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The day has finally arrived. After months and months of waiting, after dabbling our toes in the water last weekend, we are ready to finally jump in with our clothes on tonight as college football is officially back, baby!
And I’m not talking about your typical one or two games on a Thursday evening, I’m talking a full lineup of games tonight, followed by another nearly full lineup tomorrow, the big day on Saturday and then two rounds of desert football on Sunday and Monday. So put the kids to bed early, fire up all the TVs in the house, grab your beverage of choice and let’s football!
Thursday, August
OK, so it is a full lineup tonight. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly a thrilling lineup of games. There are four ranked teams playing tonight, but none of them are facing off against another ranked opponent.
Things get started off at 6pm CT (for those new to this, we operate on God’s time so if we slip up and don’t give you a time zone, it’s central). with UCLA at Cincinnati. That’s not perfect, but it’s two P5 teams and it’s on ESPN. I’m in.
Other games of note tonight include:
#1 Clemson is hosting Georgia Tech. Clemson should roll, but it is an ACC opponent. Unfortunately, it’s on the ACC Network. If your provider doesn’t offer ACCN (time for a shameless plug of the Armchair QB’s Guide to TV for the college football season), you can stream on Watch ESPN via the link below.
At 8pm, Minnesota is hosting South Dakota State. That doesn’t sound super compelling, but SDSU is a damn good football team and the hype on Minnesota has gone too far. Tune in to FS1 for the schadenfreude.
And finally, the night cap is #14 Utah at BYU. That kicks off at 9:15 on ESPN.
Here’s the full slate tonight.
Thursday Game Schedule
Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
---|---|---|---|
Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
UCLA at Cincinnati | 6:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Wagner at UConn | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Albany at Central Michigan | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Morgan State at Bowling Green | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Robert Morris at Buffalo | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Florida A&M at #17 UCF | 6:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Central Arkansas at Western Kentucky | 6:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Gardner-Webb at Charlotte | 6:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Georgia Tech at #1 Clemson | 7:00 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Florida International at Tulane | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Alabama State at UAB | 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Texas State at #12 Texas A&M | 7:30 PM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
South Dakota State at Minnesota | 8:00 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Kent State at Arizona State | 9:00 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Northern Colorado at San Jose State | 9:00 PM | None | None |
#14 Utah at BYU | 9:15 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Friday, August 30th
Friday night lights baby! And since it’s week one, let’s go ahead and just get weird with it. This week, we get four (count em, 4!!) Big Ten teams playing on Friday night. Having one team on a Friday night might be an opportunity to showcase the conference an extra day and get some more TV money. Four seems like a way to be forgotten.
Anywho....
#18 Michigan State is hosting Tulsa on FS1 at 6pm. At the same time, #19 Wisconsin is AT USF on ESPN. At 6:15, rutger hosts UMASS on BTN in a game that will surely set football back 50 years. And at 8:30, Purdue travels to Nevada on the CBS Sports Network.
Elsewhere, there isn’t much exciting until the late games. At 9pm Colorado and Colorado State face off on ESPN. And at 9:30, Oklahoma State heads out to Oregon State. Do your best to keep track of which team is which after a couple of beverages on Friday night.
Here’s the full listing for Friday.
Friday Game Schedule
Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
---|---|---|---|
Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
Rice at Army | 5:00 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Tulsa at #18 Michigan State | 6:00 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
#19 Wisconsin at South Florida | 6:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
UMass at Rutgers | 6:15 PM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Utah State at Wake Forest | 7:00 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Purdue at Nevada | 8:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Colorado State at Colorado | 9:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Oklahoma State at Oregon State | 9:30 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st
Alright, this is it. The first full slate of games on college football Saturday of the year. Annnnnd, it’s not great, Bob. Not great at all. By and large, Saturday features power five teams paying money to FCS and low-major programs to beat them handily. There are a few matchups with some mid-level FBS programs here and there and the occasional P5 matchup, but it’s not ideal.
So not ideal that there’s nothing worth mentioning on the TV front until the 2:30 slot. That’s when we get #2 Alabama hosting Duke on ABC. The fact that that’s the one I’m calling out should tell you everything you need to know.
In the same time slot, you also get South Carolina at North Carolina on ESPN (shouts to the state of North Carolina for scheduling P5 opponents week 1).
At 3pm, we get the best Big 10 matchup of the week as Northwestern travels to #25 Stanford. That’s on FOX. You’ve also got Virginia Tech at Boston College on ACCN.
Things kick off in the evening with Boise State at Florida state. That’s a 6pm kick on ESPN.
At 6:30, #3 Georgia is at Vanderbilt in an SEC matchup. That’s on the SEC Network. You’ve also got Virginia at Pittsburgh on the ACC Network.
