Most Anticipated Games Of The 2026 College Football Season

This is shaping up to be an exceptional season in college football. The offseason has already had it’s fair share of drama between portal transactions, the coaching carousel, the usual ‘lobbing of grenades’ between conferences and teams within conferences. Through it all, we’re less than 70 days away from the 2026 college football season kicking off and the slate this season won’t disappoint.

I wanted to compile a list, not a ranking, of the most anticipated games of the 2026 season. Some will have playoff implications while others are just good, ole fashioned rivalry games. With the level of quarterback play and number of championship caliber teams on the rise, this is shaping up to be a really, really good season of college football and these matchups will be a clear indicator.

Week 7: Notre Dame Fighting Irish at BYU Cougars

This will, by far, be the hardest road test for the Irish in 2026. They will face off against a Cougars team who has gone 23-4 the last two seasons under head coach Kalani Sitake and returns some impact talent on both sides of the ball. This game will have CFP implications for the Irish. BYU will likely be ranked ahead of this matchup; Notre Dame will likely be a Top 10 team if not a Top 5 team heading into this game. A win out in Provo for Marcus Freeman and the Irish will build their playoff resume.

Week 10: Miami Hurricanes at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This is one of the most anticipated football games of the 2026 season, not just on Notre Dame’s schedule. This has the potential to be a Top 5 showdown under the lights in South Bend. With the history of the two programs and the events from last season, this has the makings of a block-buster meeting between these two CFP hopefuls. The Irish and the Hurricanes aren’t alone in this amazing week 10 slate. There will be major playoff implications this weekend including a showdown between the two most talked about quarterbacks this offseason, Darien Mensah and CJ Carr.

Week 13: SMU Mustangs at Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This is a rare opportunity for Notre Dame to pick up a potential Top 15 win this late in November. This will also be the toughest matchup the Irish have had on Senior Day in recent memory. SMU returns quarterback Kevin Jennings and head coach Rhett Lashlee is looking to get the Mustangs back into playoff contention. A win on the road in South Bend late in the season would bolster their resume while the Irish will be looking to put the final touches on their playoff resume.

Week 2: Ohio State Buckeyes at Texas Longhorns

A clash of two championship contenders is exactly what the college football world needs in week two of the regular season. Both teams are amongst the favorites in the nation to bring home to CFP national championship at the end of the season. Both teams return their head coach while the Buckeyes and Longhorns both have preseason Heisman hopefuls under center with Julian Sayin and Arch Manning. This will be a ‘DO NOT MISS’ type of game down in Austin early in September.

Week 3: LSU Tigers at Ole Miss Rebels

Irish Breakdown is not under the belief that Ole Miss will be a playoff team this season for a host of reasons. Having said that, this is a game you will not want to miss solely due to the offseason drama of Lane Kiffin’s exit from Oxford and his comments about his former program when he arrived in Baton Rouge. This will be a tough road test for the Tigers, a team looking to wash their hands of the Brian Kelly era and get back into playoff contention while Ole Miss will look to repeat their success under returning starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

Week 6: Georgia Bulldogs at Alabama Crimson Tide

Head coach Kirby Smart for the Dogs hasn’t had the success in the regular season against the Crimson Tide in the post-Nick Saban era some might have thought he would have had. He’s 0-2 against Alabama in the regular season but has the opportunity to end that narrative this season. The Crimson Tide are looking to get back to the CFP with head coach Kalen DeBoer heading into year three. This will be a clash of two SEC giants likely under the lights inside of Bryant-Denney.

Week 7: Ohio State Buckeyes at Indiana Hoosiers

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day is 1-1 against Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. Both coaches have brought home national titles int he last two seasons. Day and Ohio State bested the Hoosiers in Columbus in 2024 while Cignetti and Indiana beat the Buckeyes in the Big 10 title game in Indianapolis this past season. Now, these two Big 10 titans go to war down in Bloomington, Indiana and is one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2026 season.

Week 10: Oregon Ducks at Ohio State Buckeyes

There’s a common theme here with the Buckeyes. They’ll draw a lot of national attention this offseason. They have Big 10 commissioner Tony Pettiti to thank for their in-conference slate. This isn’t the only potential meeting between the Ducks and the Buckeyes, but the only one we know for sure is happening. Head coach Dan Lanning will be seeking payback for what Ohio State did to them in the 2024 College Football Playoffs, but he’ll have to do that in one of the toughest environments in the country. Major playoff implications will be on the line with this matchup.

Week 12: Texas A&M Aggies at Oklahoma Sooners

This will be a battle between two teams in the SEC looking to make their way into the ‘championship contenders’ conversation. This will be one of the toughest road tests for head coach Mike Elko and the Aggies while Brent Venables and the Sooners look to finalize their playoff resume. Both teams made the CFP in 2025 and will look to do the same in 2026. This matchup has a ‘make ya or break ya’ type of feel to it and with the Sooners and Aggies battling it out for one of the 12 spots in this year’s playoff field.

Week 13 (Rivalry Weekend): Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies

I don’t envy Texas A&M having Texas and Oklahoma in back to back weeks, but that’s the reality Elko and his team face. The Longhorns will be coming to town looking to put an exclamation point on their 2026 campaign while the Aggies will be looking to pick up their first win in this rivalry renewed since 2010. Head coach Steve Sarkisian will be looking to get into the playoff field in 2026 after missing that opportunity in 2025. A win on the road against Texas A&M would help tremendously.

Week 13 (Rivalry Weekend): Auburn Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide

I have not been shy around predicting an upset in the 2026 Iron Bowl this entire offseason and that won’t end today. This is a big game for both programs. Alabama will be looking to put the final touches on a potential playoff resume while Auburn will be looking to pick up a signature win in the first year of the Alex Golesh era. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown will be a focal point in this matchup. If defensive coordinator Kane Wommack for the Crimson Tide doesn’t have his unit ready, this could be a long evening down in Tuscaloosa.

Week 1: Clemson Tigers at LSU Tigers

Week 4: Oklahoma Sooners at Georgia Bulldogs
Week 4: Texas A&M Aggies at LSU Tigers

Week 5: Miami Hurricanes at Clemson Tigers

Week 6: Texas Longhorns vs Oklahoma Sooners – Red River Shootout

Week 7: Arizona State Sun Devils at Texas Tech Red Raiders

Week 8: Texas A&M Aggies at Alabama Crimson Tide
Week 8: Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Wolverines

Week 9: Arizona State Sun Devils at BYU Cougars
Week 9: Ohio State Buckeyes at USC Trojans

Week 10: Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers
Week 10: BYU Cougars at Utah Utes – Holy War

Week 11: Texas Longhorns at LSU Tigers

Week 12: Indiana Hoosiers at Washington Huskies

Week 13 (Rivalry Weekend): Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes – The Game

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