The Best Non-Saturday College Football Game Every Week of the 2026 Season
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Fall Saturdays are sacred for one reason: college football. For 12 hours a day — sometimes longer if Hawaii has a home game — fans crowd campuses and occupy couches across the country to tune in to America's second favorite sport.
For as synonymous as the sport is with Saturdays, college football (and the NFL, for that matter) is taking up more and more of the calendar. The MAC has been playing midweek games for years in an effort to draw a larger television audience. Conference USA is no stranger to midweek games, either. And even the ACC and Big 12 are putting more of their games on Fridays to reach more eyeballs.
Far be it from us to complain about more football being distributed throughout the week. The more the merrier! But it can be hard to follow, especially when there are good games being played in nontraditional time slots.
That's where we come in. Athlon identified the best non-Saturday games to watch every week of the 2026 season. The final tally includes nine Friday games, two on Thursday, one on Tuesday and one on Sunday sneaking in just before the NFL takes over. Check out the full list below.
- 2026 CFB Season Preview: Top 138 Team Rankings | All-America Teams | Playoff Predictions
Week 1: Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Sunday, Sept. 6 in Nashville)
This second-ever meeting between the Cardinals and Rebels should be a shootout. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy give Ole Miss one of the best backfields in the country. On the other side, Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz is making his first career start alongside star running back Isaac Brown.
There's a fair chance this will be the only ranked matchup in Week 1.
Week 2: Missouri at Kansas (Friday, Sept. 11)
The Border War was as heated as ever when it was renewed last fall. The Tigers extended their winning streak to four games, but the rivalry is returning to Lawrence for the first time in two decades. Can Cole Ballard and a rebooted Jayhawks offense pull off an upset? Or will Austin Simmons endear himself to the Mizzou faithful right away with a win at KU?
Week 3: Houston at Texas Tech (Friday, Sept. 18)
As if this game needed any more drama, there’s been some back-and-forth over its timing between a certain Red Raiders megabooster and Big 12 leadership.
Though the Cougars could be Texas Tech’s toughest regular-season test, the Red Raiders dominated Houston in 2025 and have had the upper hand in the series for some time. Conner Weigman and Co. might have something to say about that, but Texas Tech is still the defending champion and conference favorite in spite of its turbulent offseason.
Week 4: Clemson at California (Friday, Sept. 25)
If the Golden Bears are going to take a step forward in the ACC this season, this could be the game that they announce their arrival. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele flashed as a freshman and is more of a proven commodity already than Tigers incoming starter Christopher Vizzina, a senior with considerably less playing experience. This is also Clemson's first cross-country trip since the ACC expanded, and Cal could score an early upset on a short week.
Week 5: Pitt at Virginia Tech (Friday, Oct. 2)
The Panthers and Hokies are both firmly in the second tier of ACC contenders trying to catch up to the likes of Miami, SMU and Louisville. And their schedules suggest they could be undefeated heading into this showdown at Lane Stadium. The leaves will be turning and the crowd will be rocking with new life, invigorated by the arrival of coach James Franklin and what could be Virginia Tech's best start to a season in years.
Week 6: Iowa at Washington (Friday, Oct. 9)
The Hawkeyes and Huskies don't have a ton of history, but Washington had a "welcome to the Big Ten" moment two years ago in a blowout loss to Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. That turned out to be the first game in which Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. saw real action. Now, the Hawkeyes head to Husky Stadium after a back-to-back against Michigan and Ohio State. And Washington hosts one of the conference's toughest outs fresh off a trip to USC.
This is one of a select few non-Saturday matchups between projected preseason top-25 teams. We'll find out early on if either of these teams has a shot at making a run to the CFP.
Week 7: Memphis at Tulane (Friday, Oct. 16)
Both the Tigers and Green Wave changed coaches in the offseason and therefore turned over much of their rosters, but the expectation at both programs is still to compete for the conference championship. Coach Charles Huff should have Memphis in position to realize those aspirations in Year 1, but he'll have to take his team on the road against new Tulane coach Will Hall and the defending American champs. The outcome of this game has played a key part in the title race more often than not over the last few years.
Week 8: Liberty at Kennesaw State (Thursday, Oct. 22)
The Owls upset the Flames two years ago for Kennesaw State's first win as an FBS program. A year later, the Owls beat Liberty again in double overtime of the season finale to advance to the Conference USA championship, which they went on to win. The Flames are again among the preseason favorites to win the conference, but this trip to Kennesaw State could complicate the path there if coach Jerry Mack reloaded that championship roster.
Week 9: Troy at James Madison (Thursday, Oct. 29)
Could this rematch of last season's Sun Belt championship double as a preview of the 2026 conference title game? The Trojans were no match last time around for the Dukes, who went on to appear in the College Football Playoff. Troy is navigating substantial roster turnover but still has more stability than James Madison, which changed coaches and lost the majority of its starters.
New Dukes coach Billy Napier went 2-0 against the Trojans during his tenure at Louisiana. The timing of this game adds to the intrigue, as it should be JMU's final tough test. Meanwhile, Troy still has to play Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State.
Week 10: Virginia Tech at SMU (Friday, Nov. 6)
The Hokies and Mustangs haven't played since well before SMU got hit with the death penalty. All these years later, coach Rhett Lashlee has established the Mustangs as a consistent contender in the ACC. That's what Franklin is trying to get Virginia Tech back to — and it starts with winning games like this.
The Mustangs will be on short rest after a road trip to Syracuse. Meanwhile, the Hokies have a bye week after their trip to Clemson to rest up for this potentially pivotal clash. Will former Virginia Tech coach-turned-defensive coordinator Brent Pry have the defense ready to slow down Kevin Jennings?
Week 11: Ohio at Miami (Ohio) (Tuesday, Nov. 10)
Might the MAC come down to the Battle of the Bricks? The Bobcats are onto their third coach in as many years, but the last two have been able to get the better of coach Chuck Martin's RedHawks. Can new coach John Hauser do the same with a team finished last season on a high note? Miami (Ohio) has played for the conference championship three years in a row and is projected to stretch that streak to four.
Strange things tend to happen in rivalry games, but the home team has won the last six meetings in this series.
Week 12: Clemson at Duke (Friday, Nov. 20)
This is not the best matchup on paper. The Tigers are projected to be one of the ACC's best teams; the Blue Devils are believed to be one of its worst. But Duke is also the defending conference champion and went into Death Valley last season and took down Clemson on its route there. The Blue Devils have quietly defeated the Tigers two times in a row for the first time since the 1970s. Clemson could also be looking ahead to its rivalry game against South Carolina in its final ACC bout of the season.
Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M (Friday, Nov. 27)
Now we're talking. It's fair to gripe about rivalry games being moved to Black Friday off their usual Saturday spot. But that change did little to dampen the excitement for this top-25 matchup last season. And preseason expectations for the Longhorns and Aggies would indicate that there will be playoff and SEC championship implications — and maybe even some Heisman hype — afoot once again.
For Texas A&M, this is also a prime opportunity to end its losing streak to its heated rival. Not only has it been 16 years since the Aggies beat Texas, but the Longhorns have also won the last three in College Station. Can Arch Manning make it four in a row at Kyle Field?
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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