As it stands now, the 2020 college football season is tenuous at best.
The weekly schedules for each of the 76 FBS teams seem to undergo updates on a daily basis, with teams canceling or rescheduling based on the latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, the first FBS football games are set to take place in less than a week, marking the start of one of the strangest college football seasons in its 151-year history.
But Sporting News is here to make sure you have all the info you need to watch not only the Week 1 slate of games, but also the opening games for ACC, Big 12 and SEC teams. That includes times, dates, TV information, live stream options and more:
When is the first college football game in 2020?
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 3
The first game involving an FBS team will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 3. UAB (Conference USA) will host FCS opponent Central Arkansas at 8 p.m., followed by South Alabama (Sun Belt) traveling to take on Southern Miss (C-USA) at 9 p.m. ET.
The first fall Saturday games kick off two days later on Sept. 5. Six contests comprising independent, Group of 5 and FCS teams will take place. The opening weekend of the 2020 college football season will conclude on Labor Day as Navy (AAC) hosts independent BYU.
How to watch college football games in Week 1
- TV: ESPN; CBS Sports Network; fuboTV (7-day free trial)
- Live stream: WatchESPN; CBS All Access
As it stands now, only five games will be nationally televised during college football’s opening weekend: ESPN will broadcast BYU-Navy, Eastern Kentucky-Marshall, SMU-Texas State and Arkansas State-Memphis. CBS Sports Network will broadcast South Alabama-Southern Miss. Those with active cable subscriptions can simulcast those games on WatchESPN or CBS All Access. Another option is fuboTV, which is offering a seven-day free trial.
College football schedule 2020: Week 1
A total of nine college football games are scheduled to take place during college football’s opening weekend, though none of them includes a Power 5 team. Below is the breakdown of the opening weekend slate:
All times Eastern
Thursday, Sept. 3
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
Central Arkansas at UAB | 8 p.m. | ESPN3 |
South Alabama at Southern Miss | 9 p.m. | CBSSN |
Saturday, Sept. 5
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
Eastern Kentucky at Marshall | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
Middle Tennessee at Army | 1:30 p.m. | CBSSN |
SMU at Texas State | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Houston Baptist at North Texas | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3 |
Arkansas State at Memphis | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Stephen F. Austin at UTEP | 9 p.m. | ESPN3 |
Monday, Sept. 7
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
BYU at Navy | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
When does the ACC football season start?
- Scheduled start date: Week of Sept. 7-12
The ACC is scheduled to be the first Power 5 conference to play in 2020, starting with Miami on Sept. 10. That said, four of the ACC’s 15 teams — Virginia, Boston College, N.C. State and Virginia Tech — will not play their previously scheduled openers during the week of Sept 7-12. Virginia and Boston College had their nonconference games canceled, while the N.C. State-Virginia Tech opener was reportedly moved to Sept. 26 after the Wolfpack suffered a COVID-19 outbreak.
The ACC’s 11-game schedule includes one nonconference contest and 10 conference contests before concluding with the championship game on either Dec. 12 or 19. Below is the full breakdown for every ACC team’s first game:
Thursday, Sept. 10
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
UAB at Miami | TBD | TBD |
Saturday, Sept. 12
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest | TBD | TBD |
Duke at No. 10 Notre Dame | TBD | TBD |
Syracuse at No. 18 North Carolina | TBD | TBD |
Georgia Tech at Florida State | TBD | TBD |
Western Kentucky at Louisville | TBD | TBD |
Austin Peay at Pittsburgh | TBD | TBD |
Saturday, Sept. 19
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
Virginia at Virginia Tech | TBD | TBD |
Boston College at Duke | TBD | TBD |
Saturday, Sept. 26
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
N.C. State at Virginia Tech | TBD | TBD |
When does the Big 12 football season start?
- Scheduled start date: Saturday, Sept. 12
The Big 12, much like the ACC, will start the week of Sept. 12, with each team facing a nonconference opponent. The Big 12’s conference slate will begin two weeks later on Sept. 26. The schedule concludes on Dec. 5; the conference championship game is slated for Dec. 12, but could be played on Dec. 19 as well.
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
Missouri State at No. 5 Oklahoma | TBD | TBD |
UTEP at No. 14 Texas | TBD | TBD |
Tulsa at No. 15 Oklahoma State | TBD | TBD |
Louisiana at No. 23 Iowa State | TBD | TBD |
Eastern Kentucky at West Virginia | TBD | TBD |
Houston Baptist at Texas Tech | TBD | TBD |
Arkansas State at Kansas State | TBD | TBD |
Coastal Carolina at Kansas | TBD | TBD |
SMU at TCU | TBD | TBD |
Louisiana Tech at Baylor | TBD | TBD |
When does the SEC football season start?
- Scheduled start date: Saturday, Sept. 26
The SEC plans to kick off its season on Saturday, Sept. 26, giving it the latest Power 5 start date. Unlike the ACC and Big 12, its schedule includes only conference opponents and one bye week. The final regular-season game is scheduled for Dec. 5, followed by the conference championship on Dec. 19 two weeks later.
Below is the full opening-week slate for the SEC:
Matchup | Time | TV channel |
No. 3 Alabama at Missouri | TBD | TBD |
No. 4 Georgia at Arkansas | TBD | TBD |
Mississippi State at No. 6 LSU | TBD | TBD |
No. 8 Florida at Ole Miss | TBD | TBD |
Kentucky at No. 11 Auburn | TBD | TBD |
Vanderbilt at No. 13 Texas A&M | TBD | TBD |
No. 25 Tennessee at South Carolina | TBD | TBD |
Original article: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/college-football-schedule-2020-first-game-week-1/3coke8epzx4y1uek433v5km47