It’s still hard to know what to make of Week 0 — it’s not even an official NCAA phrase. But college football is so very back this weekend. And it has us feeling like Brian Kelly in that rotating photo booth thing.Though most of the top matchups come later in the season, there’s enough worthwhile Week 1 action spread from Thursday to Monday. The ACC continues with Miami at Stanford and SMU at Florida State. Louisville meets up with Ole Miss in Nashville, while Wisconsin joins Notre Dame for a Lambeau Field special. As if Lane Kiffin could ever not be the center of attention, LSU hosts Clemson for the season’s first “College GameDay” hit.Here’s our guide to the football ahead. We picked two games for each of the Saturday and Sunday windows — a best game on paper by matchup quality, and a potential chaos agent that just might scramble expectations.All times are ET, and rankings are from the latest AP poll.College football Week 1 watch guideGameTimeTVStreamColorado at Georgia Tech8 p.m., Thu.ESPNFubo (Watch Now)Miami at Stanford9 p.m., Fri.ESPNFubo (Watch Now)Liberty at James MadisonNoon, Sat.ESPNUFubo (Watch Now)ECU at AlabamaNoon, Sat.ABCFubo (Watch Now)Tulane at Duke3:30 p.m., Sat.ACCNFubo (Watch Now)Boise St. at Oregon3:30 p.m., Sat.CBSFubo (Watch Now)Clemson at LSU7:30 p.m., Sat.ABCFubo (Watch Now)WMU at Michigan7:30 p.m., Sat.NBCFubo (Watch Now)Louisville vs. Ole Miss7:30 p.m., Sun.ABCFubo (Watch Now)Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame7:30 p.m., Sun.NBCFubo (Watch Now)SMU at Florida St.7:30 p.m., Mon.ESPNFubo (Watch Now)ABC, CBS and NBC are free over the air. ABC and all ESPN networks also stream with an ESPN Unlimited subscription, CBS streams on Paramount+ and NBC streams on Peacock.Thursday, Sept. 3The warmup: Colorado at Georgia Tech8 p.m. on ESPNThe only Thursday kickoff with a single-digit spread earns the night’s most accessible broadcast. Colorado is always compelling under Deion Sanders, and 18-year-old Julian Lewis has upside under center. Alberto Mendoza, brother of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, replaces Haynes King as Georgia Tech’s QB. The former Indiana backup inherits a nine-win team from 2025.Friday, Sept. 4The warmup: No. 7 Miami at Stanford9 p.m. on ESPNMiami is the lone ranked team facing a road test Friday. Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes are ultra-hyped after last season’s heroic College Football Playoff run. Duke transfer Darian Mensah is fourth overall on The Athletic’s quarterback tiers, while wideout Malachi Toney sits fifth on the top 100 players list. The Cardinal posted almost 500 yards of total offense in a Week 0 win versus Hawai’i. Running back Micah Ford had three of the team’s five touchdowns.Is conference-led enforcement the next step for college sports?Ralph D. RussoSaturday, Sept. 5: The early slateNo. 1 Ohio State and No. 6 Indiana are active in this window, but both championship contenders are favored for unholy blowouts. Given the lopsided matchups on tap, we’re getting a bit more ambitious with our noon picks.Best game on paper: Liberty at James MadisonNoon on ESPNUBill Connelly’s SP+ model has this as a close 31-24 finish for the Dukes. JMU is coming off a 12-2 season and a CFP berth. The Billy Napier resurrection dawns in the Shenandoah Valley. The Flames open as favorites to win the CUSA title, with a transfer portal haul that includes former Florida State RB Kam Davis.Potential chaos agent: East Carolina at No. 13 AlabamaNoon on ABCBy no means are we calling an upset at Bryant-Denny, but this could be more interesting than anticipated. Kalen DeBoer did lose the 2025 opener, lest we forget. Crimson Tide QB Keelon Russell might take some time to properly succeed Ty Simpson, too.Jordan Davis, the new ECU offensive coordinator, transformed North Texas into the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense last year. And the program has gone 14-5 since head coach Blake Harrell has captained this Pirates’ ship. It’s all moot if Bama’s Ryan Coleman-Williams starts embarrassing corners again.Saturday, Sept. 5: The afternoon slateThere are more blowouts-to-be lined up for powerhouses like No. 3 Georgia and No. 5 Texas. Here’s