Week 1 Preview: 34 Games to Watch as the Season Gets Rolling

Welcome to the Quadbox Life

As we kick off the 2026 college football season, I'm excited to bring you a deep dive into the Week 1 slate. We don't need a ton of hype – this week is about seeing teams in action and getting a feel for how they'll perform through the season. The games might be a bit rough around the edges, but that's exactly what makes them special.

With multiple television providers now offering multiview functionality, you can watch up to four channels at once, essentially turning your viewing experience into something like Marty Jr. in "Back to the Future Part II." An LSU game next to a Lehigh game! Ohio State-Michigan next to a Division III playoff game! Three Friday night games next to "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives"!

So, whether you're watching with friends or alone, get ready for an intense weekend of football that'll have us all on the edge of our seats. Let's get into the games!

Friday Evening: First Glimpses at Miami and Oklahoma (and an Interesting East Lansing Debut)

First up on Friday night is a clash between No. 7 Miami and Stanford. Miami has been looking to rebuild with some key transfers, including quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Cooper Barkate. Stanford, on the other hand, is still trying to shake off their loss to Hawai'i last week but should be able to put up a good fight. The game will be an early test of how well Miami's new offensive line can handle the pressure.

Current line: Miami -24.5 | SP+ projection: Miami by 16.6 | FPI projection: Miami by 21.3

Next up, Fresno State faces No. 14 USC. USC's 2026 campaign got off to a mostly successful start against San José State, and they'll look to continue that momentum against the Bulldogs. Freshmen and sophomores accounted for all but two of USC's receptions, so expect another high-powered performance from their young talent.

Current line: USC -23.5 | SP+ projection: USC by 19.5 | FPI projection: USC by 17.2

Finally, we have UTEP at No. 10 Oklahoma. OU has a strong defense, but quarterback John Mateer needs to be more consistent in the running game. With a new offensive line and several new receivers, Oklahoma will need to prove they can adapt quickly.

Current line: OU -41.5 | SP+ projection: OU by 40.6 | FPI projection: OU by 38.8

On a lighter note, we also have Toledo at Michigan State. With two almost completely new starting lineups, this game could be a complete unknown. It'll be interesting to see how the new Toledo coach Mike Jacobs' FCS all-star team performs against MSU's established talent.

Current line: MSU -10 | SP+ projection: MSU by 13.8 | FPI projection: MSU by 5.4

Early Saturday: Keelon Russell, Josh Hoover, Youngstown State and Narduzzi vs. the MAC

It's time for a showdown between North Texas and No. 6 Indiana. The champ is here! For all we know, Indiana is never going to lose a football game again thanks to Curt Cignetti's magic. The Hoosiers almost certainly won't lose Saturday anyway – even with plenty of new starters, their line play should be magnificent from the start, and North Texas has almost nothing back from last season's 12-win run.

Current line: IU -40.5 | SP+ projection: IU by 39.9 | FPI projection: IU by 33.9

We also have East Carolina at No. 13 Alabama. I've always thought Keelon Russell is vital to Alabama's success this season. Both the Crimson Tide's offensive (36th) and overall (20th) SP+ rankings last year were their worst since 2007, and now they're asking a redshirt freshman quarterback to fix things with a mostly unproven skill corps and a brand-new offensive line.

We finally get a look at what a Russell-led Bama offense can do against an ECU team that is aggressive and well coached but is breaking in loads of new pieces. The Pirates should be athletic and competitive enough that, if Bama covers the four-touchdown spread, that's a very good sign.

Current line: Bama -28.5 | SP+ projection: Bama by 22.4 | FPI projection: Bama by 24.4

Ball State faces No. 1 Ohio State in a game that will be crucial for the Buckeyes' early season experience. This is a good thing – a little close-game experience could go a long way. But with Ball State's one winning season in 12 years, they'll be underdogs.

Current line: Ohio St. -50.5 | SP+ projection: Ohio St. by 60.4 | FPI projection: Ohio St. by 50.5

Oregon State faces No. 23 Houston. Willie Fritz engineered a 10-win surge in 2025, then signed a lovely transfer class and a five-star freshman quarterback (Keisean Henderson). It's still Conner Weigman's show for now, though, and the senior signal-caller will have former Oregon State receiver Trent Walker to lean on against a Beavers defense reliant on fun, aggressive linebackers.

Current line: Houston by 15.5 | SP+ projection: Houston -20.5 | FPI projection: Houston by 20.1

Miami (Ohio) plays Pitt. Pitt has lost two of its last three games against Group of 6 teams, and Miami enters 2026 as maybe the most proven commodity in the MAC. Pat Narduzzi's antisocial Panthers do have one thing going for them: They tend to do the opposite of what I expect of them every year, and I don't expect much from them in 2026.

Current line: Pitt -16.5 | SP+ projection: Pitt by 12.7 | FPI projection: Pitt by 16.5

Youngstown State faces Kentucky. This is one of my favorite FBS-versus-FCS games of the week. I'm quite curious about Kentucky this year after Will Stein brought in my second-favorite transfer class in the SEC, but I'm also excited to see what Youngstown State, with quarterback Beau Brungard, coordinator Mike Yurcich and maybe the most fun offense in FCS, can do against a new Wildcats defense. I'll be disappointed if the Penguins don't at least make UK sweat for a bit.

Current line: UK -23.5 | SP+ projection: UK by 18.0 | FPI projection: UK by 22.8

Saturday Afternoon: Oregon, Boise, Arch and a Couple of Bitter P4-vs-G6 Games

Boise State faces No. 2 Oregon. Boise State is 3-1 all time against Oregon and lost by only three points to an eventual 12-0 Ducks team in 2024. BSU's strong defensive line, led by edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan, will test what could be the Ducks' single most questionable unit, the offensive line. If Oregon is as good as I expect, the Ducks will eventually pull away – their skill corps is too scary, and their defense is too experienced. But I love this early test.

Current line: Ducks -24.5 | SP+ projection: Ducks by 26.6 | FPI projection: Ducks by 24.7

Baylor meets Auburn. Last season, Alex Golesh's USF team, led by quarterback Byrum Brown and boosted by a long TD from Keshaun Singleton, upset quarterback DJ Lagway and Florida 18-16. The names are familiar in this one; the teams, dizzyingly enough, are not. Lagway transferred to Baylor to get his career on track, and his first game will come against Golesh's Auburn Tigers, led by Brown, Singleton and a number of other former Bulls.

Current line: Auburn -7 | SP+ projection: Auburn by 7.7 | FPI projection: Auburn by 8.4

Tulane plays Duke. In 2025, Duke took Tulane's quarterback (Darian Mensah), but Tulane beat Duke in a game that eventually assured the Green Wave would reach the CFP while Manny Diaz's Blue Devils fell short. I'd say this is a revenge game, then, but I'm not sure who'd be getting revenge on whom.

Current line: Duke -9.5 | SP+ projection: Duke by 12.4 | FPI projection: Duke by 4.1

Texas State faces No. 5 Texas. Texas State dropped a number of close games last season, which inadvertently might have allowed the Bobcats to hold on to head coach GJ Kinne and star quarterback Brad Jackson. They might test first-year coordinator Will Muschamp's Texas defense, though there's no reason to think they have the horses to slow down a UT offense that kept Arch Manning and receiver Ryan Wingo and added star transfers in receiver Cam Coleman and running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown. Texas will have to put in a shift here, even while looking ahead to next week's Ohio State visit.

Current line: Texas -30.5 | SP+ projection: Texas by 27.4 | FPI projection: Texas by 35.0

Oklahoma State plays Tulsa. Tulsa's 19-12 victory over OSU last season was the Golden Hurricane's first over the Cowboys in 27 years and was Mike Gundy's last game as the Pokes' coach. Former North Texas head man Eric Morris has brought most of the best players from last season's top-ranked offense with him. Can Drew Mestemaker & Co. get off on the right foot against what could be a pretty exciting Tulsa squad?

Current line: OSU -14 | SP+ projection: OSU by 10.6 | FPI projection: OSU by 11.0

Boston College plays Cincinnati. A Week 1 rarity: two power-conference teams facing off! Cincinnati has slowly improved over three seasons after a poor start for Scott Satterfield, but he had to take on a major portal rebuild at quarterback, in the skill corps, on the defensive line and in the secondary. BC, meanwhile, reached into the Division II ranks to find an offensive shot in the arm, grabbing Mason McKenzie from Saginaw Valley State (a conference mate of Trinidad Chambliss' Ferris State).

