Friday gives college football fans another full night of games, but the FBS level is still making them wait one more day.
Seven FCS matchups are scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, beginning with three of 6 p.m. ET kickoffs and running through Idaho’s late-night trip to Cal Poly. The NCAA schedule lists streaming options across ESPN+, FloSports and NEC Front Row, while Idaho-Cal Poly gets the night’s national television window on ESPN.
So, is there a college football game tonight? Yes. There are seven of them, all from the FCS level. The FBS portion of Week 0 begins Saturday with eight games spread from noon ET through a 10 p.m. ET kickoff in Las Vegas.
College Football Games Today: Schedule of NCAA Games
Friday’s slate is smaller than Thursday’s opening-night schedule, but it gives several FCS programs their first meaningful test of 2026. Villanova and William & Mary open their first seasons as Patriot League football members against each other, while Weber State visits Northern Colorado for the Bears’ first game under permanent lights at Nottingham Field.
Cal Poly gets the most visible stage of the night. The Mustangs host Idaho at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN in a game that also marks the debut of first-year coach Tim Skipper and a John Madden Day celebration.
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College Football Games (FCS) on Friday, Aug. 28
- Marist at New Haven – 6 p.m. ET (NEC Front Row)
- Colgate at Fordham – 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- William & Mary at Villanova – 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- New Hampshire at UAlbany – 7 p.m. ET (FloSports)
- Rhode Island at Merrimack – 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Weber State at Northern Colorado – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Idaho at Cal Poly – 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Friday is the FCS portion of the evening, but the FBS wait ends Saturday.
College Football Games (FBS) on Saturday, Aug. 29
North Carolina and TCU open the FBS season from Aviva Stadium in Dublin at noon ET, giving Saturday an international opener before the schedule shifts stateside. Seven more FBS games follow, including USC’s home opener, NC State at Virginia and Memphis’ late-night visit to UNLV.
- North Carolina vs. TCU – 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- San Jose State at USC – 3 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
- NC State at Virginia – 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Jacksonville State at North Dakota State – 5:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
- Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan – 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Hawaii at Stanford – 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
- New Mexico State at Florida State – 7 p.m. ET (The CW)
- Memphis at UNLV – 10 p.m. ET (FOX)
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Week 0 offers a clean handoff. Friday belongs entirely to the FCS, with seven games available throughout the evening, before the FBS schedule takes over Saturday and sends the sport’s first major national window of 2026 to Dublin.
