ESPN has unveiled its Week Zero slate for the 2026 college football season, confirming a nine‑game lineup that will air on its family of linear networks.
Opening night in the West
The first contest arrives on Friday, August 28, when Idaho travels to Cal Poly, with kickoff scheduled for 10 p.m. Eastern on the main ESPN feed.
Saturday’s schedule stretches across continents, beginning with the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, where North Carolina meets TCU at noon Eastern, also on ESPN.
Later that afternoon, Southern University takes on Alabama State at 3 p.m. on ESPNU, while Virginia hosts NC State at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, the latter offering an All‑22 secondary feed on the ACC Network.
The evening lineup features Mercer hosting East Texas A&M at 7 p.m. on ESPN, and Hawaii making the trek to Stanford at the same hour on the ACC Network.
The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta pits Alabama A&M against Howard at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, followed by Tarleton State’s showdown with Prairie View A&M at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
Week Zero wraps up on Sunday, August 30, with the Red Tails Classic featuring West Alabama versus Tuskegee at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.