And of course, you can catch the Hawkeyes’ beatdown of Miami (OH) on FS1 beginning at 6:30.
That will be completely overshadowed everywhere but Iowa City by the game of the week. Also kicking at 6:30, #11 Oregon takes on #16 Auburn from AT&T Stadium in Dallas on ABC. That’s what I’m talking about!
The night cap is largely forgettable. The most compelling game is probably Fresno State at USC. That’s a 9:30 kick on ESPN.
Here’s the full slate.
Saturday Game Schedule
Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
---|---|---|---|
Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
Florida Atlantic at #5 Ohio State | 11:00 AM | FOX | FoxSportsGo.com |
Northern Iowa at #21 Iowa State | 11:00 AM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
South Alabama at #24 Nebraska | 11:00 AM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Akron at Illinois | 11:00 AM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Indiana vs. Ball State | 11:00 AM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Howard at Maryland | 11:00 AM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Indiana State at Kansas | 11:00 AM | Fox Sports Net | FoxSportsGo.com |
Toledo at Kentucky | 11:00 AM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Ole Miss at Memphis | 11:00 AM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Mississippi State vs. Louisiana | 11:00 AM | ESPNU | WatchESPN.com |
East Carolina at NC State | 11:00 AM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
James Madison at West Virginia | 1:00 PM | AT&T SportsNet | None |
Rhode Island at Ohio | 1:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Eastern Washington at #13 Washington | 2:00 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Bucknell at Temple | 2:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Duke vs. #2 Alabama | 2:30 PM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Idaho at #15 Penn State | 2:30 PM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Colgate at Air Force | 2:30 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Holy Cross at Navy | 2:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina | 2:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
South Carolina vs. North Carolina | 2:30 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Georgia State at Tennessee | 2:30 PM | ESPNU | WatchESPN.com |
East Tennessee State at Appalachian State | 2:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Northwestern at #25 Stanford | 3:00 PM | FOX | FoxSportsGo.com |
Portland State at Arkansas | 3:00 PM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Montana State at Texas Tech | 3:00 PM | Fox Sports Net | FoxSportsGo.com |
Virginia Tech at Boston College | 3:00 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
#22 Syracuse at Liberty | 5:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Sam Houston State at New Mexico | 5:00 PM | None | None |
Incarnate Word at UTSA | 5:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Campbell at Troy | 5:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
UC Davis at California | 5:30 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
VMI at Marshall | 5:30 PM | Stadium | WatchStadium.com |
Norfolk State at Old Dominion | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Alcorn State at Southern Mississippi | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Illinois State at Northern Illinois | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Monmouth at Western Michigan | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
SMU at Arkansas State | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Boise State vs. Florida State | 6:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Nicholls at Kansas State | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Stephen F. Austin at Baylor | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
#3 Georgia at Vanderbilt | 6:30 PM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Georgia Southern at #6 LSU | 6:30 PM | ESPNU | WatchESPN.com |
Middle Tennessee at #7 Michigan | 6:30 PM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
#11 Oregon vs. #16 Auburn | 6:30 PM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Miami (OH) at #20 Iowa | 6:30 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Missouri at Wyoming | 6:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Abilene Christian at North Texas | 6:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Virginia at Pittsburgh | 6:30 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Louisiana Tech at #10 Texas | 7:00 PM | Longhorn Network | WatchESPN.com |
Houston Baptist at UTEP | 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at TCU | 7:00 PM | Fox Sports Net | FoxSportsGo.com |
Grambling at UL Monroe | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Weber State at San Diego State | 8:00 PM | None | None |
New Mexico State at #23 Washington State | 9:00 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Southern Utah at UNLV | 9:00 PM | None | UNLVRebels.com |
Fresno State at USC | 9:30 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Sunday, September 1st
Hey look, there’s more football! There isn’t much on this first day of desert, but Houston at #4 Oklahoma is compelling enough to tune in. It’s at 6:30 kick on ABC.
Monday, September 2nd
MOOOOAAAARRRRR FOOOOOOOOTBAAAALLLLLLL!
Week one wraps up with #9 Notre Dame at Louisville Monday evening. It’s a 7pm kick and you can catch the action on ESPN.
And that’s it for week one. You can view the full slate of games below.
What are you drinking this weekend?
