | ESPNU
UC Davis at Portland State | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
NC State at Virginia | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Lehigh at Holy Cross | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Eastern Washington at Northern Arizona | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Jacksonville State at North Dakota State | 5:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Campbell at East Tennessee State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Southeast Missouri State at Indiana State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Savannah State at South Carolina State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Bucknell at Richmond | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
VMI at Idaho State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
The Citadel at Wofford | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Hawai’i at Stanford | 7 p.m. | ACC Network
New Mexico State at Florida State | 7 p.m. | The CW Network
East Texas A&M at Mercer | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Monmouth at Tennessee Tech | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Abilene Christian at Lamar | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Eastern Kentucky at Western Carolina | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Samford at North Alabama | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Stephen F. Austin at McNeese | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
East Texas A&M at Mercer | 7 p.m. | ESPN
St. Francis (IL) at Illinois State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Howard vs. Alabama A&M (Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
UT Permian Basin at UT Rio Grande Valley | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Jackson State at Tennessee State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Prairie View A&M at Tarleton State | 9 p.m. | ESPN2
Southern Utah at Montana | 9 p.m. | ESPN+
Memphis at UNLV | 10 p.m. | FOX
Montana State at Utah Tech | 10 p.m. | ESPN+

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