Current line: Cincy -7.5 | SP+ projection: Cincy by 8.1 | FPI projection: Cincy by 10.2

Marshall meets No. 18 Penn State. With a ridiculously light early schedule, Penn State has a chance to start the Matt Campbell era well. But the Nittany Lions' defense might have to work a bit to contain one of the Sun Belt's best quarterbacks (former blue-chipper Carlos Del Rio-Wilson) and an experienced receiving corps. Marshall was pretty good at the end of last season, but we'll see if any of that momentum carries over after heavy turnover.

Current line: PSU -24.5 | SP+ projection: PSU by 26.9 | FPI projection: PSU by 25.9

Saturday Evening: Chip, Sumrall and the Death Valley Derby

Clemson faces No. 11 LSU. Back in August 2018, when LSU and Clemson arranged a home-and-home series for the 2025 and 2026 seasons – god, nonconference scheduling is ridiculous – Clemson was in the middle of an all-time run. Dabo Swinney's Tigers were coming off their third straight top-five finish, and they would soon win their second national title in three seasons. LSU, meanwhile, had gone six straight seasons without a top-10 finish, and the Bayou Bengals didn't yet know what they had in transfer quarterback Joe Burrow.

Eight years is a long time. These teams won the next two national titles – Clemson in 2018, LSU (over Clemson) in 2019 – and then became two of the nation's most frustrating programs of the 2020s. LSU went from preseason top 15 to unranked three times and fired both title-winning coach Ed Orgeron and his replacement, Brian Kelly. Clemson, meanwhile, has begun four of the last five seasons in the top 10 but hasn't finished there since 2020.

Clemson starts out unranked for the first time in 15 years, and the Tigers are double-digit underdogs against Lane Kiffin's first LSU team. Kiffin has made lots of headlines for his willingness to severely test college football's eligibility rules in the quest for a better backup tight end, and Swinney poured a little gasoline on the fire this week. We'll see which of these perennially disappointing teams can actually do its talking on the field. (I'm betting it's the home team.)

Current line: LSU -10.5 | SP+ projection: LSU by 9.8 | FPI projection: LSU by 9.5

Florida Atlantic plays Florida. FAU has a ridiculously up-tempo offense, and the Owls' defense could turn around thanks to my favorite G6 transfer class. I'm excited to see how long they might trade blows with an in-transition Gators team. But since Jon Sumrall, one of the best young(ish) coaches in the game, is overseeing that Florida transition, I'm guessing the Gators pull away eventually.

Current line: Florida -27.5 | SP+ projection: Florida by 23.8 | FPI projection: Florida by 28.4

Western Michigan meets No. 16 Michigan. The last seven UM-WMU games have gone to the Wolverines by an average of 42-10. We'll probably get some interesting answers regarding what a Jason Beck (Michigan offensive coordinator) and Bryce Underwood (quarterback) marriage looks like, and I'm really curious about a WMU defense that returns aggressive players such as nickel Joshua Franklin and corner Jarvarius Sims and added a ton of small-school stars. But if the Michigan defensive line is as strong as I'm betting, we probably know how things will end up.

Current line: Michigan -27.5 | SP+ projection: Michigan by 25.5 | FPI projection: Michigan by 23.0

Arkansas State faces Memphis. Aside from the Pac-12, no conference has had a stranger journey through two decades of realignment than the American Conference. Collapse and rebound, stumble and surge. The American is rarely sitting still. It's easy to assume another downturn this season after four of its top five teams got raided by the power-conference programs, but Memphis made a statement last week at UNLV. With first-year head coach Charles Huff and a mostly new two-deep, the Tigers outlasted the Rebels in Vegas, and if they can take down Arkansas State and Boise State before entering conference play, they'll be pretty clear front-runners for the Group of 6 CFP slot.

Surviving these two games will be tricky, though. Winning in Boise is an obvious hurdle, but ASU is also one of the more likely hopefuls in the Sun Belt West. Trap game?

Current line: Memphis -8.5 | SP+ projection: Memphis by 19.4 | FPI projection: Memphis by 9.9

South Dakota State meets Northwestern. With North Dakota State having finally hopped up to FBS, South Dakota State is one of the two sturdiest FCS programs remaining (along with Montana State). The Jackrabbits are second in FCS SP+ and looked great in a 70-7 dismantling of Stetson. I'm not saying they'll beat Northwestern, but this will be a nice test for the new-look Wildcats. If Chip Kelly's new offense speeds through SDSU, Northwestern could be pretty stout. (The Wildcats had better be: Their schedule is ruthless.)

