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There's a lot of great games on deck for the 2026 college football season. Miami travels up to South Bend, Oregon travels to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes, Georgia squares off against Alabama in Tuscaloosa and Indiana hosts Ohio State this season. With all of these great games lined up, it's easy to overlook some of the other impactful games happening this season. 

I've listed some of the top games of the 2026 season based on preseason playoff implications and week 10 offseason storylines. Now, it's time to take a look at the most underrated games of this year's college football season because there's a good amount of matchups that deserve some national attention that they aren't currently getting. 

NOTRE DAME SLATE 

Week 1: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Wisconsin Badgers – Lambeau Field

This game doesn't have the CFP implications that an LSU vs Clemson matchup in week one might have, but these are two big-named programs squaring off in one of the most iconic sporting venues in all of football, collegiate or professional. It's the return of the Shamrock Series for the Irish and they'll look to start off their season with a resounding bang. The Badgers look to earn their first bowl-eligible season since taking over in Madison in 2023. Notre Dame has their eyes set on a national title run this season and start it off against a Big 10 team up at Lambeau Field. 

NATIONAL SLATE

Week 1: UCLA Bruins at California Golden Bears

It's our first opportunity to see a Bob Chesney-led UCLA team against the Golden Bears who had a sneaky 7-6 record in 2025 fueled by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele who returns under center for head coach Tosh Lupoi. This Big Ten vs ACC matchup is one way to get the season started out on the west coast. Will it have playoff implications? Likely not, but the Bruins will be looking to upset Cal in their first game of the 2026 season. 

Week 2: Arizona State Sun Devils at Texas A&M Aggies

This game could very well have playoff implications. Arizona State had an early season matchup with an SEC opponent in 2025 when they faced Mississippi State on the road in September. This season, they square off against the Aggies and head coach Mike Elko. The Sun Devils are looking to return to their 2024 status and earning a resounding win on the road against a 2025 playoff team would be one heck of a way to do that. Their portal acquisitions this offseason put them in position to compete, but they'll have to get past a talented roster in Texas A&M. 

Week 3: Houston Cougars at Texas Tech Red Raiders

Houston was one of the less talked about storylines last season in the Big 12, but this season head coach Willie Fritz returns his starting quarterback Connor Weigman and a host of talent from his 2025 roster. The Cougars, who were a nine-win squad last fall, face off against the defending Big 12 champs in a week three battle in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders, despite having some questions at quarterback, still return the best roster in the conference. A big win for Houston on the road could propel them to Big 12 title contender status. 

Week 7: Navy Midshipmen at UTSA Road Runners

This matchup could have major G5 CFP implications. Navy and UTSA have remained relatively intact after an offseason that featured coaches at James Madison, North Texas, Memphis, Tulane and USF all departing for P4 jobs around the country. The Midshipmen will be led by head coach Brian Newberry and quarterback Braxton Woodson while the Road Runners return head coach Jeff Traylor and returning starting quarterback Owen McCown. 

Week 10: Michigan State at Michigan Wolverines

Unfortunately, this rivalry game is overshadowed by the rest of the week 10 slate, which is shaping up to be the best weekend in college football. Both Michigan schools will feature new head coaches who will be looking to get their respective programs back on track. Pat Fitzgerald took over the Spartans program and looks to make a quick turnaround while Kyle Whittingham has taken on the task of overcoming Michigan's disastrous start to the offseason and get the Wolverines back on track. 

Week 13 (Rivalry Weekend): Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats

Louisville is a team that could be a quite CFP contender coming out of the ACC. Head coach Jeff Brohm will have a better quarterback situation this fall with Ohio State transfer Lincoln Keinholz taking over as the primary signal caller. Kentucky is under new management with former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein stepping in to lead the program. Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey will be taking over the No. 1 QB spot to bring Kentucky football back to relevancy. This matchup could provide some potential fireworks in the final week of the 2026 regular season. 

NOTABLE MATCHUPS

Week 1: Louisville Cardinals vs Ole Miss Rebels – Nissan Stadium 

Week 3: Florida Gators at Auburn Tigers

Week 5: Pittsburgh Panthers at Virginia Tech Hokies
Week 5: Washington Huskies at USC Trojans

Week 6: USC at Penn State 

Week 8: California Golden Bears at SMU Mustangs
Week 8: USC Trojans at Wisconsin Badgers

Week 11: Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats

Week 12: Stanford Cardinal at California Golden Bears

Week 13 (Rivalry Weekend): SMU Mustangs at Stanford Cardinal 

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