College football’s unusual “Week Zero” officially begins this Saturday, August 29th, marking the start of the 2026 FBS season. The slate features eight games, with the marquee matchup taking place across the Atlantic in Dublin, Ireland. North Carolina, led by second-year head coach Bill Belichick, will face TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium, kicking off what promises to be an eventful season.
Beyond the Dublin showcase, the opening weekend includes several other notable contests. Ranked No. 15 USC will host San Jose State in another prominent Week Zero game, giving fans plenty of early-season action to follow. The games will air across various networks and streaming platforms, providing multiple viewing options for college football enthusiasts eager for the sport’s return after the offseason.
This peculiar scheduling quirk—the existence of Week Zero itself—remains one of college football’s most distinctive features, standing as a scheduling anomaly that would be difficult to replicate in other sports. As the season unfolds from this unconventional starting point, fans are already engaging in discussions about which sports boast the most compelling opening weeks and what lies ahead for these teams heading into a full regular season schedule.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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