College Football is Back This Weekend: How to Watch Week 0
Seven long months have passed since Ohio State beat Notre Dame to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff.
Winter was cold, spring was wet and summer has been very hot, but we’ve made it to one of the most important milestones of the year: College football is back this weekend.
No, not everyone will be in action, but 10 teams are set to take the field Saturday before everyone gets into the act next week.
The biggest game by far is 17th-ranked Kansas State against No. 22 Iowa State.
That game kicks off at noon Eastern on ESPN, but it is taking place in Dublin, Ireland.
That is the only game involving a ranked team, but there are four more to continue wetting fans' appetites until the official Week 1 starts Aug. 28.
Here’s the whole list of Week 0 games, including how and when to watch:
- No. 22 Iowa State vs. No. 17 Kansas State, 12 p.m. EST, ESPN
- Idaho State vs. UNLV, 4 p.m. EST, Mountain West Network
- Fresno State at Kansas, 6:30 EST, FOX
- Sam Houston at Western Kentucky, 7 p.m. EST, CBS Sports Network
- Stanford at Hawaii, 7:30 p.m. EST, CBS/Paramount+
Why are Kansas State and Iowa State playing in Ireland?
Several loopholes exist in the rules that allow teams to begin the season early, and the city of Dublin has been taking advantage of one involving international contests for 10 years.
Four years ago, the game was dubbed the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, so KSU-ISU will be the fourth edition.
The first Aer Lingus College Football Classic featured Northwestern and Nebraska in 2022 followed by Notre Dame-Navy in ‘23 and Georgia Tech-Florida State last year.
Next year, North Carolina and TCU are set to hold the fifth edition.
What’s next?
The official Week 1 kicks off with a bunch of Thursday games.
That lineup includes No. 25 Boise State at South Florida, Ohio at Rutgers, Buffalo at Minnesota, Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (in Kansas City) and Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin.
The highest-profile game of the Week 1 will see top-ranked Texas play at No. 3 Ohio State at noon Saturday on Fox.
The Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 28-14 in a CFP semifinal in the Cotton Bowl in January, so the Texas will be looking for some payback.