College Football Week 1 Preview: Major Matchups Highlight Opening Weekend

College football’s first full weekend of the 2026 season arrives with a five-day schedule and several intriguing nonconference games. While many of the nation’s highest-ranked programs open against significant underdogs, Clemson-LSU, Louisville-Ole Miss and Wisconsin-Notre Dame provide some early tests for teams with College Football Playoff aspirations. The action runs through Monday night, with the first full Saturday set for Sept. 5. The weekend features 20 teams from the AP Top 25, including No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Georgia and defending national champion No. 6 Indiana.

Biggest College Football Games This Weekend

The most compelling betting matchups are concentrated Saturday and Sunday. Odds can move before kickoff.

• Boise State at No. 2 Oregon — Saturday, Sept. 5, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. Oregon -24.5; O/U 51.5. The Ducks begin their pursuit of another College Football Playoff appearance against a Boise State program capable of providing a meaningful early-season test.
• Clemson at No. 11 LSU — Saturday, Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LSU -10.5; O/U 50.5. This ACC-SEC matchup is one of Saturday’s headliners, with LSU opening its first full season under Lane Kiffin against Clemson.
• Washington State at No. 17 Washington — Sunday, Sept. 6, 4 p.m. ET, NBC. Washington -23.5; O/U 50.5. The Apple Cup gives the opening weekend a rivalry matchup, with the Huskies heavily favored at home.
• Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame — Sunday, Sept. 6, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC. Notre Dame -20.5; O/U 47.5. Lambeau Field hosts the neutral-site matchup as Notre Dame begins a season in which it is among the national championship betting favorites.
• No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss — Sunday, Sept. 6, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC. Ole Miss -6.5; O/U 55.5. The game in Nashville is the weekend’s only matchup featuring two AP-ranked teams and one of the tighter spreads among the marquee games.
• No. 19 SMU at Florida State — Monday, Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. SMU -3.5; O/U 53.5. Week 1 concludes in Tallahassee with SMU entering as a short road favorite.

Top Teams Have Favorable Openers

Several championship contenders should face considerably less resistance. Ohio State is favored by more than 50 points against Ball State, while Indiana is laying more than 40 against North Texas. Georgia hosts Tennessee State, and Texas is favored by nearly 30 against Texas State. That makes the LSU-Clemson and Louisville-Ole Miss games particularly important. A loss wouldn’t necessarily eliminate a contender in the expanded playoff era, but an early marquee victory could become valuable when playoff résumés are compared later in the season.

National Championship Betting Favorites

There isn’t a dominant preseason favorite in the futures betting market. Recent DraftKings and FanDuel pricing had Notre Dame and Ohio State co-favored at +600, followed closely by Texas at +650. The relatively long prices at the top illustrate how open the championship race appears entering the season. Recent national championship markets place these programs among the leading contenders:

Rank	Team	National Championship Odds
1	Ohio State	+600
2	Notre Dame	+600
3	Texas	+650
4	Oregon	+750
5	Georgia	+900
6	Indiana	+1200
7	Texas A&M	+1400
8	LSU	+1500
9	Miami	+1600
10	Ole Miss	+1800

The opening weekend should offer the first meaningful indication of which preseason contenders may justify those prices. LSU and Ole Miss face immediate tests, while Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Indiana enter as substantial favorites.