College football is back! Here’s how to stream for Week 0
College football is back! Here’s how to stream for Week 0
North Carolina and TCU kick off the season in Dublin, Ireland, while No. 14 USC, Florida State, and Virginia will open their seasons at home.
We made it through the summer, and football is officially back. Well, at least college football is back; we need to wait a few more weeks for the NFL season opener. But college football’s Week 0 is here, complete with some great games, fun storylines, and even a Group of 5 matchup that could have serious playoff implications. ESPN, NBC, CBS Sports Network, FOX, and the ACC Network, so to make sure that you don’t miss any of the action of College Football Week 0, we recommend a five-day free trial to DIRECTV.
How to watch 2026 college football Week 0
- When: Starts Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at 12 noon ET.
- TV: ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, The CW, ESPN, ESPN+, FOX, NBC
- Stream: Watch with a five-day free trial to DIRECTV or individual games on ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, Peacock, and Fox One.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about 2026 college football Week 0
What is the schedule of college football Week 0??
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Outlet(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 12 noon | North Carolina vs. TCU (Dublin, Ireland) | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited, Disney+ |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 3 p.m. | San Jose State at No. 14 USC | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 3:30 p.m. | NC State at Virginia | ESPN, ESPN Unlimited |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 5:30 p.m. | Jacksonville State at North Dakota State | CBS Sports Network |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 7 p.m. | New Mexico State at Florida State | The CW, ESPN Unlimited |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 7 p.m. | Hawaii at Stanford | ACC Network, ESPN Unlimited |
| Sat, Aug. 29 | 10 p.m. | Memphis at UNLV Rebels | FOX, FOX One |
Why watch 2026 College Football Week 0 with a DIRECTV subscription?
College football Week 0 lives on many different live TV channels. DIRECTV offers ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost with its MySports Genre Pack, which normally costs $65 per month for 20+ sports channels, including ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, Golf Channel, and local broadcast channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC.
With a limited-time discount, new customers can get the MySports Genre Pack for just $50 per month for their first two months of service, plus a five-day free trial. Since Week 0 is just one day long, you can watch all of the games from start to finish for a great price, plus NFL preseason games, nationally broadcast MLB contests, and much more with the MySports Genre Pack.
DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
Can you watch 2026 College Football Week 0 for free on any service?
College football Week 0 is just one day long, and a handful of live TV streaming services may let you stream the first Saturday of action for free. We’ve already discussed DIRECTV’s industry-best five-day guaranteed trial, but there are three others that could potentially allow you to watch all the games for free.
The length of YouTube TV’s free trial can be as short as two days, or as long as 21, depending on a variety of opaque variables. However, for the chance to get three weeks at no cost, it is likely worth going through the signup process to find out what they will offer you. After the trial ends, plans start at $83 per month, and the Sports Genre Plan now includes access to ESPN Unlimited as well. You can watch Week 0 with the free trial and then decide if you want it for the rest of the college football season.
Similarly, Fubo offers ESPN and ESPN Unlimited in its Pro and Elite plans, as well as the slimmed-down Fubo Sports service. The service offers a free trial of between one and seven days, but, like YouTube TV, it fluctuates depending on what time of month you subscribe and other factors.
Hulu + Live TV will also allow you to watch all of the Week 0 games. The streamer offers a three-day free trial to all new customers. ESPN is included in its sole channel package, and ESPN+ access is available through the Disney Bundle, which is included in all plans starting at $90 per month.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| ACC Network | + $24 | + $11 | + $61 | - | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| CBS Sports Network | + $15 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Fox | + $19 | + $59 | + $61 | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The CW | + $39 | + $59 | + $60 | - | - | - | - | ✓ | |
Watch a trailer for the 2026 college football season
How to watch 2026 College Football Week 0 with a VPN
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the games as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming like DIRECTV in order to stream the games with a VPN.
ExpressVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get a month of service for as little as $5. ExpressVPN is the most-trusted VPN on the market and comes with a 30-day, money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries, best-in-class encryption, 24-hour live support, and the best speeds available.
While ExpressVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Most Secure: NordVPN | Starting at $3.09 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available