Current line: Northwestern -12.5 | SP+ projection: Northwestern by 6.1 | FPI projection: Northwestern by 10.0

Late Saturday: The Spirit of Pac-12 After Dark Lives

UCLA plays California. This might be my favorite game of the weekend. These former Pac-12 rivals will play for each of the next four years, and this year's edition pits quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and head coach Tosh Lupoi's first Cal team against a completely remodeled – and rather James Madison-flavored – UCLA roster led by new head coach Bob Chesney. Both of these teams seem to have quite a bit more upside this season, though we'll know a lot more after Saturday night's toss-up game.

Current line: UCLA -1.5 | SP+ projection: Cal by 0.1 | FPI projection: Cal by 2.7

UNLV meets Hawai'i. Both of these teams entered 2026 with pretty high hopes – especially UNLV – but after tough, tight losses last week, one will be 0-2 after Saturday night. In his UNLV debut, former Oklahoma and Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold gave a pretty familiar impression: He has solid big-play potential via run and pass, but no one takes more sacks – he took four, in fact, in his last seven dropbacks against Memphis. Hawai'i is better at avoiding negative plays but doesn't seem to have a ton of big-play potential.

Current line: UNLV -3 | SP+ projection: UNLV by 3.0 | FPI projection: UNLV by 7.4

Central Michigan plays New Mexico. With quarterback Jack Layne now missing the season with an elbow injury, New Mexico begins the season with uncertainty. The Lobos are Mountain West contenders if they are stable behind center, but either Oregon transfer Luke Moga or 2025 backup James Laubstein needs to play well. CMU had an excellent defense last year, but attrition hit the Chippewas pretty hard.

Current line: Lobos -10.5 | SP+ projection: Lobos by 17.7 | FPI projection: Lobos by 13.2

Sunday: Nashville, Lambeau and the Apple Cup

No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss. By ranking, this is the biggest game of the weekend; it might also answer the most (and most important) questions of the weekend.

Is Trinidad Chambliss' new receiving corps up to snuff?

What changes will Ole Miss' new coaching staff (especially offensive coordinator John David Baker) make to what was an elite offense last season?

Is Pete Golding as good in the portal as predecessor Lane Kiffin was? (The answer will tell us everything we need to know about the Rebels' defense.)

Is quarterback Lincoln Kienholz the guy to unlock Jeff Brohm's Louisville offense?

Is his portal-heavy new receiving corps as good as I think?

Will the Cardinals' two remodeled lines hold up?

More than any other conference, this week is huge for the ACC. North Carolina's upset of TCU last week was a nice win over the Big 12, and the two biggest games of the week pit ACC underdogs against SEC favorites.

Current line: Rebels -6.5 | SP+ projection: Rebels by 5.4 | FPI projection: Rebels by 8.8

No. 19 SMU plays Florida State. The ACC's big weekend ends with an all-ACC affair. FSU's 34-17 win over New Mexico State in Week 0 was ... fine. The Seminoles produced healthy statistical advantages in the end, but after the school decided to retain coach Mike Norvell despite going 7-17 over the past two seasons, Noles fans were hungry for signs of dominance.

FSU was never in trouble but led by just seven late in the third quarter. In his first game as FSU's starting quarterback, Ashton Daniels left an incomplete impression.

Thirteen of Daniels' 17 completions came within 6 yards of the line of scrimmage, and anytime he was pressured (which happened a bit more than preferable), it was almost an automatic throwaway. But of the four passes he threw at least 15 yards downfield, he completed three to three different receivers. He also rushed for three first downs, which suggests his legs could become more of a weapon later on.

I came away from Daniels' performance thinking that he might reward more aggressive playcalling. Were Norvell and new coordinator Tim Harris Jr. keeping some cards close to the vest with the SMU game in mind?

