There is no Thursday Night Football tonight. The NFL preseason wrapped up on August 29, and the league is now in its final stretch before Week 1 kicks off next Wednesday.
But football fans do not have to wait for a fix.
College football’s Week 1 officially gets underway tonight with a full slate of games, including two ranked programs opening their seasons at home.
Here is what is on tonight, along with a look ahead at the full NFL Week 1 schedule.
NFL Games Today: Are There Any Regular Season Games on Thursday?
No NFL games are on tonight. The regular season does not begin until Wednesday, September 9, when the defending champion Seattle Seahawks host the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl LX.
It will be the NFL’s first Wednesday season opener since 2012, a scheduling shift tied to the league’s Melbourne game moving to Thursday, which bumps the traditional kickoff slot back a day.
College Football Games Today:
Top 25 teams:
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 25 Missouri, 8 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
- Idaho at No. 21 Utah, 9 p.m. ET (ESPNU)
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Other games:
- UMass at Rutgers, 6 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
- Albany at Buffalo, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Merrimack at Delaware, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- West Georgia at Kennesaw State, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Bethune-Cookman at Central Florida, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
- Akron at Wake Forest, 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
- Colorado at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN), a rematch of last year’s opener won by Georgia Tech 27-20, this time played at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta
- Eastern Illinois at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET (Peacock, NBCSN)
UAB at Illinois, 9 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
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Full 2026 NFL Week 1 Schedule, Dates & Streaming Details
Week 1 spans 16 games from Wednesday, September 9, through Monday, September 14. The Seahawks host the Patriots to open the season on NBC and Peacock at 8:20 p.m. ET.
The following night, the 49ers face the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in the league’s first regular-season game in the country, streaming exclusively on Netflix.
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Sunday, September 13, carries the bulk of the slate. FOX has three early matchups confirmed: Bears at Panthers, Buccaneers at Bengals, and Saints at Lions, all kicking off at 1 p.m. ET.
Sunday Night Football closes out the day with a marquee NFC East matchup, Cowboys at Giants, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
The week wraps up Monday night with an AFC West rivalry, Broncos at Chiefs, at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN from Arrowhead Stadium.
It carries extra weight after Kansas City slumped to 6-11 last season while Denver won the division at 14-3 and reached the AFC Championship Game.
No flexible scheduling applies to any game until Week 5, so every listed time and network for Week 1 is locked in. Out-of-market and mobile coverage is available on NFL+ throughout the week, subject to regional blackout restrictions.
For now, college football has the stage to itself. The NFL’s long offseason officially ends in less than a week.
