Can't Wait For Saturday TV pickings a bit on the slim side early in '26 season
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May 17—***
I love writing about college football and one of my favorite non-sports activities is watching TV. Thanks to The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, I get to combine both.
Late in the week, Mandel delivered a thorough primer of potential TV pairings early in the season. He points out that in Week 1 there aren't an overwhelming number of watchable games.
Beauty, of course, is often in the eye of the beholder. So a fan of the SEC or Big Ten might be thrilled with the options while those in the Big 12 or ACC might be wondering if that will be the time to unplug for a minute.
I'd say never unplug. Like with bowl season, you can find a reason to watch any game if you think about it long enough.
ABC and ESPN have already announced their lineup for the first week. Mandel then guessed what games the other college football partners will show in the opening weeks, Looks like he nailed it, projecting Kyle Whittingham's Michigan debut against Western Michigan for Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" on Sept. 5.
He guessed Boise State-Oregon for prime time on NBC and Ohio Sate-Ball State on CBS.
The other possibilities for prime time picks include defending national champion Indiana against North Texas and the Apple Cup battle between Washington and Washington State.
Not to give too much away, but the second week on TV is a doozy with Fox taking Oklahoma-Michigan for "Big Noon Kickoff" and Ohio State-Texas later that night on ABC/ESPN. Iowa-Iowa State is also that weekend, along with Illinois-Duke and Minnesota-Mississippi.
Fans of night games in Champaign-Urbana will be happy to know Mandel expects Illinois-Duke on NBC in prime time.
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