The 2026 College Football Season is upon us, with FCS games kicking off tonight around the country. With that in mind, I wanted to highlight one game each week that I am over-the-moon excited about.
In spite of all the negativity surrounding the sport with NIL, portals, players returning from the pros, and conference realignment, I can’t help but be ecstatic to see all the wild, weird, and wacky of college football return.
As a prerequisite, neutral-site games, with a few exceptions, are ineligible for this list. College football games should be played on college football campuses. We’re also limiting each stadium to one game.
Think of this as my dream college football road trip for this fall, and then feel free to let me know which weeks I got wrong.
Week 0: Jacksonville State at North Dakota State
After becoming an indisputable dynasty in the FCS ranks, North Dakota State finally makes the jump up to the Football Bowl Subdivision as the Bison join the Mountain West. They open their first FBS campaign by hosting Jacksonville State, a program that is also a relative newcomer to the FBS.
When most programs jump to FBS, the struggle to adjust feels most prominent in the trenches. If ever a program was designed to make the jump and deal with that issue, it would be North Dakota State. I can’t wait to see the environment in the Fargodome for this first contest.
Week 1: Wyoming at Colorado State
Conference realignment has seen Colorado State make the jump to the PAC-12 while Wyoming remains in the Mountain West. Thankfully, we still get to witness the Border War, though the timeline has shifted significantly. This rivalry game remains one of the most underrated contests every year in my eyes. Bonus points for the Bronze Boot as the trophy as well.
Week 2: Oklahoma at Michigan
Rivalry games are going to be a big part of this last, but sometimes I also just want to see two historic programs play each other. That goes double for this matchup considering all the lore behind the Sooners and the Wolverines; the 2026 contest marks just the third ever meeting.
Both are ranked heading into the season; Oklahoma won the matchup last year in Norman. This time the Sooners have to head up to the Big House to face a Wolverine squad now led by longtime Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham. I love physical defenses, and I expect physicality from both programs. There were some other big games this week, but getting a feel for just how good Michigan can be this year gave this contest the edge for me.
Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss
The professional wrestling fan in me really had no choice but to select this contest for Week 3. Lane Kiffin, probably the hottest heel in the sport at the moment, returns to the town he coached in before packing his bags for Baton Rouge ahead of Ole Miss making the playoffs for the first time in program history.
Writers would salivate to have a script like this for a work of fiction and we get to see it play out in real life. Are you kidding me? It’s going to be nasty. I have serious doubts the contest goes ahead unimpeded from projectiles being thrown on the field. I would not want to be an LSU fan making the trip. As a neutral observer, though? Give me that vitriol, baby.
Two solid teams with plenty of big feelings between them. I’m all in.
Week 4: Boise State at Western Michigan
You have plenty of massive Week 4 matchups to pick from. Oregon at USC, Texas A&M at LSU, Iowa at Michigan, and Texas at Tennessee all take place this weekend. I just personally wanted to take a look at a game I think is going to fly under a lot of folks’ radars.
Western Michigan lost one conference game en route to the MAC Championship and avenged that loss in the championship game against Miami of Ohio. Boise State did what Boise State does and won the Mountain West (even if New Mexico should’ve been in that game in my eyes).
Now, both squads are looking to repeat as conference champions, though Boise is now a member of the PAC-12. This is a supremely fun non-conference matchup between two squads outside of the Power Four.
Also, both have Broncos as their mascots.
Week 5: South Dakota State at Illinois State
The Missouri Valley Football Conference was the home of North Dakota State prior to their bump up to FBS ahead of this season. South Dakota State was the program that challenged the Bison most often but the MVFC has a plethora of elite FCS programs, including Illinois State – the squad that pulled off a dramatic upset of NDSU in the FCS Playoffs en route to an overtime loss in the National Championship.
It’s time to find a new top dog in the MVFC, and both of these programs could be in contention for that spot.
Week 6: Iowa at Washington
I took a long, hard look at USC at Penn State for my Week 6 pick, but I’ve done a White Out in Happy Valley before, and I’ve never done a Sailgating experience outside of Husky Stadium.
