College football is back! One of the biggest games of the weekend is the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which will be between TCU and the University of North Carolina this Saturday. The matchup will begin at 12 p.m. ET and takes place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. You’ll be able to watch on ESPN.
The College Football Classic is part of the NCAAF Week 0 schedule which features dozens of games; here’s what you need to know to watch the 2026-27 NCAA football season and take a look at the upcoming schedule for the first two weeks of the season.
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Date: August 29
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV channels: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, YouTube TV, Fubo, DIRECTV and more
When is the TCU vs. UNC game?
TCU plays UNC on Saturday, August 29 at 12 p.m. ET.
What channel is the TCU vs. UNC game on?
The TCU vs. UNC game will air on ESPN.
How to watch TCU vs. UNC without cable:
Saturday’s TCU vs. UNC College Football Classic will stream on ESPN Unlimited, and you can also watch ESPN on live TV platforms like YouTube TV, Fubo, and DirecTV.
The 2026 NCAAF season begins on August 27 with Week Zero, with most games scheduled that week streaming on ESPN+. Notable matchups in these early weeks include the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin between North Carolina and TCU, airing on ESPN on Aug. 29, Colorado vs. Georgia Tech (Sept. 3, ESPN), Texas State vs Texas (Sept. 5, ESPN), and Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame (Sept. 6, NBC).
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NCAAF 2026 season Week 0 schedule:
All times Eastern
Thursday, Aug. 27
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Mercyhurst at Youngstown State: 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Maine at Towson: 6 p.m. (FloSports)
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Chattanooga at West Georgia: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Charleston Southern at Lindenwood: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Southern Illinois at West Florida: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Mississippi Valley State at Nicholls: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Gardner-Webb at Austin Peay: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Central Arkansas at UT Martin: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Stony Brook at Delaware State: Time TBA (ESPN+)
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LIU at North Dakota: Time TBA (ESPN+)
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Houston Christian at Southeastern Louisiana: Time TBA (ESPN+)
Friday, Aug. 28
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Marist at New Haven: 6 p.m. (NEC Front Row)
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Colgate at Fordham: 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
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New Hampshire at UAlbany: 7 p.m. (FloSports)
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Weber State at Northern Colorado: 9 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Idaho at Cal Poly: 10 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Rhode Island at Merrimack: Time TBA (ESPN+)
Saturday, Aug. 29
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TCU vs. UNC: (Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland): 12 p.m. (ESPN)
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San Jose State at USC: 3 p.m. (NBC)
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Alabama State vs. Southern (Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.): 3 p.m. (ESPNU)
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NC State at Virginia: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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Jacksonville State at North Dakota State: 5:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
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Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan: 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Hawai’i at Stanford: 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
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New Mexico State at Florida State: 7 p.m. (The CW Network)
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East Texas A&M at Mercer: 7 p.m. (ESPN)
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Howard vs. Alabama A&M (Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta): 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
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Prairie View A&M at Tarleton State: 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
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Memphis at UNLV: 10 p.m. (FOX)
Week One NCAAF schedule:
All times Eastern
Thursday, Sept. 3
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UMass at Rutgers: 6 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
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Bethune-Cookman at UCF: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Akron at Wake Forest: 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
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Merrimack at Delaware: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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West Georgia at Kennesaw State: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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UAlbany at Buffalo: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Missouri: 8 p.m. (SEC Network)
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Colorado at Georgia Tech: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
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Eastern Illinois at Minnesota: 8 p.m. (Peacock)
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Idaho at Utah: 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
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UAB at Illinois: 9 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Friday, Sept. 3
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San Jose State at Eastern Michigan: 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Indiana State at Purdue: 7 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
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North Carolina A&T at Georgia State: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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UTEP at Oklahoma: 8 p.m. (SECN+)
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LIU at Kansas: 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
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Toledo at Michigan State: 8 p.m. (FS1)
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Miami (Fla.) at Stanford: 9 p.m. (ESPN)
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Fresno State at USC: 9 p.m. (FOX)
Saturday, Sept. 4
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East Carolina at Alabama: 12 p.m. (ABC)
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Oregon State at Houston: 12 p.m. (ESPN)
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Coastal Carolina at West Virginia: 12 p.m. (TNT/HBO Max)
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New Hampshire at Syracuse: 12 p.m. (ACC Network)
