Week 0 College Football Schedule: What Iowa Fans Should Watch For

College football is officially back this weekend. It's not a full slate of games, but it is an entire day of matchups to get the 2026 college football season underway.

The Iowa Hawkeyes don't open up until Saturday, September 5, when they host the Northern Illinois Huskies at Kinnick Stadium at 3:15 p.m. CT, but that doesn't mean there isn't intrigue this weekend.

Week 0 College Football Schedule

North Carolina vs. TCU, 11 a.m. CT, Dublin, Ireland

San Jose State at USC, 2 p.m. CT, Los Angeles, CA

NC State at Virginia, 2:30 p.m. CT, Charlottesville, VA

Jacksonville State at North Dakota State, 4:30 p.m. CT, Fargo, ND

Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan, 5:30 p.m. CT, Ypsilanti, MI

Hawaii at Stanford, 6 p.m. CT, Stanford, CA

New Mexico State at Florida State, 6 p.m. CT, Tallahassee, FL

Memphis at UNLV, 9 p.m. CT, Las Vegas, NV

As has been the recent tradition, things get underway in Ireland at the Aer Lingus Classic with a matchup between teams from the Big 12 and ACC, then move into a bevvy of interconference showdowns to feast on throughout the day.

What Iowa fans can watch for

While none of the 16 teams playing in Week 0 are on Iowa's schedule to scout, there is a former Hawkeye getting into the action on Saturday.

Former Iowa running back Terrell Washington Jr. departed Iowa this offseason via the transfer portal and landed with the New Mexico State Aggies.

The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Washington gets his first action with his new team at 6 p.m. CT this Saturday when they travel across the country to what will be a hostile atmosphere at Doak Campbell Stadium to take on the Florida State Seminoles.

That should be nothing that Washington isn't used to after spending three years with the Hawkeyes playing in Big Ten stadiums.

Terrell Washington Jr. committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes as part of the class of 2023. The product of Wylie East High School in Wylie, Texas, was a three-star running back prospect.

He was rated as the No. 70 running back in his class.

Brendan Sullivan was sharp on Iowa's opening drive: 4-of-4 passing for 54 yards, including this 6-yard pop pass to Terrell Washington Jr. for a TD.pic.twitter.com/C0QnJcJHAn
— Russell Vannozzi (@RussellV_MSP) December 30, 2024

At Iowa, Washington was part of a consistently loaded running back room, sharing time with Kaleb Johnson, Kamari Moulton, and Jaziun Patterson, who has since transferred to Michigan State.

Despite that, he was able to work his way into the offense, totaling 49 rushes for 182 yards and reeling in 10 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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