Friday Game Schedule
Date | Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Matchup | Time (CT) | TV | Streaming |
Thursday, August 29th | UCLA at Cincinnati | 6:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Wagner at UConn | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Albany at Central Michigan | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Morgan State at Bowling Green | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Robert Morris at Buffalo | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Thursday, August 29th | Florida A&M at #17 UCF | 6:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Central Arkansas at Western Kentucky | 6:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Thursday, August 29th | Gardner-Webb at Charlotte | 6:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Thursday, August 29th | Georgia Tech at #1 Clemson | 7:00 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Florida International at Tulane | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Alabama State at UAB | 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Thursday, August 29th | Texas State at #12 Texas A&M | 7:30 PM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Thursday, August 29th | South Dakota State at Minnesota | 8:00 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Kent State at Arizona State | 9:00 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Thursday, August 29th | Northern Colorado at San Jose State | 9:00 PM | None | None |
Thursday, August 29th | #14 Utah at BYU | 9:15 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Friday, August 30th | Rice at Army | 5:00 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Friday, August 30th | Tulsa at #18 Michigan State | 6:00 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Friday, August 30th | #19 Wisconsin at South Florida | 6:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Friday, August 30th | UMass at Rutgers | 6:15 PM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Friday, August 30th | Utah State at Wake Forest | 7:00 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Friday, August 30th | Purdue at Nevada | 8:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Friday, August 30th | Colorado State at Colorado | 9:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Friday, August 30th | Oklahoma State at Oregon State | 9:30 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Florida Atlantic at #5 Ohio State | 11:00 AM | FOX | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Northern Iowa at #21 Iowa State | 11:00 AM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | South Alabama at #24 Nebraska | 11:00 AM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Akron at Illinois | 11:00 AM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Indiana vs. Ball State | 11:00 AM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Howard at Maryland | 11:00 AM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Indiana State at Kansas | 11:00 AM | Fox Sports Net | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Toledo at Kentucky | 11:00 AM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Ole Miss at Memphis | 11:00 AM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Mississippi State vs. Louisiana | 11:00 AM | ESPNU | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | East Carolina at NC State | 11:00 AM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | James Madison at West Virginia | 1:00 PM | AT&T SportsNet | None |
Saturday, August 31st | Rhode Island at Ohio | 1:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Eastern Washington at #13 Washington | 2:00 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Bucknell at Temple | 2:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Duke vs. #2 Alabama | 2:30 PM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Idaho at #15 Penn State | 2:30 PM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Colgate at Air Force | 2:30 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Holy Cross at Navy | 2:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina | 2:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | South Carolina vs. North Carolina | 2:30 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Georgia State at Tennessee | 2:30 PM | ESPNU | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | East Tennessee State at Appalachian State | 2:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Northwestern at #25 Stanford | 3:00 PM | FOX | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Portland State at Arkansas | 3:00 PM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Montana State at Texas Tech | 3:00 PM | Fox Sports Net | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Virginia Tech at Boston College | 3:00 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | #22 Syracuse at Liberty | 5:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Sam Houston State at New Mexico | 5:00 PM | None | None |
Saturday, August 31st | Incarnate Word at UTSA | 5:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Campbell at Troy | 5:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | UC Davis at California | 5:30 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Saturday, August 31st | VMI at Marshall | 5:30 PM | Stadium | WatchStadium.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Norfolk State at Old Dominion | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Alcorn State at Southern Mississippi | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Illinois State at Northern Illinois | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Monmouth at Western Michigan | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | SMU at Arkansas State | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Boise State vs. Florida State | 6:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Nicholls at Kansas State | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Stephen F. Austin at Baylor | 6:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | #3 Georgia at Vanderbilt | 6:30 PM | SEC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Georgia Southern at #6 LSU | 6:30 PM | ESPNU | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Middle Tennessee at #7 Michigan | 6:30 PM | BTN | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | #11 Oregon vs. #16 Auburn | 6:30 PM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Miami (OH) at #20 Iowa | 6:30 PM | FS1 | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Missouri at Wyoming | 6:30 PM | CBSSN | CBSSports.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Abilene Christian at North Texas | 6:30 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Virginia at Pittsburgh | 6:30 PM | ACC Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Louisiana Tech at #10 Texas | 7:00 PM | Longhorn Network | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Houston Baptist at UTEP | 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | ESPN+ |
Saturday, August 31st | Arkansas-Pine Bluff at TCU | 7:00 PM | Fox Sports Net | FoxSportsGo.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Grambling at UL Monroe | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 | WatchESPN.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Weber State at San Diego State | 8:00 PM | None | None |
Saturday, August 31st | New Mexico State at #23 Washington State | 9:00 PM | Pac-12 Networks | Pac-12.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Southern Utah at UNLV | 9:00 PM | None | UNLVRebels.com |
Saturday, August 31st | Fresno State at USC | 9:30 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |
Sunday, September 1st | Houston at #4 Oklahoma | 6:30 PM | ABC | WatchESPN.com |
Monday, September 2nd | #9 Notre Dame at Louisville | 7:00 PM | ESPN | WatchESPN.com |