Key Matchups To Kick Off The 2026 College Football Season

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Only six weeks remain before the 2026 college football season kicks off. Once again, Dublin will serve as the host for the start of a new season when North Carolina and TCU meet in the Aer Lingus Classic on August 28. That Week 0 matchup along with a handful of Week 1 games are sure to create some buzz. Here is a look at some of what should be the more intriguing matchups.

Saturday, August 28

North Carolina vs. TCU (Dublin)

The fact this matchup kicks off the 2026 season shall serve as sufficient reason to tune in. Otherwise, TCU coach Sonny Dykes looked to New England for his new offensive coordinator (Gordon Sammis, UConn) and quarterback (Jaden Craig, Harvard) with the latter arriving following Josh Hoover’s transfer to Indiana. Speaking of New England, Bill Belichick’s second season in Chapel Hill can’t be any worse than last season’s 4-8 mess, can it? Bobby Petrino is the new OC after the Tar Heels averaged a meager 19.3 points per game.

North Carolina State at Virginia

This ACC matchup was originally scheduled to be played in Brazil, of all places. It was moved to Charlottesville and remained a Week 0 matchup. Virginia coach Tony Elliott is coming off a season in which he matched his win total (11) from his first four years leading the Cavaliers. He hit the portal hard a second straight year, including bringing on quarterbacks Beau Pribula (Missouri) and Eli Holstein (Pitt). In Raleigh, Dave Doeren retained QB C.J. Bailey, who has the experience and talent to emerge as a Heisman candidate.

Hawaii at Stanford

It should come as no surprise if Timmy Chang’s Rainbow Warriors win a new-look Mountain West and vie for the Group of Six seat at the playoff table. A win in Palo Alto would be the second against the Cardinal in as many years and would help toward some early-season CFP hype for Chang’s squad. On the other sideline, the Tavita Pritchard era gets underway in Palo Alto where the former Cardinal quarterback faces a brutal early-season schedule.

Week 1

Thursday, September 3

Colorado at Georgia Tech

Deion Sanders took over a direction-less program in Boulder and by his second season the Buffaloes won nine games. Year 3? Well, CU plummeted to 3-9 last season and lost its final five games, three by at least 25 points. The slate was largely wiped clean (once again), including bringing in a new OC (Brennan Marion) and a new DC (Chris Marve). The arrow continues to point up for coach Brent Key at Georgia Tech. However, Haynes King expired his eligibility. How will Alberto Mendoza, Fernando’s brother, fare after transferring from national champ Indiana?

Friday, September 4

Miami at Stanford

Darian Mensah arrived from Duke to take over for Carson Beck in Coral Gables and will attempt to lead the ‘Canes to national championship contention once again. Mensah has all the tools around him, including his favorite receiver with the Blue Devils, Cooper Barkate, and the teenage Malachi Toney, who very well could be the nation’s most exciting player.

Saturday, September 5

North Texas at Indiana

The Hoosiers’ offense now belongs to Josh Hoover, who follows Heisman winner and national champ Fernando Mendoza in Bloomington under Curt Cignetti, who is 27-2 at IU. While the Hoosiers are Exhibit A as to how a team can rise up quickly in the transfer portal and NIL era, UNT might be a glaring example of going the other direction due. Mass departures included coach Eric Morris, quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins and receiver Wyatt Young to Oklahoma State. Former West Virginia and Troy coach, Neal Brown, takes over in Denton.

Baylor vs. Auburn (Atlanta)

Speaking of mass departures, most of the USF offense followed coach Alex Golesh to the Plains. Quarterback Byrum Brown and the rest of the Tigers have a decent test out of the gate in Dave Aranda’s Baylor Bears. Aranda – Can you believe he is entering his seventh season in Waco? – also has a transfer QB from the Sunshine State in the person of former Gator DJ Lagway, who is a native Texan. By the way, Brown and Lagway met last season when the Bulls drove up to Gainesville and defeated Florida.

Boise State at Oregon

Led by Heisman candidate Dante Moore, the Ducks are expected to be in national title contention in 2026. Coach Dan Lanning has new coordinators in Drew Merhinger, who lends continuity to Moore and the offense having joined the staff (tight ends) in 2022, and Chris Hampton overseeing the defense. While Boise State could represent a tough opener for the Ducks, the Broncos need a solid showing if they are to be a serious G6 contender. Last year’s season-opening debacle (34-7) in Tampa against USF eliminated them from that conversation before conference play began. Speaking of conference play, Boise State left the Mountain West to be a part of the revitalized Pac-12.

Clemson at LSU

The subplots will be many and the spotlights blinding. Lane Kiffin instantly brought national title expectations to Baton Rouge and the coach reeled in a portal haul that included Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. On the other side, what to make of Dabo Swinney’s Tigers these days? Chad Morris is back as the offensive coordinator following a 7-6 season, the fewest wins in Death Valley since Swinney’s second full season of 2010 when Clemson went 6-7. Morris was also Swinney’s OC from 2011 to 2014.

Sunday, September 6

Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Nashville)

Pete Golding shined bright during the Lane Kiffin-led circus by guiding Ole Miss to the CFP semis. What a story it was, and what a story quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has been and should continue to be in Oxford as he heads into 2026 among Heisman favorites. Meanwhile, the inaugural Music City Kickoff at Nissan Stadium will likely be a monster of a test for Brian Brohm’s Cardinals, who underwent an extensive retooling on offense. That includes at quarterback where Lincoln Kienholz gets an opportunity to show what he can do after backing up Julian Sayin and Will Howard at Ohio State the past couple of years.

Wisconsin at Notre Dame (Green Bay)

Lambeau Leaps? Maybe. For Notre Dame, this Shamrock Series encounter, which was originally schedule for 2020 and postponed due to the pandemic, could be the first steppingstone on its path to the playoff. While many expect C.J. Carr to be even better in his second season operating the Fighting Irish’s offense, it is a potentially awesome defense returning much of its 2025 production that could lead the way. Colton Joseph takes over what was an inept Wisconsin offense that was next-to-last nationally in scoring (12.8 points) a year ago. The Old Dominion transfer quarterback was the Sun Belt’s offense player of the year in 2025.

Monday, September 7

SMU at Florida State

The Mustangs stepped into the power conference limelight two years ago and have since gone 14-2 in ACC regular season games with a conference championship game appearance in 2024 when they made the CFP. Quarterback Kevin Jennings runs the offense once again as Brett Lashlee’s team meets a conference opponent right away. Speaking of which, SMU makes its first-ever trip to Tallahassee where coach Mike Norvell and the ‘Noles have lost 19 of their last 26 games.

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