Like Clemson and Louisville, SMU enters 2026 with ACC title game aspirations and plenty of unknowns. Coach Rhett Lashlee lost both coordinators this offseason, and he had serious remodeling work to do on his skill corps, defensive line and secondary. But quarterback Kevin Jennings is among the conference's more proven commodities, and sophomores like receiver Jalen Cooper and corners Marcellus Barnes Jr. and William Nettles are exciting. FSU will test SMU's new defensive front and could pressure Jennings pretty well, but Daniels will need to punish the Mustangs downfield.

Current line: SMU -2.5 | SP+ projection: SMU by 1.6 | FPI projection: SMU by 1.9

Week 1 Chaos Superfecta

Always remember: We're never that far from chaos. And we'll once again use this space to will it into existence. Below are four carefully curated games with pretty big point spreads; mash them together, and we get a pretty upset-friendly number.

For Week 1, we're going with an FCS theme. With FBS programs stripping away loads of FCS talent via the transfer portal, the distance between these two levels has grown over the past couple of years. But according to SP+ projections, there's an 86% chance that at least one of Tarleton State (51% win probability at Bowling Green), Rhode Island (43% at Temple), South Dakota State (35% at Northwestern) or Idaho State (23% at Utah State) pulls an upset.

Smaller-School Showcase

Let's once again save a shoutout for the glorious lower levels of the sport. If you caught any of Week 0's small-school action – William & Mary's wild comeback against Villanova, NAIA Louisiana Christian's upset of Northwestern State, Weber State beating Northern Colorado on a late blocked PAT attempt or basically any other Big Sky game (they were almost all thrillers) – you know it's worth it.

A Huge HBCU Weekend

Per SP+, South Carolina State, Delaware State and Prairie View A&M are three of the top five teams in the HBCU universe. They all face big games, two in prime "Sunday undercard" slots.

Delaware State at William & Mary (Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPN+). DeSean Jackson took over a Delaware State program that had gone 2-21 in its past two seasons and hadn't enjoyed a winning record since 2012; he's now 9-4 overall after winning a thriller against Stony Brook last week. He's doing an incredible job.

William & Mary, meanwhile, pulled off a shocker against Villanova: Trailing by 10 in the final minute, the Tribe kicked a field goal, recovered an onside kick, scored a quick touchdown, picked off an impatient pass and knocked in the game-winning field goal at the buzzer. That produced the best win probability chart of Week 0.

SP+ projection: W&M by 9.0.

Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M (Sunday, noon, ESPN2). PVAMU entered 2026 as a SWAC favorite and still might be, but the Panthers got roughed up by a potentially dynamite Tarleton State team last week. Texas Southern, meanwhile, made a statement by thumping NC Central as an 11.5-point underdog. PVAMU is still the host and favorite, but this might be the third down-to-the-wire Labor Day Classic in four years.

SP+ projection: PVAMU by 6.3.

SC State vs. Florida A&M (Sunday, 3 p.m., ESPN). Since the Orange Blossom Classic returned in 2021, Florida A&M has played in four and lost three. The Rattlers will be significant underdogs Sunday against MEAC favorite and defending Celebration Bowl champion SC State, and to pull an upset, they'll have to counter a potentially dynamite Bulldog defensive line.

SP+ projection: SC State by 19.0.

Division III Starts with a Bang

We also get a couple of huge top-five battles to kick off the Division III campaign.

No. 2 Bethel at No. 1 North Central (Saturday, 2 p.m., local streaming). North Central has the ultimate first-world problem: The Cardinals are so dominant that they get to the end of the season not knowing how to survive close games. They've made six straight national title games, and they've been heavily favored in the past three, but they suffered upset losses in 2023 and 2025, and you could easily point to a lack of close-game experience as a major cause.

One way to try to rectify that? Play the best of the best right out of the gate. Bethel's Cooper Drews-to-Albert Rundell combination is elite, but the Royals will have to figure out how to slow down a ridiculous NCC attack led by All-America quarterback Garret Wilson.

SP+ projection: NCCU by 12.7.

No. 3 Mount Union at No. 5 Wheaton (Saturday, 3 p.m., local streaming). Mount Union remains Division III royalty, but the Purple Raiders haven't won a national title since 2017 – shameful! – and their offense disappeared in a shocking round-of-16 playoff loss to John Carroll. They're testing themselves early by visiting defending quarterfinalist Wheaton. Mount Union quarterback Mikey Maloney threw 31 touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman, but Wheaton's defense has multiple potential All-Americans.

SP+ projection: Mount Union by 5.1.