10 College Football Games You Can’t Miss in 2026

There are plenty of enticing matchups in the 2026 college football season. Here are the 10 must-watch games.

Sept. 12: Ohio State at Texas

Last year’s meeting between the two teams was a tone-setter for both: The Buckeyes went on to play the best defense in the country, and the Longhorns never quite jump-started quarterback Arch Manning. In front of a partisan Austin crowd, Texas will hope for a different outcome to begin Manning’s second season as full-time starter.

Sept. 19: LSU at Ole Miss

If what you seek from sports is pure, unadulterated bile, here is the game for you. Tigers coach Lane Kiffin’s defection from the Rebels remains a fresh wound in Oxford, Miss., and the continued presence of Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss makes this the most intriguing Magnolia Bowl since 1959.

Sept. 26: Oklahoma at Georgia

The Sooners’ daunting opening schedule: UTEP, Michigan (on the road), New Mexico (no cakewalk), the Bulldogs (on the road) and the Longhorns. Georgia, meanwhile, has a relatively manageable schedule by SEC standards. Could this be the season’s first loser-leaves-town matchup?

Oct. 3: Miami at Clemson

Speaking of make-or-break early season stretches: Clemson opens 2026 with LSU, Georgia Southern, North Carolina (hopefully improved in Year 2 under coach Bill Belichick), California (intriguing in Year 1 under coach Tosh Lupoi) and the Hurricanes. This is a state-of-the-union game for Clemson—if it isn’t competitive at home against Miami, then we can pronounce coach Dabo Swinney’s 2010s officially dead.

Oct. 17: Ohio State at Indiana

Leg two of the Buckeyes’ fascinating year pits them against the Hoosiers, who bested Ohio State in December in the greatest of all Big Ten championship games. Indiana will enter the game largely untested unless new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s Northwestern or coach Matt Rhule’s Nebraska make a quantum leap, but Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti is no stranger to being underestimated.

Oct. 17: Notre Dame at BYU

The Fighting Irish pressed pause on their annual series with USC to engage in a little interdenominational warfare, and it’s lucky for fans that both teams look more than up to delivering a classic this season. Look for Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr to enter the Heisman race if he solves first-year defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga’s attack.

Nov. 7: BYU at Utah

On the surface, Utes quarterback Devon Dampier enjoyed an auspicious Salt Lake City debut with 24 touchdowns through the air and 10 on the ground—but he couldn’t quite solve conference titans Texas Tech and the Cougars. He’ll have a second chance in a Holy War that will go a long way toward determining the destination of coach Morgan Scalley’s first Utah team.

Nov. 7: Oregon at Ohio State

Somehow, some way, the Ducks and Buckeyes managed to avoid each other in 2025 after splitting a pair of games in ’24. Neither can hide in ’26, when Oregon will harbor a Heisman front-runner (quarterback Dante Moore) and Heisman expectations if it can wade through a sneaky tricky September slate (Boise State, at Oklahoma State, Portland State and at the Trojans).

Nov. 7: Miami at Notre Dame

When the Hurricanes topped the Fighting Irish 27–24 on Aug. 31, 2025, no one could know how large it would loom down the line. This year’s battle between the two teams will carry more immediate reverberations—and Notre Dame is already talking about a “revenge tour” after a game Carr described this offseason as “hard to watch.”

Nov. 14: UNLV at New Mexico

Who would’ve thought that the Rebels and Lobos—two ex–Mountain West doormats that combined to make three bowl games in the 2010s—would one day play a potential mid-major game of the year? With Boise State off to the reconstituted Pac-12, UNLV coach Dan Mullen’s squad (10–4 a year ago after going 11–3 in Barry Odom’s final season) and New Mexico coach Jason Eck’s (9–4 in his program debut) look ready to battle for conference and CFP glory.

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