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College football today

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The gist

Week 1 of the 2026 college football season features 68 games on Saturday, Sept. 5. The top-25 matchup pits No. 23 Clemson against No. 13 LSU in Lane Kiffin's debut.

Background

The 2026 college football season began with a few games on Thursday, Sept. 3, but the full slate kicks off this weekend. Saturday, Sept. 5, has 68 games involving FBS teams, with the only top-25 matchup being No. 23 Clemson at No. 13 LSU. That game is notable because it marks Lane Kiffin's first game as LSU's head coach and is a rematch of LSU's 17-10 win at Clemson last season.

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 3, 2026Week 1 begins with a few games, including Massachusetts at Rutgers and Colorado at Georgia Tech.
  2. Sep 4, 2026Friday night features No. 7 Miami at Stanford and Fresno State at No. 14 USC.
  3. Sep 5, 2026Saturday's slate includes 68 games, headlined by No. 23 Clemson at No. 13 LSU.

Who’s saying what

Analysts
The Clemson-LSU game is the marquee matchup of Week 1, with Lane Kiffin's debut adding intrigue.

Sources

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