a different approach:Best game on paper: Tulane at Duke3:30 p.m. on ACC NetworkThe Green Wave crashed the 2025 CFP bracket. The Blue Devils won that absolute slammer of an ACC championship game. So, let it rip. Tulane emerges from significant roster turnover with Houston transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion at QB. Duke has game-breaking rusher (and Louisiana native) Nate Sheppard — he topped 1,100 yards as a freshman, and should get even more touches now that Mensah is quarterbacking Miami.Potential chaos agent: Boise State at No. 2 Oregon3:30 p.m. on CBSOregon is a machine in Eugene, but Boise State can at least make this a fun watch. The Athletic’s Chris Vannini has the blue-turf warriors at a respectable 21st in his FBS rankings. Though they’re still far behind Vannini’s fourth-ranked Ducks, it is somewhere within Week 1 chaos range. And a monster pass rush from Jayden Virgin-Morgan could test Heisman hopeful Dante Moore.Saturday, Sept. 5: The late slateBest game on paper: Clemson at No. 11 LSU7:30 p.m. on ABCThis is our Week 1 centerpiece. It’s a duel for the rights to the real “Death Valley.” It’s a fresh start for Sam Leavitt, who is now the quarterback at LSU after a foot injury ended his run at Arizona State. Above all, it’s the wrestling-style walkout for Lane Kiffin, whose latest heel turn has rocked college football in so many ways.Dabo Swinney, a natural antagonist in his own right, will try to spoil the occasion. “College GameDay” hits Baton Rouge to mark its 500th episode, with three hours of build-up from 9 a.m. to noon.Potential chaos agent: Western Michigan at No. 16 Michigan7:30 p.m. on NBCAgain, we’re not calling an upset. It’s such a lopsided schedule, and we’re just looking for matchups with slight hints of a heart-racer. The Broncos are catching their in-state superiors on an emotional opening night of the Kyle Whittingham era, and on the other side of a trying offseason. Western Michigan went 10-1 down the stretch last year and has continuity with returning QB Broc Lowry. Maybe things tighten up at the Big House … or, well, maybe Bryce Underwood goes off.Sunday, Sept. 6Best game on paper: No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss7:30 p.m. on ABCThis is the one Week 1 game between ranked teams, and both sides have statements to make at neutral-site Nissan Stadium. Louisville was lining up to play for the ACC title last season before three straight deflating losses. Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals still hold their first preseason ranking in almost a decade. They need to back it up in primetime, and set the tone for Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz as QB1.Meanwhile, Ole Miss arrives to its 2026 campaign on the heels of Kiffin’s tremendous disrespect. QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy are now Rebels with a cause.Potential chaos agent: Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame7:30 p.m. on NBCBy design, every game becomes a potential chaos agent for the independent Fighting Irish. CJ Carr’s crew missed its CFP invite last season thanks to two early losses — to ranked opponents and by a combined four points. Unlikely as it seems, a stumble to Wisconsin would be seismic.The Badgers have been disappointing under Luke Fickell, but he’s familiar with Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, who both played and coached under Fickell. There’s also going to be a lot of red in the Lambeau Field bleachers.Monday, Sept. 7Labor Day leisure: No. 19 SMU at Florida State7:30 p.m. on ESPNACC football on a Monday night! What better way to honor the spirit of the American worker? FSU was a gnarly 7-17 across 2024 and 2025, but beating SMU would build real momentum for the program’s comeback. Ousmane Kromah took 14 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown during last weekend’s win against New Mexico State.The Mustangs pull up in stark contrast to their hosts at 14-2 in ACC play the last two seasons. Let’s see what senior QB Kevin Jennings can do in his first career trip to Doak Campbell Stadium.Updated Week 1 college football oddsStreaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication.