Predicting the early 2026 college football TV schedule, starting with the worst Week 1 in years

There are seasons when projecting which networks select which college football games is a fun exercise. Last year, with its splendid opening weekend, was one of them. This year, however, it was a real strain to project kickoff times and networks for the first three weeks.Let’s not mince words: It’s the worst opening-weekend lineup in years. There are three games that might feature two ranked opponents, led by Clemson at LSU, which will host ESPN’s “College GameDay” in Baton Rouge, La., and kick off in prime time. But neither of those teams posted a winning conference record last season. There’s a chance Boise State will be ranked heading into a Week 1 matchup at Oregon, and Louisville and Ole Miss will probably be ranked when the two meet. But none of those games are appointment viewing.Advertisement