2026 Week 0 FCS Football Schedule: Kickoff Times and How To Watch

A comprehensive look at the Week 0 FCS football schedule, including kickoff times and broadcast information for the biggest games of the weekend.

Tarleton State running back Tylan Hines (1) | Tarleton State Athletics

The 2026 FCS football season is finally here! It's officially time to shift our focus to a loaded slate of Week 0 games across the country.

Due to multiple conferences moving to a 9-game conference schedule, there are multiple key conference matchups that will kick off the season, including William & Mary-Villanova, Lehigh-Holy Cross, Eastern Washington-Northern Arizona, Montana-Southern Utah, and Stephen F. Austin-McNeese.

We have two Top 25 matchups that will headline Week 0, starting with No. 15 Abilene Christian traveling to No. 20 Lamar. It's a postseason rematch from last season, in which the Wildcats eliminated the Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs. No. 14 Tennessee Tech will also host No. 22 Monmouth as the Golden Eagles look to live up to lofty preseason expectations, while the Hawks enter Year 1 of the Jeff Gallo era.

Below are the biggest FCS games on the Week 0 schedule, including every matchup that features a Top 25 program.

Thursday, August 27

Maine at Towson (6 pm ET, FloSports)

Mercyhurst at No. 9 Youngstown State (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

Stony Brook at Delaware State (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

Virginia-Lynchburg at Hampton (6 pm ET, FloSports)

Ohio Dominican at Morehead State (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

UVA-Wise at Presbyterian (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Winona State at St. Thomas (7 pm ET, MidCoSports+)

Glenville State at Elon (7 pm ET, FloSports)

Northwestern (IA) at Western Illinois (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Lafayette at Georgetown (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Houston Christian at No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Eastern Illinois at Murray State (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Mississippi Valley State at Nicholls (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

No. 16 Southern Illinois at West Florida (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Gardner-Webb at No. 17 Austin Peay (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Chattanooga at West Georgia (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Charleston Southern at Lindenwood (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Concord at Davidson (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Anderson at Furman (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

South Dakota Mines at Drake (7:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

Central Arkansas at No. 23 UT Martin (7:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

Long Island at No. 10 North Dakota (8 pm ET, ESPN+)

Friday, August 28

Colgate at Fordham (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

Marist at New Haven (6 pm ET, NEC Front Row)

William & Mary at No. 8 Villanova (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

New Hampshire at UAlbany (7 pm ET, FloSports)

No. 7 Rhode Island at Merrimack (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Weber State at Northern Colorado (9 pm ET, ESPN+)

Idaho at Cal Poly (10 pm ET, ESPN)

Saturday, August 29

Robert Morris at Wagner (Noon ET, ESPN+)

Central Connecticut State at No. 12 South Dakota (2 pm ET, ESPN+)

Southern vs. Alabama State (3 pm ET, ESPNU)

No. 6 UC Davis at Portland State (3 pm ET, ESPN+)

No. 11 Lehigh at Holy Cross (3:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

Eastern Washington at No. 25 Northern Arizona (5 pm ET, ESPN+)

Campbell at ETSU (5:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

Bucknell at Richmond (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

VMI at Idaho State (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

SEMO at Indiana State (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

Bryant at Stonehill (6 pm ET, NEC Front Row)

Winston-Salem State at Norfolk State (6 pm ET, MEAC Network)

Morgan State at North Carolina A&T (6 pm ET, FloSports)

The Citadel at Wofford (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

Savannah State at No. 24 South Carolina State (6 pm ET, ESPN+)

Samford vs. North Alabama (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

St. Francis (IL) at No. 4 Illinois State (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

No. 13 Stephen F. Austin at McNeese (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

No. 15 Abilene Christian at No. 20 Lamar (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Stetson at No. 3 South Dakota State (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Clark Atlanta at Grambling State (7 pm ET, SWAC TV)

North Carolina Central at Texas Southern (7 pm ET, HBCU GO)

No. 22 Monmouth at No. 14 Tennessee Tech (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Albany State at Florida A&M (7 pm ET, SWAC TV)

Eastern Kentucky at Western Carolina (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

East Texas A&M at No. 21 Mercer (7 pm ET, ESPN)

Oklahoma Panhandle State at Incarnate Word (7 pm ET, ESPN+)

Miles at Alcorn State (7 pm ET, SWAC TV)

Alabama A&M vs. Howard (7:30 pm ET, ABC)

UT Permian Basin at UTRGV (8 pm ET, ESPN+)

Jackson State at Tennessee State (8:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

Prairie View A&M at No. 5 Tarleton State (9 pm ET, ESPN2)

Southern Utah at No. 2 Montana (9 pm ET, ESPN+)

No. 1 Montana State at Utah Tech (10 pm ET, ESPN+)

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