Week 1: FBS Must-See Games

Tier 1: Must-see TV

Colorado at Georgia Tech, Sept. 3 (8 p.m., ESPN)

A crucial year for Deion Sanders begins on the road against a physical Georgia Tech team that will challenge Colorado’s offensive and defensive lines.

Boise State at No. 2 Oregon, Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., CBS)

This is a chance for Boise State to reassert itself as a Power Four giant slayer and take an early pole position in the College Football Playoff race. Defeating the loaded Ducks will take everything the Broncos have.

Baylor at Auburn, Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Auburn’s offense should hit the ground running under new coach Alex Golesh and transfer quarterback Byrum Brown, who had an often brilliant 2025 under Golesh at South Florida.

No. 23 Clemson at No. 13 LSU, Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Who needs this one more: Dabo Swinney after a dreadful 2025 season or Lane Kiffin after a headline-grabbing first nine months at LSU?

Wisconsin at No. 5 Notre Dame, Sept. 6 (7:30 p.m., NBC)

Wisconsin will be better after a noticeable uptick in spending. But Notre Dame is one of the favorites for the national championship and should prove that on Sunday.

Louisville at No. 10 Mississippi, Sept. 6 (7:30 p.m., ABC)

This one might come down to how Pete Golding and his staff adapt to Louisville’s potent offensive scheme, though the Rebels’ talent edge gives them some room for error.

No. 20 SMU at Florida State, Sept. 7 (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

It’s a huge one for Mike Norvell after a dismal two-year run. SMU is seen as one of No. 7 Miami’s biggest threats in the ACC but will have to handle a tough road environment.

Tier 2: Commercial break backups

Toledo at Michigan State, Sept. 4 (8 p.m., FS1)

Pat Fitzgerald’s return to college coaching comes against a talented MAC team that could very easily turn this into a four-quarter dogfight.

No. 7 Miami at Stanford, Sept. 4 (9 p.m., ESPN)

Miami’s quest for an ACC crown and top-four playoff ranking begins against a Stanford team that barely escaped a Week 0 road trip to Hawaii.

Fresno State at No. 14 Southern California, Sept. 4 (9 p.m., Fox)

USC will face a much tougher test than in Week 0 against San Jose State, making this a better gauge for whether the Trojans have the depth to thrive in the Big Ten.

North Texas at No. 6 Indiana, Sept. 5 (noon, Fox)

This will be a blowout. But there is a high level of intrigue in how the defending national champions will look overall and how well transfer quarterback Josh Hoover fits the Hoosiers’ scheme.

East Carolina at No. 11 Alabama, Sept. 5 (noon, ABC)

One of the better teams in the American and potentially the entire Group of Six, ECU could make things interesting by winning the turnover battle.

Ball State at No. 1 Ohio State, Sept. 5 (12:30 p.m., Big Ten)

This will be over by halftime. Still, you can’t ignore the Buckeyes or keep your eyes off Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin and what looks like the best team in the FBS.

Miami (Ohio) at Pittsburgh, Sept. 5 (12:30 p.m., CW)

Miami (Ohio) is the favorite in the MAC thanks to one of the strongest rosters in the Group of Six, raising the upset chances against the Panthers.

Texas State at No. 4 Texas, Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Arch Manning and the Longhorns get started with a breather before turning to a crucial non-conference matchup with the Buckeyes next Saturday.

Tulane at Duke, Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., ACC)

Tulane is a bit of an unknown with former coach Jon Sumrall off to Florida. Likewise with Duke, which suffered a huge offseason loss with quarterback Darian Mensah (once of Tulane) now at Miami.

Marshall at No. 17 Penn State, Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., FS1)

The Matt Campbell era kicks off with an opponent the Nittany Lions should beat by three or more scores.

Western Michigan at No. 16 Michigan, Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m., NBC)

This one will draw plenty of eyeballs tuned into Kyle Whittingham’s debut at Michigan and whether quarterback Bryce Underwood has progressed after an up-and-down freshman season as the starter.

UNLV at Hawaii, Sept. 5 (10 p.m., CW)

This is a key early Mountain West matchup between teams coming off disappointing Week 0 losses: Hawaii to Stanford and UNLV to Memphis.

UCLA at California, Sept. 5 (10:30 p.m., ESPN)

This should provide a glimpse into how the ACC matches up with the Big Ten and the state of two programs with trendy offseason vibes under new coaches Bob Chesney (UCLA) and Tosh Lupoi (California).

Washington State at No. 19 Washington, Sept. 6 (4 p.m., NBC)

The earliest Apple Cup meeting in rivalry history leans toward Washington thanks to home-field advantage and an obvious edge in overall talent, but crazier things have and often do happen in this series.

Tier 3: Track the box score

Texas-El Paso at No. 9 Oklahoma, Sept. 4 (8 p.m., SEC)

Oklahoma will have this one in the bag by halftime or shortly after, but keep tabs on the state of the offense under returning starter John Mateer.

Liberty at James Madison, Sept. 5 (noon, ESPNU)

Liberty has been backsliding for several seasons but could notch an upset against a JMU team reloading under new coach Billy Napier.

Oregon State at No. 24 Houston, Sept. 5 (noon, ESPN)

If the Cougars are a legitimate Big 12 contender, they should pull away from Oregon State with room to spare.

Coastal Carolina at West Virginia, Sept. 5 (noon, TNT)

West Virginia has retooled its roster and feels confident about getting to a bowl game in Rich Rodriguez’s second year back with the program.

Ohio at Nebraska, Sept. 5 (noon, FS1)

It’s also a big year for Matt Rhule at Nebraska after last season ran off the rails in November. An easy non-conference threesome, starting with the Bobcats, will lead into a very tough Big Ten slate.

Boston College at Cincinnati, Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., Fox)

It’s a Power Four-only matchup, which makes this worthy of a little attention despite neither team being nationally relevant.

Oklahoma State at Tulsa, Sept. 5 (3:45 p.m., ESPNU)

Eric Morris brought along many of the big pieces behind his turnaround at North Texas. Whether OSU is a bowl team will depend on how quickly the offense can coalesce in the Power Four.

Northern Illinois at Iowa, Sept. 5 (4:15 p.m., Big Ten)

Northern Illinois is 1-8 against Iowa but did score a major upset with a 30-27 win in 2013.