The dreaded weekends without college football are finally behind us, and the 2026 season is here. Week 0 is always an appetizer before the main course is served on Labor Day weekend. Still, this might be the best Week 0 slate in recent memory, with eight FBS games on Saturday.
Maybe you've already promised your significant other one last summer weekend before college football takes priority. Maybe there's still a to-do list sitting on the counter that won't finish itself. If 12 straight hours in the recliner from noon to midnight just isn't in the cards, we did the work for you.
The FBS season kicks off across the pond in Dublin, Ireland, with a rematch between TCU and North Carolina, followed by an ACC showdown between NC State and Virginia. FBS newcomers North Dakota State and Sacramento State make their debuts, all before the day winds down with a key Group of Six matchup between College Football Playoff hopefuls Memphis and UNLV out west. So, here's where each Week 0 game ranks on the watchability scale.
We've been fortunate to get some absolute bangers in three of the past four years in Dublin. I'm not sure we'll get another one this time around, but it's hard to imagine a more fascinating Week 0 game than TCU vs. It's a rematch of last year's season opener, when the Horned Frogs embarrassed Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels 48-14 in Chapel Hill.
A repeat performance would raise some very uncomfortable questions about where this UNC program is headed in Year 2 of the Belichick experiment. An upset, on the other hand, would certainly change the conversation around the Tar Heels. UNC arrives in Dublin with plenty of noise surrounding the program, from Michael Lombardi's paid administrative leave following a pending HR investigation to defensive coordinator Steve Belichick's medical leave.
TCU dealt with some turbulence of its own, dismissing projected starting safety Jacob Fields last week after an alleged altercation with a teammate. Harvard transfer quarterback Jaden Craig, who drew interest from NFL scouts last summer, gets his shot to show what he can do at TCU. It's no Farmageddon, but it should make for a pretty interesting kickoff to the 2026 season.
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