3 Week 0 Games That Could Shape the 2026 College Football Playoff Race

While Week 0 generally is a feel-good reminder of the upcoming deluge of college football, don't forget that the games matter. Whether it's obvious CFP contender USC kicking off its 2026 campaign to win style points or a few potential surprises lurking in the weeds, the CFP could be impacted by what goes down in Week 0. Here's three games in particular worth noticing.

NC State/Virginia

The ACC's race for a second CFP team could well be impacted by this game. Miami is the preseason ACC favorite and while teams like SMU and Louisville are ranked and will draw early attention as a potential second ACC team, both NC State and Virginia have a puncher's chase to assert themselves in that race.

Virginia is off an 11-win season and won't have to face either Miami or Louisville in their regular season slate. In fact, NC State is one of the tougher conference games they'll play all year and could get them off top a jump start as a second ACC team in the CFP.

NC State won't play either Miami or SMU and will host Louisville. The Wolfpack won eight games last year and return standout passer CJ Bailey. A first conference win could set either of these teams up for big postseason ambitions.

Memphis/UNLV

Could UNLV and Dan Mullen crash the CFP party? Week 0's game with Memphis could matter more than most analysts might expect. (Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the other hand, Memphis and UNLV are two potential contenders for that one Group of Five CFP slot. Memphis won 11 games in 2024 and started 8-1 last year, rising to No. 22 in the AP poll before falling off late. They remain an AAC contender.

UNLV won 10 games last year in the Mountain West and had their own strong 6-0 start that made analysts start to pencil them in as a potential CFP team. The defense has to take a big step forward, but with 21 wins in the last two years, there's potential there for the Rebels.

USC/San Jose State

The idea of San Jose State taking down USC feels more than a little reckiess. But the CFP angle here is this-- it's all about earning brownie points for the Trojans. Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon have the short path to the CFP out of the Big Ten. But a fourth team is far from impossible, which leaves USC angling against the Michigans and Penn States of the world.

What's the difference? Likely, it's style points. The Trojans have to play all three of the most dangerous Big Ten teams above and also will face Penn State. How good can USC make a potential 9-3 type season look? No, the San Jose State game isn't likely to be the deciding factor. But blasting the Week 0 foe and getting Jaiden Maiava's potential Heisman campaign rolling might matter greatly in the court of public opinion, which is where the last CFP spot may well end up being decided.

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