College football returns in a big way, with a sprawling slate that stretches across Saturday and spills into Sunday and Monday as the sport and its TV partners ride the momentum before the NFL season begins next week. Fans will get more than 14 hours of continuous action on Saturday, with meaningful matchups peppered throughout the weekend.
Early afternoon action features a marquee headliner to kick things off: No. 1 Texas visits No. 3 Ohio State in a heavyweight showdown in Columbus, where Texas quarterback Arch Manning is set to showcase his first full-time season as the undisputed starter. Ohio State’s defense returns a host of playmakers, including All-American safety Caleb Downs, while sophomore Julian Sayin has won the job to run the Buckeyes’ offense behind a young supporting cast, including standout wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. This game stands as a true test for both programs and a potential indicator of how the national landscape will shape up this season.
Also in the noon window, Syracuse travels to Atlanta to take on No. 24 Tennessee, while Mississippi State visits Southern Miss. Other noon appearances include Northwestern at Tulane and FAU at Maryland, with additional games spanning Big Ten Network and ACC Network offerings. The day also features a noon matchup between VMI and Navy on CBS Sports Network and Duquesne at Pittsburgh on ACC Network, along with a late 12:45 p.m. kickoff for Toledo at Kentucky on SEC Network and a 2:30 p.m. kickoff for Old Dominion at No. 20 Indiana on Fox Sports 1.
Midafternoon highlights extend the spotlight to the Southeastern Conference and beyond. Notable games include 3 p.m. Eastern Kentucky at Louisville (ACC Network), 3:30 p.m. appearances for Nevada at No. 2 Penn State (CBS) and No. 8 Alabama at Florida State (ABC), along with Marshall at No. 5 Georgia (ESPN) and South Dakota at No. 22 Iowa State (Fox). CBS Sports Network also features Bucknell at Air Force, while 4 p.m. brings Montana State at No. 7 Oregon (Big Ten Network) and 4:15 p.m. Alabama A&M at Arkansas (SEC Network). The Atlantic Coast Conference and other programs add to the mix in this window.
In the spotlight for the midafternoon slate is Alabama at Florida State. Two storied programs meet with expectations high as they begin the season, each looking to set a confident tone early. The matchup also marks a critical test for a Crimson Tide program eager to reclaim a top-tier place in the national conversation, while Florida State seeks to translate a strong recent run into week-one momentum.
Prime time brings a quartet of prominent games. No. 19 Texas A&M hosts Texas San Antonio in a notable in-state clash on ESPN, while No. 9 LSU visits No. 4 Clemson on ABC. No. 14 Michigan hosts New Mexico on NBC, and No. 21 Mississippi State visits Missouri State on SEC Network. Other prime-time matchups include Georgia State at No. 21 Mississippi on SEC Network, plus a pair of late-night contests on Fox Sports 1 and CW Network, with California at Oregon State and Hawaii at Arizona filling out the late-night schedule. The night cap features Utah at UCLA on Fox, and Colorado State at Washington on Big Ten Network.
LSU at Clemson is the other prime-time showcase under the lights in Clemson’s Death Valley. LSU, under head coach Brian Kelly, is chasing a consistent path back to the postseason while Clemson aims to reaffirm its status near the top of the ACC after returning to the playoff picture last season. Both programs enter the season with high expectations, setting the stage for a competitive, testy start.
Sunday provides another top-tier moment, with Virginia Tech taking on No. 13 South Carolina in Atlanta at 3 p.m. and No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami rounding out the night at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. Notre Dame and Miami are two programs hoping to build on recent strong campaigns, each bringing players who will need to step up and lead from the outset as they face tough competition in a high-stakes environment.
The weekend concludes Monday night with a weighing of two strong programs: No. 8 TCU visiting North Carolina at 8 p.m. on ESPN. It’s a fitting closer to a weekend designed to kick-start a season full of questions, strategic battles, and look-at-me moments as teams unveil their offenses, defenses, and depth charts for the year ahead.
What to watch and take away
– Watch how Arch Manning operates with the full responsibility of leading Texas’ offense in a highly charged environment at Ohio State, and see how Julian Sayin handles the Buckeyes’ pressure in a game of this magnitude.
– Alabama and Florida State launch seasons with high expectations after recent successful campaigns; the results could set early momentum for both programs.
– LSU-Clemson and Notre Dame-Miami offer early indicators of how aggressively teams are planning to challenge the top five or ten teams in the country.
– The tail end of the weekend, with TCU at North Carolina, provides a strong test for both programs and helps map out early trends for the rest of the season.
In looking ahead, this weekend serves as a clear signal that college football is back in full force, delivering high-stakes matchups, star players stepping into new roles, and storylines that will shape the sport well into autumn. It’s a hopeful start to a season built on anticipation, big plays, and the shared excitement of fans across the country as teams chase a championship-worthy campaign.
Summary: A packed kickoff weekend delivers marquee cross-country clashes, new quarterback stories, and meaningful tests for teams at the top of the sport. The schedule sets the tone for a season full of potential and excitement as college football returns to the forefront ahead of the NFL kickoff.