2026 Week 0 College Football Predictions

Week 0 of the 2026 college football season is nearly upon us, and with it are plenty of predictions to be made. As we enter the beginning of this year’s action, we’ll break down all the FBS games on the Week 0 slate, along with the final score and what to watch for.

2026 Week 0 College Football Predictions

North Carolina Tar Hells vs. TCU Horned Frogs (N)

There are quite a few questions swirling about both programs recently. Jacob Fields, a projected TCU starter in the secondary and transfer from Louisiana Tech, was dismissed from the team last week after assaulting a teammate and UNC defensive coordinator. Meanwhile, for UNC saw Steve Belichick take a medical leave of absence at the beginning of August and isn’t expected to be back for the matchup in Dublin, Ireland. 

Both teams will likely lean on their defense, as TCU is breaking in a Harvard transfer at quarterback who does have pro upside. UNC will start Billy Edwards Jr., a transfer from Wisconsin, who only played in two games before missing the rest of the season with a knee injury. 

UNC played pretty slow last season, so it will be interesting to see if there is any tempo change or how the offense functions with new offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino, up against a TCU defense that could be just as good as last year entering Week 0. TCU may also have some growing pains on offense entering this season as well, however. They have had to replace quarterback Josh Hoover, who transferred to Indiana in the offseason. They also lost three of their top four receivers, including 1000+ yard receiver, Eric McAlister. 

TCU should have enough to get the job done here, but sometimes these Week 0 Dublin games are funky.

Score Prediction:  TCU 27, UNC 14

What to Watch For

• How UNC’s portal-built offensive line handles one of the better Big 12 defensive lines.
• The performance of Harvard transfer quarterback Jaden Craig against a stout defense in UNC.

San Jose State Spartans at USC Trojans

This is a game where San Jose State is completely undermatched against a top-25 USC team. The Spartans will likely be one of the bottom feeders of FBS football this season, so USC will be able to name their score at home. The only question is, what score do they have in mind? 

USC has a pretty soft non-conference schedule to start the season, opening with three straight home games against San Jose State, Fresno State, and Louisiana. So, it will really depend how much they want to show here. 

With the disparity growing wider each season between the Power Four and Group of 6, this could be a situation where USC doesn’t actually want to run up the score, but may do so unintentionally.

Score Prediction: USC 48, San Jose State 10

What to Watch For

• How USC’s depth pieces perform.
• Any bright spots or standouts on the San Jose State portal-built offense.

NC State Wolfpack at Virginia Cavaliers

NC State brings in an almost entirely portal-built defense to face Virginia, who is going to rely on an almost entirely portal-built offense in the first game of the season; one that will also count as an official ACC Conference game. 

While the NC State brings back some continuity on offense, including QB C.J. Bailey, the team lost their top five wide receivers and will need their portal haul to hit and hit early. The offense wasn’t really the problem last season, though. That moreso rests on the defense, who brought in some portal players to help, but doesn’t necessarily look improved. However, they should be more comfortable in year two under their defensive coordinator. 

Virginia only brought back three starters on offense, all on the offensive line. There is a new QB in Beau Pribula, who transfers in from Missouri. The rest of the skill position starters come from the transfer portal. The Virginia defense lost a few pieces at linebacker and in the secondary. However, they brought back five starters and added portal starters as well, and should continue to have success. 

The battle between the NC State defense and Virginia offense will let everyone know right away how much portal success they had. With the game being moved from Brazil to Charlottesville, Virginia should have a slight edge at home with the better defense.

Score Prediction:  Virginia 28, NC St. 27

What to Watch For

• Redundant, but the UVA offense vs. the NC State defense should give great insight on how these teams may perform as the season progresses.

Jacksonville State Gamecocks at North Dakota State Bison

There will be a lot of excitement and fanfare for North Dakota State’s FBS opener. The Week 0 game at the Fargo Dome is already nearly a sellout. 

Jacksonville State comes to town off of a CUSA Championship game appearance last season, returning starting quarterback and 1000-yard rusher, Caden Creel. The offense may not have the same pop in the backfield as it did last season, though, after losing elite running back Cam Cook to West Virginia. However, the defense returns five starters from last season and should continue to improve, playing well when punching up in competition in 2025. 

For all of the excitement about the FBS move, North Dakota State may have been better-suited to make the move last season. The team lost their starting QB, top two rushers that combined for 2000 yards and 33 touchdowns, and a 1000-yard receiver in Bryce Lance. There is a chance the offense looks and functions on a completely different level as compared to last season against overwhelmed FCS opponents. However, they should still have an advantage on the ground against a Jacksonville State defensive line that, at times, struggled against the run. The North Dakota State defense does look some pieces, but overall looks solid heading into the new look Mountain West.  

