Week 0 is in the books. It’s time for the real games to get started. The Week 1 slate in college football is typically hit or miss and while Texas State vs Texas or Tennessee vs Furman might not be your first pick, there are still a handful of great games to watch this weekend. There is just one Top 25 matchup but there are plenty of schools sitting right outside the Top 25 who will play ranked teams this weekend. Here are our Top 3 2026 College Football Games Week 1.
No. 24 Louisville vs No. 9 Ole Miss
It’s the first time that Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding gets to coach the Rebels with a clean slate. Last year, he took over for Lane Kiffin at the end of the season. Now he gets a fresh start, and his first game comes against a ranked opponent in Louisville. The Cardinals went 9-4 a year ago. They have Lincoln Kienholz, an Ohio State transfer, taking over the reins under center. Golding is a defensive minded coach, can he put his stamp on a Week 1 win, or could things get messy in Oxford? Prediction: Louisville 21 Ole Miss 28
Clemson vs No. 11 LSU
Speaking of Lane Kiffin, how about his LSU debut coming against Clemson. The Tigers may not be ranked but this isn’t like LSU is getting UTEP in Week 1. Kiffin brought in Sam Leavitt from Arizona State to run things under center and I’m interested to see if the offense is off and running in Week 1 or if this system will take some time to adapt for the Tigers. For Clemson, they are coming off an 8th place finish in the ACC, and it certainly seems like Dabo Swinney has lost a step. He got lazy with the transfer portal and NIL, and it has hindered the Tigers for the last few years. QB Christopher Vizzina gets the starting role this year, but taking on LSU in the first game is a big stretch. Prediction: Clemson 26 LSU 35
Boise State vs No. 2 Oregon
This is not a great draw for Boise State, who needs a clean schedule to get into the CFP. The Broncos are entering a new era in the Pac 12 where the competition is already much tougher than the Mountain West. I would imagine that another Mountain West school or James Madison University has the fast track to the Group of 6 CFP spot and if Boise State gets smacked in Week 1, it could send their season into disarray. Oregon welcomes back Dante Moore and a stellar defense. They are the second ranked team in the country for a reason and while this could be fun for a quarter or two, I don’t see any crazy upset here in Week 1. Prediction: Boise State 17 Oregon 40