I also don’t know if two programs could be further apart in identities, though I don’t know if my assessment of Washington as an offensive-minded squad is entirely fair. Iowa has shown improvements on the offensive side as well, though I still classify them as a defensive power.
Styles make fights, and an early October kick in the PNW feels like a great spot for a game.
Week 7: Ohio State at Indiana
The Hoosiers are coming off a national championship season no one saw coming with the exception of Curt Cignetti. Ohio State remains Ohio State. This contest could very well be an early preview of the Big Ten Championship, and while Bloomington wasn’t a college football destination in the past, it feels like a place that has absolutely become one now.
It’s still wild to me, as someone who has watched college football my whole life, to be talking about Indiana this way. There are some serious banger rivalries in the SEC for Week Seven (hello Third Saturday in October and Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry), but a matchup between the preseason #1 and the preseason #6 is too much to pass up as of right now.
Week 8: James Madison at Appalachian State
It wasn’t that long ago that Appalachian State was where James Madison is. A program that moved up from the FCS ranks to the Sun Belt and became an instant factor year after year. JMU rode that momentum to a playoff appearance last year.
Meanwhile, Appalchian State has seen their status fall while JMU’s status has risen. Still, the Mountaineer faithful in Boone create one of the most impressive environments in the non-power conference ranks year after year. Can they regain some standing in the Sun Belt? I don’t know.
What I do know is that a late October kickoff at Kidd Brewer Stadium feels like a game I would love to be at.
Week 9: Arizona at Texas Tech
If Lane Kiffin is the top heel in college football, the entirety of Texas Tech can’t be that far behind. The Sorsby Saga over the offseason hasn’t completely derailed expectations for the Red Raiders, and with the spending that happens on the South Plains, Tech still looks like the favorite in the Big 12.
The Jones is one of those underrated environments when things are humming on all cylinders in Lubbock, but I really wanted to highlight this matchup because of Arizona. I feel like no one has been talking about the fact that the Wildcats had nine wins last season and are bringing back QB Noah Fifita. By the way, Fifita is a rarity in this age of portal additions and departures. A redshirt senior who has spent his entire career on the same roster, even with a coaching change. Keep an eye on Zona this fall.
Week 10: BYU at Utah
Are there better games on paper for Week 10? Probably.
I don’t care.
This is the Holy War.
Rice-Eccles Stadium, early November, one of my favorite chaotic rivalries in sports.
Cold, physical football.
Sign me up.
Week 11: Ohio at Miami (OH)
It wouldn’t be a college football season for me without a dash of Midweek MACtion. Ohio and Miami of Ohio have a history dating back to 1908, with over 100 meetings between the two squads. The rivalry matchup is known as the Battle of the Bricks.
Both teams are likely to be contenders in the MAC, though Ohio has a supreme lack of returning production for 2026. Still, anything can happen on a cold Tuesday night in the Mid-American Conference!
Week 12: Montana at Montana State
There is no rivalry contest in college football that I want to attend more than Brawl of the Wild. Even if these two teams weren’t near the top of the FCS ranks year after year after year, I have been taunted by just how rowdy the environment is for this contest.
2026’s version of the contest will be in Bozeman, a place I was lucky enough to catch a game at back in 2024. I can only imagine the hype around Montana State now, given they are coming off a national championship season. It doesn’t get any better than Cats-Grizz.
Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M
C’mon, folks?
Was there ever any doubt?
Both programs have started the season ranked in the top ten. The years apart did nothing to deaden the rivalry. Texas has claimed two in a row since joining the SEC. I desperately need my Aggies to get their lick back. I desperately need to be in the building when it happens. I don’t know if they get it done this year; there is a ton of football between now and then.
What I can tell you is that Kyle Field will absolutely be an electric environment come Black Friday and a perfect way to end a season of college football.
I’d love to hear your ideal schedule as well, so feel free to comment, reply, or let me know what you would change however you see fit!