Score Prediction:  Jacksonville St. 20, North Dakota St. 23

What to Watch For

• How Jax State’s offensive line holds up against a solid North Dakota State defensive front.
• The overall defensive performance with five returning starters.
• How North Dakota State handles low-level FBS competition after losing many of the productive pieces on last season’s 40+ point per game offensive unit.

Sacramento State Hornets at Eastern Michigan Eagles

Sacramento State wasn’t even sure they were going to be in the FBS this season. Yet, here they are, traveling to EMU in Week 0.

Eastern Michigan should be in line to make some solid progress this season. They have who could be the best quarterback in the MAC in Noah Kim. They also returned six starters on both sides of the ball. 

This is also a tough travel trip for Sacramento State. However, they will need to get used to this sort of travel being a member of the MAC.  It will be interesting to see how they handle it or if it impacts their on field performance, especially deeper into the season.  

Score Prediction:  Eastern Michigan 31, Sacramento St. 17

What to Watch For

• How well EMU handles business in game one against a team that, on paper, doesn’t stack up quite yet.
• The overall roster makeup for Sacramento State and what their offensive philosophy may be as the season progresses.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Stanford Cardinal

This is a return game for Hawaii. This time, coming to the mainland to face Stanford in 2026 after playing on the island in 2025. Stanford had this game in hand last season, and blew it at the end. It was a closely contested game, but Stanford was in control behind running back Micah Ford, and then abandoned the rush. Hawaii QB Micah Alejado was in and out of this game with injury, but ultimately his late game heroics was enough to get the Rainbow Warriors the win. 

This season, Hawaii lost a lot, and this doesn’t include wide receiver Pofele Ashlock’s unknown status in Week 0 after an August injury. Only three of Hawaii’s top-10 tacklers from last season return, while the offense loses their top running back and three of four top wide receivers. That included receiver Jackson Harris, who had nearly 1000 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, with the aforementioned Ashlock being the sole returner to the top four receivers. 

Don’t forget, Stanford was a mess to begin the season last year. Their head coach was fired in the spring and GM Andrew Luck had to scramble to fill the head coaching spot with interim Frank Reich. The Stanford quarterback play should be improved here, with Davis Warren taking over for Ben Gulbranson, although it has been a while since he has seen starting action. Running back Micah Ford returns and the defense returns seven starters from last season. Stanford should be in line to win the revenge matchup.

Score Prediction:  Stanford 28, Hawaii 20

What to Watch For  

• Quarterback Micah Alejado’s health and how much Hawaii allows him to scramble.
• Hawaii’s skill position group.
• If Stanford’s offensive line has improved and their receiver play.

New Mexico State Aggies at Florida State Seminoles

This is another game where New Mexico State is clearly outmatched versus a superior team. Florida State will be looking for a statement win to start the season to get the fans excited and bought back in. However, a Week 1 game versus SMU looms large and will likely determine the trajectory of FSU’s season. How much will FSU want to show in a tune up matchup with a potentially season defining game on deck the next week?

Score Prediction:  FSU 41, New Mexico St. 6

What to Watch For  

• Transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels performance.
• How quickly the FSU offensive line has gelled.
• If New Mexico State shows any sign of improvements from last season, although, this game may not be a good gauge to use.

Memphis Tigers at UNLV Rebels

There are a lot of moving parts to consider in this game. UNLV lost their quarterback and Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, Anthony Colandrea, to Nebraska. They’ve since replaeced him with former Oklahoma and Auburn quarterback, Jackson Arnold. Arnold fits the offensive scheme here and could find success. However, his overall level of play at his last two stops is a pause for concern. Fortunately, he will have a safety net at running back in returning 1000-yard rusher, Jai’Den Thomas. 

Memphis comes to town with a brand new head coach and a roster consisting of 70+ new players. They have yet to announce a starting quarterback, although it was said head coach Charles Huff would make that determination last Sunday to no avail. It will either be Marcus Stokes Jr., a transfer from West Florida or Air Noland, a former OSU and South Carolina transfer with limited game experience at quarterback. Rumors suggest it will be the West Florida transfer, who offers options through the air and on the ground. This is absolutely a game to watch in the late night time slot to learn what these two teams have moving forward.

Score Prediction:  UNLV 31, Memphis 20

What to Watch For

• Jackson Arnold’s fit in the offense.
• Improvement in the UNLV secondary.
• The Memphis offense and how all of the moving pieces on the roster have gelled together so far.