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North Texas at Indiana: 12 p.m. (FOX)
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Ohio at Nebraska: 12 p.m. (FS1)
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Bryant at Army: 12 p.m. (CBSSN)
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Tarleton State at Bowling Green: 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Liberty at James Madison: 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
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Miami (Ohio) at Pitt: 12:30 p.m. (ESPN Unlimited and the CW Network)
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Ball State at Ohio State: 12:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
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Kent State at South Carolina: 12:45 p.m. (SEC Network)
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Youngstown State at Kentucky: 1 p.m. (SECN+)
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SE Missouri State at Iowa State: 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Duquesne at Air Force: 1 p.m. (MW+)
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Rhode Island at Temple: 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Tennessee State at Georgia: 3 p.m. (SECN+)
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Auburn vs. Baylor (Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta): 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
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Furman at Tennessee: 3:30 p.m. (SECN+)
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Texas State at Texas: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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Boston College at Cincinnati: 3:30 p.m. (FOX)
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Tulane at Duke: 3:30 p.m. (ACC Network)
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Boise State at Oregon: 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
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Marshall at Penn State: 3:30 p.m. (FS1)
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The Citadel at Charlotte: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Towson at Navy: 3:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
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UT Rio Grande Valley at UTSA: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Fordham at North Dakota State: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN Unlimited and The CW Network)
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Maine at App State: 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Oklahoma State at Tulsa: 3:45 p.m. (ESPNU)
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North Alabama at Arkansas: 4:15 p.m. (SEC Network)
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Northern Illinois at Iowa: 4:15 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
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Alcorn State at Southern Miss: 5 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Wyoming at Colorado State: 6 p.m. (USA Network)
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Norfolk State at Old Dominion: 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Missouri State at Texas A&M: 7 p.m. (ESPN)
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Austin Peay at Vanderbilt: 7 p.m. (SECN+)
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Abilene Christian at Texas Tech: 7 p.m. (FS1)
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Nicholls at Kansas State: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Idaho State at Utah State: 7 p.m. (CBSSN)
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Arkansas State at Memphis: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Houston Christian at Rice: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Florida International at South Florida: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Murray State at Middle Tennessee: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Charleston Southern at Georgia Southern: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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SE Louisiana at South Alabama: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Sam Houston at Troy: 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Clemson at LSU: 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
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UL Monroe at Mississippi State: 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
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VMI at Virginia Tech: 7:30 p.m. (ACC Network)
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Western Michigan at Michigan: 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
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Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Florida Atlantic at Florida: 7:45 p.m. (SEC Network)
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Utah Tech at BYU: 8 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Hampton at Maryland: 8 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
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South Dakota State at Northwestern: 8 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
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Lamar at Louisiana: 8 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Morgan State at Arizona State: 9 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Mercyhurst at New Mexico State: 9 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Northern Arizona at Arizona: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
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Portland State at San Diego State: 9:30 p.m. (USA Network)
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UNLV at Hawai’i: 10 p.m. (ESPN Unlimited and The CW Network)
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Central Michigan at New Mexico: 10 p.m. (FS1)
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Mississippi Valley State at Sacramento State: 10 p.m. (ESPN+)
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UCLA at Cal: 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
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Western Kentucky at Nevada: 10:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
Sunday, Sept. 6
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Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M: 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
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Florida A&M vs. South Carolina State (Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.): 3 p.m. (ESPN)
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Washington State at Washington: 4 p.m. (NBC)
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Ole Miss vs. Louisville (Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.): 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
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Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin (Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.): 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 7
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SMU at Florida State: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
