College GameDay Host Calls For 'Significant' Change To Season
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The college football calendar has undergone some major changes with the expanded College Football Playoff. An earlier start could counteract the season finishing later and later.
Indiana won its national title over Miami on Jan. 19, and next year's CFP National Championship Game is scheduled for Jan. 25. It's the latest closing date for a college football season yet.
Rece Davis considered a possible answer on his College GameDay podcast, calling for all teams to start the season with Week 0.
"I’d like to see more games,” Davis said. "Always kind of disappointing there aren’t more great games."
Making the case for a full Week 0
The college football season typically kicks off with a limited Week 0 slate. Georgia Tech kicked off the 2025 year with a 24-21 win over Florida State in Ireland on Aug. 24.
Davis noted that summer weather could create scheduling conflicts, as early-afternoon games may not be feasible in warmer climates. Yet the ESPN host still believes the season could start a week earlier than usual.
"Generally speaking, I think kicking off in Week 0 would be fine," Davis said. "It’s sort of like on the other end of it, we all like football. More games on Week 0, and just rename Week 0 to Week 1, and that’s when we start. This is another topic of the whole calendar issue."
ESPN insider Pete Thamel concurred, noting that the network received "awesome" ratings for the Georgia Tech-Florida State game. Moving up the opening weekend also gives college football an extra weekend to shine before the NFL season starts.
This year's Week 0 slate
The 2026 season will commence with a few Week 0 contests on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Florida State will once again play August football, this time hosting New Mexico State at Doak Campbell Stadium. No start time has been announced, but an afternoon kickoff at Tallaheessee seems unlikely given heat concerns.
Stanford will host Hawaii, and two other games take place outside the United States. College football returns to Dublin with North Carolina playing TCU at Aviva Stadium. Virginia and NC State will clash in Rio De Janeiro as most schools prepare to play the following Saturday.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Feb 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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